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Yahoo
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How Geri Halliwell's Union Jack Dress Inspired a Generation of Pop Stars and Patriotism
Geri Halliwell's Union Jack dress has left its mark as a sartorial moment to remember in pop culture history. The original Spice Girls member's mini frock struck a cultural chord and quickly became a statement-making piece for other pop stars to follow. The dress, featuring the Union Jack flag, is tied to the United Kingdom's history. Originating in 1606 as the flag that represented both England and Scotland, the design was reimagined in 1801 as the current red, white and blue symbol, with the addition of the St. Patrick's Saltire. More from WWD Barbie Creates One-off Doll for Type 1 Diabetes Advocate Lila Moss How Celebrity Beauty Brands Are Doing in 2025 Dua Lipa Goes Avant-garde in Keyhole Cutout Dress for Schiaparelli's Fall 2025 Couture Show in Paris In the 1970s, the Union Jack was incorporated as a style motif for several British punk bands. The design was used through sartorial messaging, a subversion of the flag. In the late '90s, however, Halliwell's fashion statement repurposed the Union Jack symbol. Halliwell (also known as 'Ginger Spice') wore her Union Jack minidress at the 1997 Brit Awards, where the Spice Girls performed. 'There's different layers to this story,' Halliwell told Drew Barrymore on the actress' eponymous daytime talk show in April 2025. 'There's a flag; that, for me, was taught by America. You guys taught me about being proud, being patriotic about your country. At the time, it was the Brits and I thought, 'I really want to celebrate being British,'' Halliwell recalled. 'I remember [my] stylist at the time said, 'No, no, no. Be more modest.' So I went, 'No, absolutely not.'' Halliwell explained to Barrymore that the original dress was actually a 'black Gucci stretchy dress' that had been gifted to her. 'It's really corseted. It's like an old swimming costume…like a '50s swimming costume.' Halliwell stitched a tea towel with the Union Jack on top of the Gucci dress. 'I'm not very good at stitching but I'm good at the idea,' Halliwell confessed. Halliwell's sister helped sew the tea towel onto the dress. What happened to Geri Halliwell's Union Jack dress? Halliwell's Union Jack dress was sold at auction by Sotheby's in September 1998 to Hard Rock Café cofounder Peter Morton for roughly $70,000, as reported by the BBC. The auction served to raise funds for the Sargent Cancer Care for Children. In 2007, designer Roberto Cavalli made a new version for Halliwell to wear during the Spice Girls reunion tour, designed to resemble the original but with rhinestones and Swarovski crystals. In 2012, Halliwell designed a clothing line inspired by the dress, which she revisited again for the 2019 Spice World tour. The Union Jack dress in pop culture Decades after Halliwell popularized the Union Jack dress, pop stars are still inspired by her fashion statement. Dua Lipa added a Union Jack kilt skirt by Vivienne Westwood, featuring pleating and a punk style aesthetic, to her performance attire at the 2021 Brit Awards, paying homage to Halliwell's iconic sartorial moment at the awards show from more than 20 years prior. Taylor Swift wore a Union Jack-inspired ensemble when she performed at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 2013. Rita Ora also wore a Union Jack-inspired look for her performance at the Fashion Rocks 2014 event in New York City. The Union Jack dress on the runway The Union Jack also made its way onto the runway. Before Halliwell's Union Jack minidress moment in 1997, Kate Moss modeled a jacket inspired by the flag as part of John Galliano's 'Olivia the Filibuster' spring 1993 ready-to-wear collection. A Union Jack minidress, among other designs, was also featured as part of Jean Paul Gaultier's Paris Fashion Week fall 2014 ready-to-wear collection show in March 2014, harkening back to the punk style sensibility and subversion of the '70s. 'The overall takeaway: Austin Powers meets Sid Vicious. A disconnect, yes, but perhaps deliberately so. After all, one of the few places the two could coexist would be on a fictional space odyssey with JPG as pilot,' an excerpt from WWD's review of the collection read. Ashish's fall 2011 fashion show also featured a Union Jack sweater vest. 'Wannabe' Turns 25: Looking Back on the Spice Girls' Success View Gallery Launch Gallery: 'Wannabe' Turns 25: Looking Back on the Spice Girls' Success Best of WWD 23 of the World's Most Expensive Handbags: Jane Birkin's Original Hermès Bag, Chanel's Crocodile Skin Flap Bag and More Brands With the Power of the Purse 'Project Runway' Winners: Where Are They Now? Superfake Rolexes Are Getting Smarter: How to Spot Counterfeit Timepieces in the Luxury Watch Market Solve the daily Crossword
