A year and a half into working from home, our Fashion and Shopping teams are starved for some style moments. Fashion weeks turned digital, party nights were replaced by at-home cooking sessions, and the threads we bought out of impulse last year still have their tags on.
But as we transition into post-quarantine life, it's all coming back. And we are ready to dive headfirst into the summer trends that we’ll actually get to wear outdoors, IRL fashion shows, and vacation wardrobes. Oh, and then there’s a little TV show narrated by a certain girl who likes gossip coming to HBO Max that we can’t wait to watch for the costumes.
Ahead, fashion that’s getting us excited for July.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
Tombolo set
“Last summer, while following stay-at-home orders, I impulse-bought this pasta shirt from Tombolo to wear at home as I canceled all foreseeable vacation plans. Fast-forward a year later, I haven’t left New York, and it’s still my go-to shirt when I need a mood-booster. This month, I am planning on upgrading to a matching set from the brand — one that may actually end up on a trip. I am loving this “Fruits de Mer” one that just launched.” — Irina Grechko, Fashion Director
“I’m excited for the reboot of Gossip Girl [out July 8]. I was absolutely obsessed with the original in middle school (I modeled my style after the fabulous Blair Waldorf), and this one looks absolutely perfect. It's a refreshing, diverse take on the original that I'm so excited to check out. The fashion looks incredible.” — Mercedes Viera, Associate Deals Writer Photo: Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images.
Pearl necklaces — with a twist
“Inspired by one Harry Styles, I began to wear pearl necklaces again this summer. I have especially taken to styles that mix the traditional gemstone with more modern chains and gold detailing. My current favorites include Missoma's Baroque Pearl Twisted Link Necklace and Machete’s (now-sold-out) Petite Figaro & Rice Pearl Necklace." — IG
Gabriel For Sach’s Fall ‘21
“The other thing I'm most excited about this month is Gabriel For Sach's fall '21 collection, which launched this week. The collection is centered on timelessness, so none of the handbags and garments are new per se, but, instead, reworked versions of past pieces, made in new colors, materials, and textures. I'm a huge fan of the brand and how classic yet innovative the bags are.” — EH
The Return of Birthday Outfits
“I’m turning 27 in August and, like any Leo, I’m already prepping for it. This month I’ll be dedicating a good chunk of my time (and budget!) to find a great party dress so I can celebrate like God intended. Currently, I’m obsessed with this Selkie puff dress in black.” — FSS
IRL Thrifting
"Super late to the game, but, since moving to Brooklyn, I’ve really enjoyed thrifting on my days off. It’s the fun of shopping on a budget without the guilt of buying from fast fashion, both for environmental and workforce ethical reasons. Awoke Vintage is super close to me, and I just love how they have new things every time I visit. I go to other thrift stores nearby, too, but I always check in on Awoke first, if only for those stunning accessories!” — MV
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It takes guts to step outside your comfort zone, much less onto a camera-crazed red carpet, wearing little more than a sheer piece of fabric or hole-riddled chainmail. And yet, naked dresses have appeared at award shows, premieres, and the like for nearly a century, popping up during pivotal points in history — think the sex-positive ‘60s and early ‘70s, as well as the ‘90s when boundary-pushing was all the rage — before going dormant for the past decade or two. Today, with vaccines aplenty in the U.S., quarantines (hopefully) in the past, and the term “hot vax summer” leading the vernacular pack, we’re seeing yet another spike in demand for the barely-there frocks made famous by Sarah Jessica Parker, Cher, Rihanna, and Madonna.
According to global fashion shopping platform Lyst, the first signs of a naked dress resurgence in 2021 arrived in March, when Dua Lipa appeared at the 2021 Grammys wearing a custom Versace chainmail dress that looked like a metallic second skin embellished with colorful butterflies. Following her debut of the Cher-inspired look, search for chain dresses skyrocketed 18% in a matter of hours. Interest in “embellished” and “bejeweled” dresses rose by 15%.
But barely-there dresses aren’t just for celebrities attending industry events. In the month of June alone, Lyst reported a 45% increase in searches for “naked dresses” and “see-through dresses,” while “mini sheer dresses” and “cut-out dresses” saw page views increase by 21% and 38%, respectively. Leading the charge are brands like Mirror Palais, Poster Girl, and Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS, all of which have body-mirroring dresses that are currently going viral on TikTok.
