Jerry Hall in a revenge dress like Diana’s: LAURA CRAIK previews H&M x Thierry Mugler collaboration

Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but it pays to look hot when served.

As Princess Diana well knew, nothing screams “look what you’re missing” quite like a sexy little black dress. That’s why the short, off-the-shoulder black dress she wore in 1994 is the most famous revenge dress in history.

Many women have tried to emulate Diana’s look in the intervening years, but the unique combination of slinkiness and sass has proved elusive. Until now. Thanks to Swedish retail giant H&M, a dead-ringer for Diana’s LBD by Christina Stambolian will soon be available on Britain’s High Street for a much more competitive price than the designer’s original.

The dress in question is from Mugler x H&M, one of the most highly anticipated High Street/designer collaborations of the year. It’s also not the only item worth coveting from the collection, which launches May 11.

Based on signature and archival pieces by Manfred Thierry Mugler, the visionary French designer who changed the face of fashion in the 1980s, the range of womenswear, menswear and accessories offers a rare opportunity for customers to purchase the designer’s most iconic looks without beat the bank.

For those unfamiliar with Mugler’s style, now is the perfect time to get acquainted with his strange and wonderful world.

His life was as eccentric as his clothes, and he counted all the celebrities of the day as his friends. It’s no surprise that a promotional video for Mugler x H&M stars Jerry Hall, the supermodel who was the designer’s muse in his heyday.

Now 66, Hall looks sensational in Mugler x H&M’s version of Diana’s dress. Like the original, it’s black, form-fitting and falls just above the knee, with sleeves that fall seductively off Hall’s shoulders, highlighting her shoulderbones and cleavage. “Oh baby, I feel so good,” she purrs in the video. And she looks good too.

Hall’s timing is impeccable because if ever a woman needed a revenge dress, it’s her. Not content with abruptly calling their six-year marriage over email, her ex-husband Rupert Murdoch announced this year that he was getting engaged.

Perhaps Hall’s revenge dress is imbued with special powers; shortly after she was shot while wearing it, Murdoch’s engagement was called off. Could the 92-year-old media mogul be so saddened at the sight of Hall that he is currently begging for forgiveness and sending dozens of roses to the Oxfordshire estate they once shared?

I joke, but Hall certainly knew the connotations of the dress style she wore so well.

Never underestimate the power of a good dress. That was a principle that Thierry Mugler, a designer ahead of his time, understood after making thousands. His shows were carefully choreographed spectacles, with eye-catching theatrics that could have been made for the social media era.

He also pioneered the idea of ​​celebrity guests, putting famous names of the day (Linda Hamilton, Grace Jones) in his front row, as well as employing them as models (Diana Ross, Brigitte Nielsen, Sharon Stone ).

He was one of the first designers to consider his runway shows as entertainment. In 1984, he sold tickets for his show at the Zenith, then the largest arena in Paris: 6,000 fans attended, making the event more like a rock concert than a preview of his new collection.

It’s not surprising for a designer who lent much of his stage art to the world of musical entertainment that his clothes were hugely popular with rock gods and goddesses. David Bowie wore a pink Mugler dress in a video for his 1979 single Boys Keep Swinging.

Madonna and Celine Dion enlisted him to design their stage costumes, just like Beyonce, and in 2009 commissioned him to create 58 outfits for her world tour. More recently, singers Lady Gaga and Cardi B chose to wear dresses from his archive on the red carpet.

Arguably the most iconic music wedding of all was Mugler’s contribution to George Michael’s 1992 Too Funky video, which featured the supermodels of the time, including Eva Herzigova, Linda Evangelista and Tyra Banks, dressed in his eye-catching designs.

Musicians recognized that a Mugler outfit had a unique ability to impress. He was not subtle; his favorite silhouette was an inverted triangle characterized by oversized shoulders and a narrow waist. Even in the age of powerful shoulders, Mugler’s literally stood out. Woe to the porters who tried to squeeze through a narrow door – they had to enter sideways.

His favorite fabrics further emphasized his striking designs. He enjoyed working with leather, latex and high-gloss PVC, borrowing from the boudoir and using corsets to emphasize a woman’s curves. His clothes clung to the body, emphasizing its voluptuousness and strength.

Under Mugler’s gaze, women looked like superheroes. He was not interested in dressing waifs, but was attracted to strong, charismatic women. Those who fit the bill would be called upon to display his clothes, even if they were not models.

Mugler passed away last January at the age of 73, leaving a legacy as important as that of famous names such as Christian Dior and Gianni Versace.

He was a true pioneer and is said to have invented the first “naked” dress in 1995, sending supermodel Claudia Schiffer down his catwalk in a sheer fishtail mesh dress dripping with crystals. Other iconic designs included a ‘motorcycle’ corset whose bodice mimicked the front of a Harley Davidson (1992); pants revealing the wearer’s bottom (1995); a skirt suit made from a rubber band (1997) and a metal bodysuit that made the model look like a robot (1995).

In 2019, he came out of retirement to dress Kim Kardashian for the Met Gala. Her form-fitting, wet-look dress took eight months to create and became the main talking point of the event.

Luckily for those who lack the confidence of a Kardashian, there are no wet-look dresses in Mugler x H&M. But there are plenty that are just as eye-catching – and guaranteed to impress.

For those more practical, there are also everyday items, including tailored jackets and trousers, as well as classics, including a leather trench coat.

A classic black blazer costs £149.99, a little black dress costs £79.99 and Jerry Hall’s black velvet dress costs £229.99.

This is clothes to see and be seen, whether you’re dressing for the office, a party… or revenge.