Reframing Femininity: Bodycon Is Back

By Mia Flook, Style Deputy Editor

The Croft Magazine // The post-pandemic pendulum has swung towards sex appeal embracing a newfound focus on the body. Trackies and loungewear are taking a backseat as body consciousness are back - but with a twist.

Th Body-conscious - AKA bodycon – trend originated with the 1980s King of Cling’s Azzedine Alaia’s ‘bandage dress’. Following the discovery of the super flexible fabric Lycra, the ‘Bandage dress’ was created from multiple thin strips of nylon and rayon that wrapped together – like a bandage- in order to hug curves into shapely perfection. In the early 2000s, bodycon was reintroduced as the socialite sisters Paris and Nicky Hilton and Kim Kardashian were among the first to be papped wearing the incredibly tight so-called ‘Bandage dresses’. But how has the bodycon scene changed over time?

In the SS23 shows,  Manel Torres took bodycon-conscious fashion to the next level on the Coperni Catwalk. He became the first designer to create an instant dress with innovative technology. Model Bella Hadid walked half-naked onto the lit catwalk platform and let the Fabrikant team spray paint the shape of a skin-tight white dress onto her live.

The performance took place at Salle des Textiles in Paris’ Musée des Arts et Métierson. The spray-on dress consisted of natural and synthetic fibres such as wool, cotton and nylon that when in contact with Hadid’s skin evaporated into a non-woven fabric. The skin-tight white dress accentuated her figure with a sexy sensual element to it but it focused more on the idea of elegance than roaring sexiness, there was a subtleness to it. After spraying the shape of a dress onto Hadid’s body, Coperni cut and altered the dress, shortening its length and draping the straps off Hadid’s shoulders before she roamed around the room. Torres has soon dubbed ‘the chemist tailor’ for combining the futuristic fusion of science with bodycon to enhance the female form. In a fashion scene where most brands consistently reminisce about the past, it’s nice to see the future of clothing. It’s no doubt that in the first forty-eight hours of coverage alone.

Coperni and Bella Hadid’s viral moment generated 26.3 million dollars, with 20.9 million dollars coming from social media and 5.4 million dollars from websites. which can be seen all over Bristol’s night scene. Coperni later confirmed that spray-on fabric can be used to make innovative clothes that can be washed, re-worn, and even integrated with diagnostic devices that can monitor the health of the wearer. Bodycon is not just on the runway but taking the high street by storm. The up-and-coming London fashion brand Nihai has created a range of figure-hugging bodycon dresses and tops that can be bought at Urban Outfitters. The bright and bold bodycon dresses take a rather modern ironic take on Alaia’s original bandage dress, the cut out adds a tougher grungier take on femininity and look almost cyber-esque and creatures-like, an ultimate reference to punk rock. DIY versions are popping up too, with people ripping up their tights/ slashing jerseys too.

Featured Image: Emily Fromant