Kendall Jenner's modest Coachella look and why Gen Z is wearing 'milkmaid dresses' to the club
Kendall Jenner's modest Coachella look and why Gen Z is wearing 'milkmaid dresses' to the club
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Pamela Anderson reveals surprising fact about her current fashion
Pamela Anderson chats with USA TODAY's Ralphie Aversa before receiving a Muse Award at the New York Women in Film and Television gala.
In da clurb, we all fam. And that fam wears "milkmaid dresses" now, apparently.
TikTok is abuzz with a new Gen Z fashion trend: wearing long, flowing dresses− dubbed "milkmaid dresses" − out clubbing. Kendall Jenner, 29, even seems to have gotten in on it, turning heads in one of these types of dresses at Weekend 1 of Coachella.
The trend has stoked fascination and ire from some millennials and older Gen Zers. "How it feels to go out at 25 and see that 19-22 going out attire is now little house on the prairie themed," one TikToker wrote, in a video with 2.1 million likes and 20.6 million views. The comments are full of people expressing similar sentiments.
So, what's really going on with the milkmaid-dresses-as-club-attire trend? Well, quite a lot actually.
According to Lorynn Divita, a professor of apparel design and merchandising and the author of the book "Fashion Forecasting," fashion has always reflected larger cultural and political trends − and the milkmaid dress is no different.
"The present is always changing − always − and fashion is very quick to respond to changes in taste that reflect modern life," Divita says. "We are seeing this reflected at a time where women's roles are − in some places − in a lot of flux, not in a way that we had even a couple of years ago."
Why Gen Z is wearing 'milkmaid dresses' to the club
In some ways, so-called "milkmaid" dresses were ripe for a resurgence no matter what.
First off, they're available for purchase at a variety of price points, which makes them widely accessible. They also offer a silhouette that's flattering on many different body types, Divita says.
But there may be bigger reasons for their comeback too. As Divita points out, women's clothing tends to fluctuate with their place in society. For example, when women took on more prominence in the workforce during World War II, their fashion became more masculine. When the war ended and they returned to the domestic sphere in the 1950s, it became more feminine.
"In times of social and economic advancement for women, a more minimalist, or even masculine, silhouette is popular," Divita says. "But, when we see a regression of women's social and economic advancement, we see a corresponding rise in hyper-feminine fashion."
Could this be what's happening with the milkmaid dress?
"We're in a bit of a regression period, so it's not surprising that a hyper-feminine look is coming back into vogue," Divita says. Even the name for these dresses − apparently bestowed by the internet − speaks to this, she adds: "Milk maids are non-threatening and nurturing. There's a whole lot of cultural associations with them that are very much in sync with our times."
Milkmaid dresses may also be getting a boost thanks to trad-wife influencers, many of whom embrace a 1950s aesthetic and advocate that women submit to their husbands.
Love them or hate them, trad wives, Divita says, have had an undeniable influence on pop culture. That influence may now be seeping into fashion.
For many, milkmaid dresses may also offer a way to feel safe and nostalgic.
"It stands in sharp contrast to the chaos that we are currently living in right now," Divita says. "It's a calming, serene aesthetic, and I can see why people gravitate towards it."
Will 'milkmaid dresses' as club attire last?
Are most of the people who wear milkmaid dresses trying to make a political statement? Probably not. Many likely just want to stand out. As one TikToker put it in a video: "We have never had more attention in our lives than when we wore these flowy Mormon looking outfits to the club."
This approach definitely seemed to work for Jenner at Coachella. The music festival has become a beacon of off-beat, boho fashion − but, now that that style is mainstream, a milkmaid dress is what makes people stop and pay attention.
"Everybody else looks like they're at Woodstock, and she looks like she's at a garden party," Divita says of Jenner at Coachella. "She not only stands out, but she looks very romantic and beautiful doing it."
Milkmaid dresses have yet to prove their staying power as club attire. But Divita says one thing is certain: Once a trend gets exhausted, it means its opposite is likely on the horizon.
It's probably how milkmaid dresses took off as clubwear in the first place.
"We have gotten to a point with clubwear that we are so used to tight, revealing clothing that we're fatigued of it," Divita says. "We've seen it. We've been there. We've done that."
Degrading or empowering? Why people can't stop talking about Bianca Censori's naked dress.
And, if you aren't a fan of milkmaid dresses, that's good news for you too. Because, one day, like every fashion trend, it too will likely run its course.
"The one thing that we can always know is that nothing in fashion lasts forever," Divita says. "It's always in flux."
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