Top 10 Most Iconic Dresses in History

Everyone seems to believe that history was written by men in armors, but you know what? I’m pretty sure that it was ladies in fancy dresses who did most of the hard work, so why not celebrate the awesomeness of women by talking about the most iconic gowns ever?

Marilyn Monroe’s White Dress

Arguably one of the most famous garments in history, the dress worn by Marilyn Monroe on the set of Billy Wilder’s The Seven Year Itch in 1955 was designed by William Travilla. Little did he know that the “stupid little dress” – as Marilyn herself would call it – would go on to become an icon of both 20th century cinematography and fashion.

Audrey Hepburn’s Little Black Dress

Audrey Hepburn’s take on “American geisha” Holly Golightly in the legendary 1961 feature Breakfast at Tiffany’s was without a doubt iconic, but let’s face it, her character would’ve never been the same without the  absolutely gorgeous black dress designed by Hubert de Givenchy.

Kate Middleton’s Wedding Dress

Even though there had been some rumors going around about Sarah Burton being the mastermind behind Catherine Middleton’s wedding dress, nobody was certain about it until the soon-to-be  Duchess of Cambridge got out of the car that brought her to Westminster on April 29, 2011. It was later revealed that Burton, creative director of British fashion house Alexander McQueen, worked with Kate for quite a long time before coming up with the design that ended up being the main inspiration for wedding dresses over the following years.

Lady Gaga’s Meat Dress

Back in 2010, when Lady Gaga was all about shocking everyone with crazy outfits, I reached a point when I actually got used to her fashion sense. However, there was nothing that could prepare me for the raw meat dress that she wore at that year’s MTV Video Music Awards. The dress, designed by Franc Fernandez and styled by Nicola Formichetti, was worn with matching platforms and a fascinator – both made out of beef! – and apparently, the meat came from Fernandez’s local butcher and was assembled on Gaga’s body backstage.

A lot of people still wondered what the whole point of this was, and Lady Gaga’s response was this: “If we don’t stand up for what we believe in and if we don’t fight for our rights, pretty soon we’re going to have as much rights as the meat on our own bones. And I am not a piece of meat.”

One of Angelina Jolie’s Many Black Dresses

By donning a marvelous black velvet gown made by Atelier Versace, Angelina Jolie took the 2012 Academy Awards by storm. It was her husband Brad Pitt that was nominated for an Oscar, but let’s face it, she completely stole the show from him, and all it took was a sexy dress with a thigh-high slit, a gorgeous right leg and a cheeky smile.

The Wedding Dress of Lady Diana Spencer

The the bridal gown worn by Lady Diana Spencer at her wedding to Prince Charles on July 29, 1981 is definitely one the most famous dresses in history, and there’s good reason for that. Leaving aside the fact that Diana was part of the British royal family, it’s important to note that the dress itself was pretty impressive. Made of antique ivory lace and silk taffeta, the gown had a gorgeous 25 foot long train that no other than Diana could pull off. The designers, Elizabeth and David Emanuel, said that the dress had to be “suitably dramatic in order to make an impression.”

Björk’s Swan Dress

I’m not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but the 73rd edition of the Academy Awards will always be best remembered for Björk’s amazing swan gown created by Macedonian designer Marjan Pejoski. Back in 2001, hitting the Red Carpet dressed like this and pretending to lay an egg was by far and away the craziest thing that one could do …until Lady Gaga became famous, at least.

Anyway, Valentino did his own take on Björk’s iconic dress at the Spring 2014 Couture show at Paris Fashion week, and guess what? People were still in love with this wacky – but brilliant – idea.

Michelle Obama’s Jason Wu Dress

For her husband’s Inaugural Ball as President of the United States in 2009, Michelle Obama decided to wear a beautiful white chiffon gown created by a then unknown Taiwanese designer Jason Wu, whose popularity went through the roof the very moment the press started to associate his name with the first lady’s dress. Now that’s what you get when you combine talent and good publicity.

Geri Halliwell’s Union Jack Dress

For the Spice Girls’ performance at the Brit Awards in 1997, Geri Halliwell was supposed to wear a black mini dress from Gucci, but apparently, she found it way too boring, so she called her sis and suggested that the sew a Union Jack tea towel to it. And you know what? If she wore the dress as it was in the beginning, I’m pretty sure that her outfit would’ve never become so iconic.

Lady Diana’s Travolta Dress

Let’s face it – Lady Diana was a true fashion icon, and every single one of her outfits was outstanding, to say the least. That’s exactly why I’ve added two of her dresses in this list, and after a lot of consideration, I’ve decided that the midnight blue velvet gown that she wore for the gala dinner that took place at the White House in 1985 is definitely worth mentioning. Created by Victor Edelstein, who drew inspiration for it from the Edwardian period, the dress has pretty much always associated with John Travolta’s name, due to the actor’s marvelous dance with the glamorous Diana.