The best (and most wearable) sparkly dresses to buy right now

No matter how fashion changes, the sequined dress will always be a must-have, it serves the whimsy like nothing else, says Georgios Trochopoulos, the man behind Dua Lipas’ mesmerizing and glistening New Year’s look. The shimmering silver sheath dress wouldn’t have looked out of place in the wardrobe of chainmail connoisseur Paris Hilton, who had her rhinestone 21st birthday dress redone by glitzy king Julien Macdonald some 15 years later at a a DJ set in Marbella (emblematic). That’s precisely the point for Trochopoulos, an up-and-coming Greek designer moving to London with the guiding principle: the brighter, the better.

Other celebrities who subscribed to the fashion school of the 2000s embraced this fledgling brand condition that glitz and good times win in the face of adversity or at least Omicron. Miley Cyrus and Kendall Jenner have worn Trochopouloss designs which, although they look like a mere float of sequins covering their wearer’s skin, are made from delicate spun knits with a sheer fabric, which clings to the body and creates the illusion of a curved, waisted silhouette. No small feat for a 20-year-old still in college, but Trochopoulos is part of a wave of young designers paying homage to the bedazzled club look.

Unsurprisingly, Hilton is a muse of Poster Girl creators Francesca Capper and Natasha Somerville, who pride themselves on being the real-life equivalent of the KiraKira app, which bathes everything in shimmering light sprinkled with glitter. More is more! shout the pair, who have plenty to be pleased about. Their chain mail robes, which drape like liquid metal over the body, are selling like hotcakes. Why? It’s such a timeless fabric that flatters all body shapes beautifully, say the London-based duo, who started spraying everything in knits because, quite frankly, we need more sparkle in our lives and in our our shape clothes.

Like Trochopoulos and his clever illusion fabrics, Team Poster Girl has come up with a formula that makes their form-fitting armor surprisingly wearable. All of our chain mail styles are fully lined in super soft powermesh with logo print, and we developed adjustable bra straps a few seasons ago which was a genius idea when it came to comfort and look, ‘they share. The gold-plated buckle on the straps, inspired by garter belts, is a clever way to distinguish Poster Girl dresses from the countless copycat styles currently on the scene.

For Retrofte co-founder and creative director Ohad Seroya, our exhausted diaries haven’t dented the popularity of its form-fitting evening wear, as the New York-based brand believes sex appeal is a state of mind that doesn’t require answering yes to something fabulous (its brand name is an amalgamation of vintage and party synonyms). We strive to evoke a state of emotion in every piece we design, says Seroya, who dressed J Lo in Retroftes signature sequin-saturated chiffon that drapes over the body. When a woman puts on her Retrofte dress, her energy and mood are contagious. (The flattering, light-reflecting quality of microcrystals isn’t a bad thing, either.)

The endless allure of sparkle has been well documented, from the avant-garde sequins of the 60s that defined the era of Paco Rabanne to the liberal use of sequins at Fendace, the monumental change Fendi-Versace for Spring/Summer 2022. But how do you update your crystal-choked evening wear in a way that looks fresh and in tune with young upstarts doing disco ball looks?

For Retrofte, it’s about getting back to the youth culture at the heart of the millennial bug and securing some big panties. Seroya doubled down on the party life aesthetic with bright colors, funky patterns, handmade beaded details and lots of ruffles, while Trochopoulos says it’s the attitude that counts to channel sex , pleasure and [all things] min. When life gives us club closures, create your own dance floor.