Ironically—or unironically—the dress was chosen by costume designer Jocelyn Pierce for last year’s Oscar contender Anora, which debuted in 2024 but was set in 2019. She outfitted the lead, Anora “Ani” Mikheeva, in an electric blue Hervé Leger bandage dress—it was actually the old prom dress of another member of the costume team. Ani, played by Mikey Madison, is a sex worker in New York City who catches the eye of a young, naive son of a wealthy Russian oligarch.
“The bandage dress has so many references and associations; it made perfect sense,” she says. “On a purely practical level, I think it’s a style of dress that Ani would love—and it would be available to her.” But digging a little deeper, “the bandage dress has this combination of confidence, luxury, and ultra femininity. It’s powerful.”
In past interviews, Pierce has referenced the “American Dream” in tandem with this dress, alluding to an element of aspirational dressing. “This belief that you can create a better life through effort and determination regardless of where you come from” would appeal to Ani, the daughter of American immigrants. “She was getting dressed up for an opportunity, and she was dressed for the part.” (This, of course, extends to a metaphorical desire beyond that of her day job.)
Pierce, whose choice slightly predated this recent surge in popularity, has enjoyed watching the bandage dress stir up debate on social media, especially when Anora is mentioned. In the end, she’s a supporter. “I understand the stigma this dress has when it’s in the context of the early aughts, but I associate the bandage dress with ‘90s minimalist glamour,” she says. “Strong, sexy, unapologetically feminine.”
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