SS23 trend: the knot dress
Basic, but with a twist
June 13th, 2023
Tying a sarong at the side or around the neck is a gesture that smells of sun, sand and salt. This ritual, which we repeat every summer, has inspired designers time and again and contributed, for example, to the birth of the pareo skirt, which is a real must-have at any time of day from June to September. Combine this model with the legendary wrap dress invented by Diane Von Furstenberg in the 1970s and the draping so appreciated by Madeleine Vionnet and Haider Ackermann and you have the knot dress. This creation, which wraps the body and adapts perfectly to different silhouettes, usually comes in two versions: In the first, a strip of fabric is knotted like a belt, while in the second, the knot is a detail that accentuates and sublimates a play of ruffles, pleats and draping.
On the catwalks of SS23, many suggested the knot dress as a solution to give a twist to even the simplest or monochrome models. At Tom Ford, the knot becomes a way to twist the fabric and make sensual cut-outs; at Giambattista Valli, it almost turns into a bow and at Blumarine, a rose; at Alberta Ferretti, adding a bonnet makes it even more dramatic; at Alaïa and Michael Kors, it takes chic inspiration from the sarong worn around the hips and knotted in the middle; at Missoni, it is a peculiarity that adds even more graphics to the dresses; at Jacquemus, which has proposed different variations of it throughout its career, it doubles up by being placed around the neck and on the hip.
Knot dresses are also increasingly appearing in street style photos and on Instagram. They are worn by influencers like Tina Leung, who opted for a pistachio-verse model by Michael Kors, and celebrities like Kim Kardashian, who wore one in a barbiecore style by Balenciaga. Why does everyone love them? Because of their versatility and the guaranteed wow effect.