Business Mayor
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Mayor
Louis Vuitton captures zeitgeist for conclave chic at Avignon show
T he pageantry and drama of the papacy is very much on trend. Hot on the heels of white smoke at the Vatican and Conclave in cinemas, the gothic Palais des Papes in Avignon, home to the popes of the 14th century, hosted a Louis Vuitton catwalk, the first fashion show at the palace in its 700-year history. There was no shortage of pomp and ceremony in the central courtyard of one of Europe's largest medieval structures, where 400 chairs with tall, arched backs and plush, cardinal-red cushions were ranked tightly for Brigitte Macron, Cate Blanchett, Pharrell Williams, a clutch of celebrities making a post-Cannes detour, and a select few of Louis Vuitton's most deep-pocketed clients. Pharrell Williams. Photograph: Alexandre Dimou/Reuters Cate Blanchett. Photograph: Alexandre Dimou/Reuters 'Dressing is a performance,' says Ghesquière. Photograph: Alexandre Dimou/Reuters In a preview, the designer Nicolas Ghesquière said the collection was part-Arthurian legend, part-Haim sisters on stage. (Danielle and Este Haim were in the audience; the medieval ghosts perhaps watching from within the walls.) 'There is something medieval, for sure, but something futuristic too. This is armour, but for now,' he said. Ghesquière chose the building last year, drawn not by its papal origins but by his own memories of attending the experimental theatre festival it hosts each summer. 'Dressing is a performance that we are all part of. I love that about fashion, I think it's really cool,' he said. Pageantry and drama: a model in Louis Vuitton's 2026 cruise collection in Avignon. Photograph: Alexandre Dimou/Reuters That the papacy has been so visible this year is fitting for a designer whose nose for the zeitgeist has secured an impressive 11-year run at the helm of Vuitton. 'The coincidence is interesting, of course. And there is a magnetism to this place, to the idea of believing,' he said. Read More Learn Guitar for $17 Through February 4 The venue also reflects the scale of Louis Vuitton. It is the biggest fashion brand in the LVMH stable, which generated $88bn (£65bn) in revenue in 2024. Filling a gothic palace with celebrities is a power flex the 14th-century popes for whom it was built would have respected. Este, left, and Danielle Haim at the Palais des Papes in Avignon. Photograph: Edward Berthelot/Getty Ghesquière understands that luxury has become a vast industry, not because people want to be seen to have an expensive handbag, but because they want to be seen to have status, taste and class, all of which are signalled by taking over the Unesco-listed Palais des Papes. Louis Vuitton will finance a new architectural lighting project to spotlight the facade after dark. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Fashion Statement Style, with substance: what's really trending this week, a roundup of the best fashion journalism and your wardrobe dilemmas solved Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion Most of the looks were short tunic dresses worn with slouchy boots, a silhouette that was signalling both heraldic knight and Glastonbury. For evening there were glittering metallic jersey gowns with bishop sleeves: a bit Joan of Arc, a bit Janis Joplin. Short tunic dresses signal both heraldic knight and Glastonbury. Photograph: Alexandre Dimou/Reuters Ghesquière, who has stayed at the top of the game during two decades when fashion has grown from being a niche interest to a billion-dollar business, has a way of making esoteric historical and futuristic references look entirely contemporary. His job, he says, is 'to stimulate the eye. If you want to create a classic, first you have to make something new.' Ghesquière, who is contracted to Louis Vuitton until 2028, stands out as a beacon of stability in an industry in flux. Calm and smiling even minutes before the show, he said he was looking forward to the next Paris fashion week, which will be packed with designer debuts. 'October will be really exciting. Fashion is exploding. Fashion should always be about change,' he said.
