Right now, red-carpet fashion is defined by risk. Naked dresses, visible underwear, no underwear whatsoever… the less A-listers choose to wear – and the more they dare to bare – the more column inches they generate. But despite the best efforts of the most risqué style stars on the scene (see EmRata in sheer Tory Burch fishnet, Cara Delevingne bare-breasted in Christian Dior Couture and Jodie Turner-Smith in twinkling cut-out Gucci), a wave of names is suggesting the most audacious way to turn the heat up is, in fact, to cover up.
A surefire way to confirm the about-turn? Rihanna, the high priestess of the naked dress (remember the Swarovski crystal-encrusted encrusted sheer gown by Adam Selman she wore to the CFDA Awards in 2014?), who mixed up her maternity looks, contrasting ensembles like a sheer lace Dior babydoll dress and PVC boots with a custom Alaïa coat dress in ravishing red, accented with a fluid hood. Of course, any expectant mother might feel inclined to cocoon themselves in protective layers, but this look was surprising, given that the original bad gal revealed her pregnancy back in January with a bump-exposing unbuttoned vintage Chanel coat.
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Rihanna’s coat was not just any old outerwear. The style icon opted for a custom piece by Alaïa, a brand that has been led by Pieter Mulier since February 2021, and is synonymous with the haute hooded silhouette. With his nun’s habit-centric shapes that clung masterfully to the female form, the maison’s Tunisian founder fused Eastern and Western dress to indelible effect. The most renowned Alaïa muse is Grace Jones, who triumphed over every Bond Girl bikini scene when she played May Day in 1985’s A View To Kill in hooded Alaïa creations.
Mulier is one of a multitude of designers celebrating the hood for the new season. Another connoisseur of the capuche was Yves Saint Laurent, who first incorporated hoods into his collections in 1969. They were especially resplendent when imagined in fluid metallic golds in the maison’s renowned autumn/winter 1991/92 collection. For spring/summer 2023, the brand’s current creative director Anthony Vaccarello looked to Laurent’s hooded creations from the ’80s, creating languid and ultra-flattering dresses and blouses in jersey of varying weights, complete with draped hoods that framed the face.
Michael Halpern, meanwhile, looked to the incredibly luxurious outfits his mother used to wear at home in New York for his spring/summer 2023 collection, after finding old photographs of her wearing outré house coats and cover-ups. His leopard-print gown with a dramatic cowl hood was inspired by a kaftan she used to sport, which – to his consternation – she gave away. “Hosting at home is the most glam thing,” he explained after his catwalk show.
Haute house parties aside, the hood has become red carpet dynamite, a silhouette that suddenly looks bold and fresh next to more revealing gowns. Back in May, Paloma Elsesser served up vintage chic, wearing an Issey Miyake dress dating back to 1995, with a signature pleated mantle that could be draped over shoulders or folded around the face. For Tom Ford’s spring/summer 2023 show in New York, Katie Holmes swerved her usual girl next door staples, like cashmere cardigans, puffer jackets and corduroy suits, in favour of an ultra-sleek hooded gown by the designer that flattered every inch of her covered form.
For Olivia Wilde and Michaela Coel, the hood works best when combined with a hint of skin, covering the hair but exposing a flash of flesh elsewhere. For the 2022 Women In Film Honours in Beverly Hills, Wilde looked to Saint Laurent, sporting a cowl hooded creation in black with a seductive peekaboo cut-out at the navel. Elsewhere, for the LA premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Coel enlisted Maximilian Davis of Ferragamo to created a crystal-sparkling hooded gown, which simultaneously exposed her décolleté.