In anticipation for the summer of naked dresses, we first got to know their past.
According to Kimberly Chrisman Campbell — a fashion historian and the author of Worn on This Day: The Clothes That Made History and the forthcoming Skirts, a history of the garment — the term “naked dress” didn’t arise until Sarah Jessica Parker wore a DKNY slip dress in a shade so close to her skin tone she appeared almost naked while attending the 1997 VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards. She made more waves when she wore the same dress on the first season of Sex and the City, most memorably on her first date with Mr. Big.
Though the dress dates back well before Bradshaw set Manolos down on the cobblestone streets of the West Village. “It’s something that we’ve seen in Hollywood movies and nightclub and burlesque performances since the early 20th century,” Campbell tells Refinery29. These dress styles were referred to as “illusion dresses,” because they gave off the impression that the wearer was nude.
According to Campbell, the person responsible for bringing the style out of the clubs and into the mainstream was Marilyn Monroe, who wore a beaded, sheer Jean Louis gown to the party where she famously sang “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy in 1962. “She was really the first person to wear that kind of dress in a non-performance context, wearing it as an evening gown as opposed to a stage or film costume,” Campbell says.
Later, Elizabeth Taylor became known for her glitzy get-ups that more often than not left little to the imagination. At the 1969 Academy Awards, Barbara Streisand wore black, sequin bell-bottoms by Arnold Scaasi that were almost completely sheer. Throughout the ‘70s, Cher debuted a bevy of skimpy, rhinestone Bob Mackie ensembles on The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour and later on her solo show, Cher.
Not unlike today’s post-lockdown landscape, the ‘60s and ‘70s were a time defined by freedom and rebellion — the liberty to do what you wanted, go where you wanted, and wear what you wanted, no matter how see-through or skimpy. Celebrities were straying from the norm, wearing fashion that shocked and disrupted, rather than playing by the rules. The result was a spike in fleshy dress sightings.
The trend quieted until the ‘90s, when the fashion world embraced minimalism and unapologetic sexuality (read: the Calvin Klein ads that graced the sides of city buses). Supermodel Kate Moss caused a stir when she wore a graphite-colored slip dress sans bra to an Elite Model Agency party in London circa 1993. Unlike those before her, though, Moss’s take — a very simple alternative to the hip-hugging, crystal-embellished naked dresses of yore — portrayed a different kind of sex appeal than what was popular in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Her dress was more slinky and spare. More naked, if you will.
“Kate Moss was very famous for being flat-chested, but [that dress proved in a way that] she could be flat-chested and sexy,” says Campbell, who believes the naked dress trend isn’t necessarily about a dress at all, but rather the body the silhouette was designed to show off. “It was a new interpretation of sexiness.”
It was Moss, with her boy brief underwear and loose-fitting slip, that inspired a new kind of naked dress, one that wasn’t limited to a single definition of desirability. “It taught society something about what is considered ‘revealing’ and what is considered ‘attractive,’” says Campbell. As time went on, and the way society defines attractiveness evolved, so, too, did the naked dress.
“They’re a very look-at-me type of clothing, which I think will probably be the look this summer,” Campbell says of the dresses. “People want to be out, to be the center of attention and go off a little, because we’ve all been isolated indoors.” And what better way to do so than in a dress known for its ability to make a statement?
That appears to be the consensus on social media. On Instagram, naked dresses of all hues, silhouettes, and level of nudity are plentiful, with style stars like Milan Wheaton, Ireanna Bradshaw, Sandra Heinrich Sauceda, and more all donning their pared-down frocks. Making the post-pandemic naked dress comeback all the better is the wider variety of bodies that might now be included in this once size-exclusive phenomenon. “This time around, I predict that this trend will be a lot more diverse in terms of body types that participate in it,” Campbell says. “I think we’ll see people that, 20 years ago, maybe wouldn’t have felt comfortable wearing completely sheer and body-baring clothing, [fully] embracing the naked dress.”
In 2021, the naked dress is more of a battle cry than a body-con casing. They’re a tool to show off who you are and what you’ve got.
