Dress of the Year 2019? Giambattista Valli for H&M
Bath in Fashion - Dress of the Year 2019Each year, the Fashion Museum invites a respected expert from the fashion industry to select an outfit that encapsulates the prevailing mood of fashion, represents the past year and captures the imagination.The Dress of the Year 2019, as chosen by Donna Wallace, Fashion and Accessories Editor at British Vogue is a pleated pink tulle dress by Giambattista Valli for H&M.​Giambattista Valli and H&M’s creative advisor Ann-Sofie Johansson revealed the collaboration on the red carpet at the amfAR gala in Cannes and the dress became famous when it was modelled by Kendall Jenner, who wore it to the AmfARGgala during the Cannes Film Festival in May. The picture of Kendall in the dress had more than five million likes on Instagram! It all started with a Giambattista Vallicatwalk show in Rome, starring Kendall Jenner and then an incredible Giambattista Valli for H&M campaign video. Nothing just happens.
An H&M dress - a high street retailer + a collaboration with Giambattista Valli + the stunning Kendall Jenner seem like an accurate reflection of our time, but somehow I find it a bit disappointing, regardless of how accurate a represents our time it is. I'm not disappointed with the winner and all her fans - I'm just disappointed. Maybe I'm old school - I know 5 million likes - it counts that's a lot of real love and interest.It's all correct. I love the dress.
And I want people to love fashion, to have fun and celebrate. Wear clothes that make you happy. So I should be so happy about the dress of the year - it ticks all the boxes. This has been the year of the tulle with amazing magical looks from Ryan Lo, Simone Rocha, at Dior Maria Grazia Chiuri, Huishan Zhang and so many more.
Every London fashionistas' favourite moment is Villanelle, actress Jodie Comer wearing the pink tulle Molly Goddard dress, in BBC TV series Killing Eve. My heart skipped a beat when she wore that dress. For me, this is a winner. It is the moment that a certain synergy changed the course of possibility: lead female actresses - a protagonist and antagonist, a young female designer, and of course Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the writer and show creator. All elements of powerful creative women - changing the way that we look at the world.  And that's worth celebrating!