The curtain dress is ready for its close-up.
Spring dresses have landed, and the timing could not be more perfect. The days are longer, the sun's out, and I, like I'm sure many of you, am currently in the throes of searching for the perfect wedding guest dresses for the 87 weddings I'm attending this summer.
After scrolling page upon page of pretty pastel dresses on my favourite e-tailers like Net-A-Porter and ASOS, I've seen one dress trend really come to dominate the digital rails – the curtain dress.
We've seen it on the spring/summer 2025 runways in September (although we weren't quite ready to jump on the trend in those chilly temps). All the quiet luxury brands from Alaia to Stella McCartney showcased their nuanced interpretation of the Greek Goddess gown—draped dresses and sculptural columns that make the wearer look like mythological monarchs.
The spring 2025 versions involve plenty of strategic ruching at the waist or hips to create an ultra-flattering effect on the body, the resulting draped effect mimicking elegant stage curtains, which lends itself to the name. There's a whiff of Victorian regality about it that we love.
Emerging London label Standing Ground sent beautiful sunset-coloured curtain dresses down the runway, while Alaia gave the trend an avant-garde spin with dramatic cutouts at the waist.
Short dresses got the curtain treatment too. Stella McCartney created a high-low dress in a sweet, lilac hue featuring the delicate draping from the shoulders to the mini-skirt.
It's easy to see why all our favourite brands and influencers are hopping on this trend. Elegant and sophisticated, one of these curtain dresses will make you the best-dressed wedding guest this year and, with a change of shoe, will make for an equally beautiful holiday party look. Just new enough for spring 2025 but classic enough to stand the test of time, you could almost call it a modern vintage piece that you're sure to reach for again and again.
It's no wonder it's Victoria Beckham's favourite silhouette. The Spice Girl can't seem to stop wearing the curtain dress this year; she even wore it to meet the King!
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