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It’s been nearly 10 years since the CW’s Gossip Girl wrapped up, leaving the Upper East Side gossip channels unattended. Now, HBO Max’s reboot is picking up this task, unveiling a new Gossip Girl age in the era of influencers and Instagram. So, it was no surprise that the reboot’s cast stepped out with Instagram-ready looks for the show’s premiere on Wednesday ahead of the release.
Cut-outs were one of the biggest red carpet trends of the night. Jordan Alexander, who plays an influencer on the show, donned head-to-toe white in the form of a corset top and trousers, which created the illusion of hipbone cut-outs, by the impossibly cool New York-based brand Wiederhoeft. She went a step further by pairing the avant-garde ensemble with a bow-adorned veil-face mask.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 30: Savannah Smith attends the “Gossip Girl” New York Premiere at Spring Studios on June 30, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 30: Zion Moreno and Emily Alyn Lind attend the “Gossip Girl” New York Premiere at Spring Studios on June 30, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
Co-star Savannah Smith also went for the cut-out trend with a Louis Vuitton black body-con dress, while Zion Moreno took a glam approach to the look in a black-and-blue gown that exposed her sides and back. The Gossip Girl actors weren’t the only ones jumping on the trend. TikTok star and attendee Remi Bader also donned an orange mini dress with side cut-outs.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 30: Whitney Peak attends the “Gossip Girl” New York Premiere at Spring Studios on June 30, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/WireImage)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 30: Remi Bader attends the “Gossip Girl” New York Premiere at Spring Studios on June 30, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/FilmMagic)
But cut-outs weren’t the only trend dominating this red carpet. Taking a cue from the Y2K throwback this season, strapless dresses and tops also made an appearance. The best-dressed award for that category went to Gossip Girl‘s Whitney Peak who wore a strapless gown with an embellished bodice and a black flowing skirt with a matching cape from Chanel.
Awards season was full of cut-out and strapless looks this spring — see: Andra Day, Megan Thee Stallion, and Zendaya — a trend that, judging by this red carpet, will continue all summer.
The Gossip Girl reboot will premiere on HBO Max on July 8.
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Lauren London didn’t see the Hollywood sign until she was an adult. Despite the fact that the actress and LA native grew up only a few miles from the iconic landmark, she wants to make it clear that wasn’t the city she grew up in. “When you say you’re from LA, everyone immediately thinks of the Hollywood area,” she tells me over the phone with West Coast energy. “Maybe you went on a field trip by Universal Studios growing up, but like, that just wasn’t the culture of growing up out here. That wasn’t it at all.”
The LA she knows is one of laid back vibes, spots on Slauson Ave, and visions of hoodies wrapped around your waist when the temperature drops below 70 degrees. That homage to simple style is also the inspiration behind her latest collaboration with PUMA, as part of her new “Forever Stronger” collection.
I’m a born-and-raised Angeleno and a London stan from way way back, so her words hit different as we reminisce about growing up in Black LA. In a way that’s earnest and conversational, she asks me what high school I went to and where I grew up. When I tell her I went to Marlborough, the small all girls school in Hancock Park, she says, “Oh yeah, I pass by that school all the time,” and then goes on to share she went to Palms Middle School around the block, and then Palisades High for a year, just up the Pacific Coast Highway. (“They kicked me out. So they better not claim me, cause they were dirty.”)
That tonal shift between chill homegirl and unapologetic is exactly the Lauren London I, and many other Black girls, fell in love with in the early aughts. From her appearance in the “Frontin” video with Pharrell at 17 to her iconic role as New New in ATL, the 36-year-old actress has been the cool girl opposite some of your favorite millennial dreams. You could always count on London for her laid edges and effortless vibe that you wanted to wear like the last bit of your Juicy perfume before the school dance.
That early aughts style is one that London recognizes is already making a comeback, babygirl necklaces and all. But London’s off-screen style leans more in the joggers and sweats direction, and if anything from the ‘90s is coming back, her vote is for something functional, but cool. “You know what I’d like to see come back fully? Slouch socks — plus overalls,” she shares.
It’s a look that an Angeleno like London could pull off without a thought today, and one of the reasons she’s so specific that her work with PUMA serves as an authentic reflection of that spirit.
“Whatever energy you put out there, you know, you create. And so every little piece matters. What you wear, what music you listen to, what conversations you entertain — all that really creates our life in our day to day. And so I just wanted to incorporate what I wear that I like and I’m comfortable with, for how I live my life now.”
