Formless: The “New” Feminine Silhouette
The pandemic has seen the disintegration of many things. The bars and cafés are closed, our schedules upended. High heels, makeup, and jewelry seem more for playing dress up than they do for practical everyday wear, as they used to be. Fashion is suffering the same upheaval, and while it is unclear what the pandemic will ultimately leave us with in form and function, it is apparent that our wardrobes (whether we like or not) have changed in quarantine. Athleisure, love it or hate it, has been on the rise for some time, and had even begun to infiltrate the work-place before the pandemic hit. I know I had a “uniform” in early quarantine, and it was certainly lacking in imagination: yoga pants, mock-neck sweater. That’s it. Yep. Every day.
And while it was necessary to have that “lazing about the lair” look in those early, fearful months, as summer came into full force I was looking for a new way to express myself, and a new way to exist day-to-day in the haze and oppressive heat. I discovered a growing trend amongst designers embracing formless dresses. Dresses that have no cinch at the waist, no a-line fluff, no restrictive bodice needed (who needs bras anymore?). Formless dresses are shapeless and loose-fitting and are being marketed as “nap-dresses” that are comfortable, breathable, and fashionable.
I do not believe the push to bring a formless silhouette to the forefront and quarantine are coincidentally happening at the same time. Obviously, dresses well-suited to napping and lounging will find a home in a world where fashion for the spectacle is seemingly non-existent. This being said, do your due diligence and formless dresses that are spectacular statement pieces can find their way into your wardrobe in this summer of quarantine.
It was difficult for me to commit to buying the first two formless dresses that I have ever owned. It was always a silhouette I was intimidated by with it’s unapologetically flowing mid-section that is modernly elegant on everyone else, but not on me. Throughout my life and my struggles with my self-esteem, that has always been the way I have viewed myself. In some sort of negative self-exceptionalism, I was unable to pull off what I think is beautiful on every other femme person. I used to hide my body in simplicity, hoping to blend in instead of being looked at, and as a result my fashion choices were boring, deflated, and most importantly, cloaked in an air of self-hate. That is until recently.
I’ve become militant with my self-confidence and fashion as a form of self-expression, however wild and artistic. My new motto is, if you can put it on, you can pull it off. I don’t care that my outfits are sometimes ostentatious and loud because, to me, it feels like healing. Which is the reason why these formless dresses of mine feel like a rebellion and an extension of that growth. One more thing I used to be afraid of, is now quite literally used as my armor.
I ventured into the New England woods with a photographer friend of mine with the express intention of modeling these dresses as a symbolic fashion time-capsule for the summer of COVID-19. The summer where the feminine silhouette got a little bit looser and so did my grip on old bad habits.
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Dress No 1: The Modern Pre-Raphaelite Dress
I understand my name for this look is a little tongue-in-cheek considering the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood is intrinsic to another time and era, but I could not shake the classical romanticism that shrouded me in this dress.
With a pastel floral pattern, a delicate pleat, and plissé-georgette fabric this dress feels like a nightgown, but with all the pomp and circumstance to signal otherwise. It has a ruffle collar that can be tied tightly around the neck in a bow, and puffed and ruffled sleeves that sway gently in the wind.
In this shoot I paired the dress with a straw boater hat in the style of the 1920’s and a simple pair of pastel pink block-heel pumps. For jewelry I wore my deeply cherished gold venetian skull ring and forgoed a necklace because that ruffle speaks for itself.
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Dress No 2: The Modern Garden Party Dress
Where the other dress is understated and delicate, this one is bold and playful. The beautiful green peony print makes it a perfect transition dress from spring to summer. Also, it’s 100% cotton so despite the long-sleeves it’s breathable in the summer heat. Maybe if garden parties (or parties at all) were still a thing I would wear it to one.
The dress has a quarter buttoned collar and long pleated buttoned sleeves for a more refined top half. The back of the dress is also pleated in a way that makes the lower half of the dress ruffle and extend outward with a gown-like presence.
To match this dress’s playful side, I styled it with a bold pink eyeliner and eyeshadow combination and white platform sandals. I had also planned to wear long golden ribbon earrings with this look, but the bog claimed one as a sacrifice, so it shall be. I left the sleeves unbuttoned, as a “roll-up your sleeves” moment could come at anytime in the middle of a bog, increasingly so if you’re reaching for one of your earrings.
All photography by Kristen Higgins. K.H. Photography. You can find her website here and her Instagram here.
Corinne Elicona is an Event Coordinator and Crematory Operator at the historic Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She curates Mount Auburn's "Death Positive" programming and can often be seen roaming the cemetery in search of fascinating epitaphs for her next historic walking tour.
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