Ms. Riding Hood shaking in her boots. Hooded dresses are back in fashion. Many high-end brands have begun to include a hooded element in their designs. You may have seen the look on celebrities like Rihanna, Beyoncé, and Janelle Monae, as well as your friends who know that comfort never goes out of style.
The gowns have a rich cultural history dating back centuries. However, the modern trend is being adopted by many. Why?
“The hooded dress trend comes from the nostalgia of the ‘80s when we think of Grace Jones in the iconic hooded Alaïa pieces,” Amani Saab, the co-founder of an eponymous clothing label, tells ESSENCE via email. Saab’s online store hosts multiple hooded gowns, mini dresses and a bejeweled, cropped hoodie.
“Hooded dresses are bold, celebratory and extravagant, which is very much in the spirit of maximalism, drama and perfectly encapsulates the party season,” she also says.
Hoods have been worn by many people throughout the centuries for many different reasons, some even religious. “Head coverings are used in many religions as a symbol of respect to one’s own faith,” Saab tells us. It’s an expression of one’s cultural identity and to see it being more normalized, it represents a celebration of identity and evokes a re-defined sense of freedom and empowerment.”
In medieval Europe, monks and other clergy members kept their heads covered with garments. For prayer, monks were known to wear hooded cowls. Hoods became a luxurious item after the Renaissance when they were popular among the wealthy. These dresses were made of rich fabrics like velvet and taffeta and decorated with intricate embroidery or beading.
Hooded dresses became very popular in America after World War II. In January 2013, researcher and self-described “vintage sewing enthusiast” Debi Fry launched “The 1940 McCall” project, wherein she recreated dresses from McCall’s, a women’s magazine that included sewing patterns, in 1940. Among the designs was a mid-length dress called “the famous hooded princess dress.” The original print advertisement for the pattern reads: “There are three things here of utmost fashion importance–the hood, shown on a dress for the first time, the big pockets, which you see everywhere, and..the return of the fly closing. Not only is this princess dress smart in light-weight wool with its hood lined with printed crepe, but it’s being made all of print, too. The hooded printed dress is something as new and as fresh as tomorrow morning.”
In her 2013 blog post, Fry notes that in her research, she didn’t come across hooded dresses prior to 1940.
Hooded dresses surged in popularity in the 1980s with the help of Grace Jones in 1985’s A View to a Kill. For Azzedine Alaïa’s Spring/Summer 1986 haute couture show, Jones wore a satin, pink hooded gown on the runway. Her hooded gowns were often designed by Alaïa, quickly identifiable by the bold and colorful fabrics, which only added to Jones’ unique image. She often paired them with other statement beauty choices and pieces, such as bold, bright makeup and towering heels, helping craft a Jones’ signature confident, yet mysterious look.
Jones is known for many fashion moments but the hooded sleeve dress is her most iconic style. It’s a must have for anyone who wants to copy her look.
In recent years, the trend has yet another return, and it’s only evolved in execution and grown in popularity. You can find hooded gowns in many styles today. They range from romantic and elegant to modern and edgy.
There have been some controversy surrounding hooded gowns. Nicki Minaj wore custom Versace Versace dress in bright red to the Grammy Awards 2012. Due to her choice of outfit, Nicki Minaj was confronted with criticism after she brought along a man dressed in the role of the Pope. Kelly Osbourne referred to the outfit as the “egg moment of the year,” calling back to Lady Gaga’s showstopping 2011 arrival at the Grammys in a large, translucent egg.
Rihanna was seen in a DKNY dress, which was sporty and slightly large, at Los Angeles Airport, in 2014. Six years later, Rihanna wore a marigold hoodie from Fenty, her now-defunct fashion house. She also incorporated a red, vinyl hooded coat dress into her maternity wear, sporting Savage x Fenty during a surprise visit to Los Angeles’ Savage x Fenty store.
Janelle Monáe has embraced the trend, too. To the 2020 Oscars, she wore an elegant silver Ralph Lauren hooded dress. In 2022, she wore another Ralph Lauren-designed gown featuring a hood to the Met Gala.
ESSENCE cover star Lori Harvey is another adopter of the style, wearing a terry cloth hooded dress for the August 2022 premiere of Netflix’s “Me Time” and a burgundy SS 1984 Alaia dress for Beyoncé’s Tiffany & Co. party this past October. She then modeled Off-White’s 3-piece modern bridal dress for the Baby2Baby gala the following month.
Beyoncé has been seen wearing a hooded dress this year as well, for her Paris Fashion Week after-party. Anthony Vaccarello created the maroon gown for Saint Laurent’s SS2023 collection.
A rise in popularity of hooded gowns on the runway has led retailers and designers to offer their own variations of the garment. These can range from expensive couture pieces to affordable, mass-produced options available at everyday retailers. Others are casual and cost less than $15, such as this Shein hooded gown. Other styles are more appropriate for night outs, and they cost $200, such as this Karen Milen hooded dress.
It’s not going away any time soon! Get cozy, literally. Saab just hopes it’s a style choice that becomes more infused with intention. “I do think we will continue to see the trend in 2023, hopefully showing more meaning and value behind the style rather than a trend,” Saab notes. “Representation of the hood creates more awareness and inclusivity for cultural acceptance.”