That life looks different than London had expected. Just a few years ago, London, along with her partner and icon in his own right, Nipsey Hussle, were Black LA royalty. Hussle’s store, The Marathon Shop, is a Crenshaw landmark, just a few streets up from the house I grew up in. Watching them together in magazine spreads and videos like “Never Call Me,” an ode to the LA crew from another native and close friend Jhene Aiko, only seemed to solidify their status.
That all came to a devastating halt when Hussle was gunned down in front of that same shop, an unimaginable tragedy that London is gracefully honest about.
“I lived through a personal hell. You know, the worst thing in my eyes I had to experience,” she candidly shares. With a disposition that seems so grounded for having lived through such trauma, she’s intentional in acknowledging the pain, but doesn’t dwell at its center.
“Here’s my thing. I don’t think that God has blessed me with the opportunity to speak to you, just to speak in vain. I have to get the energy right, and be humbled with this opportunity,” she shares. “And if this could just be, you know, a gateway or if I can just be a bridge for someone, I’ll just be the bridge or the messenger for that.”
“Even if it’s just a 10-minute morning routine with yourself, with a book, with a song, with a stretch, you have to start your day with an intention. Even if the intention is, ‘I’m just going to be today.’”
Lauren london
What London has created then with the “Forever Stronger” collaboration is a continuation of that message Hussle started and an opportunity she doesn’t take for granted. Embodying the “Marathon Don’t Stop” energy that made Hussle and his shop so successful, London worked with the brand on a series of campaigns starting in 2019, and now a new collection.
As the first clothing collaboration with the brand, London wanted to bring a classic eye to the drop, which features a hoodie, T-shirt, and black and white sneakers, embroidered with the “Forever Stronger” moniker. With items ranging from $30 to $75, she says it was important to make this collection feel accessible for everyone, since both Hollywood and fashion industries have fallen far short. It’s also one of the reasons she chose to shoot the campaign at Simply Wholesome, the Black-owned health restaurant that’s been a local mainstay since it opened in 1984. “I feel like art has to imitate life and it hasn’t, up until recently. And they’re trying to, but for my brand, I want everyone to feel safe to be authentic.”
In 2021, a year and a half into the pandemic, and nearly three years after Hussle’s death — feeling “safe to be authentic” looks different for many of us, including London. That “hustle hard” mantra doesn’t quite mean what it used to. And for her, that’s more than ok.
“I didn’t rush myself and I’m not rushing myself. There’s plenty of things I don’t do. And places I don’t go because I just don’t have it right now. There’s a time for recharge, there is a time to reset and to trust your intuition,” she says. “There are times I just don’t and I can’t. And so I don’t. And with the times that I can, I do.”
When I ask about what it feels like when she can’t, we talk about the “Forever Stronger” name and the double edged sword of being strong as a Black woman despite the daily trauma that she — and many other wives and mothers who’ve been affected by gun violence, she’s quick to note — all endure. London’s honest about the tension and defines her own strength in the moments she didn’t feel it.
“I’m sitting here today talking about healing, talking about light, talking about love, and so it’s forever. To me, it’s like man, no matter what life throws at you, you’re going to stand up. Even if you’re on your knees, you’re going to stand up and you will forever be stronger… You won’t feel like you’re okay for a very long time, but you will be here and you will have opportunities to speak your truth. You will breathe, and you will laugh again, and you will smile again and you will enjoy TV again. Life will just keep unfolding.”
Life keeps unfolding for London; it’s unearthed some new discoveries about the way she moves along the way.
“We have so much pressure to get back up and work, work, work, work, work, and sometimes we just want to not work,” she says. “One time, I just wanted to read all day and I told everyone, I am not working today. I’m just going to read. And I realized that was work. That was work that was worth it.”
Her reading list right now includes spiritual treatises from the likes of Iyanla Vanzant and Queen Afua, the holistic health practitioner she says is like a mother to her. She’s also taken to penning her own thoughts on the daily, a practice she started about six months ago, and one that she thinks most of us could benefit from too.
“Even if it’s just a 10-minute morning routine with yourself, with a book, with a song, with a stretch, you have to start your day with an intention. Even if the intention is, ‘I’m just going to be today.’”
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