When businesswoman Natasha Poonawalla uploaded a slew of snaps in an extravagant padded gown by Moncler X Pierpaolo Piccioli at Olympia London, it received a mixed response. While a section of celebs, including Rhea Kapoor and Anaita Shroff Adajania, praised the look, others were quick to curate memes. Singer Sam Smith, too, made headlines for his pumped-up black latex suit by Indian designer Harri at the 2023 BRIT Awards. Not long ago, rapper Doja Cat was in the news for wearing 30,000 crimson Swarovski crystals at Schiaparelli’s 2023 Paris Fashion Week. At the same event, beauty mogul Kylie Jenner donned a black dress with a hyper-realistic lion head perched on her chest. Such cases of stunt dressing are dominating runways and red carpets, and how!
“After any pandemic or geo-political situation, something like this comes back,” says designer Shruti Sancheti, adding, “It’s a ripple effect. People have seen too much devastation, misery and negativity. Designers are making statement dresses now to celebrate normalcy.”
Seconding Sancheti is designer Rina Dhaka, who says: “Today, with tech becoming huge, 3D and life-like manifestations are becoming a big part of stunt dressing.”
Decoding stunt dressing
According to Glamour, stunt dressing is the act of styling oneself in an outlandish way, specifically with the intention of being noticed and photographed. “It’s a dialogue/conversational piece that’s created to attract eyeballs and create media sensations for our short-term attention span audience. Instagram-driven culture is responsible for such styles,” says designer Anikate Satam.
When asked what name first comes to mind while speaking of this trend, Satam says Moschino has been ahead of the curve when it comes to stunt dressing. Closer home, designer Manish Arora mastered this trend with his whimsical, surreal take on fashion. Stylist Isha Bhansali recalls singer Lady Gaga’s meat dress at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, designed by Franc Fernandez, while Sancheti points out how actor-influencer Uorfi Javed rose to prominence through stunt dressing.
Glam or plain gimmicky?
While the essence of stunt dressing is primarily to seek attention, it can also be used as a tool for self-expression. “People will tag it as attention-seeking, but that’s what it’s about. When you’re at public events, you want to stand out. There’s nothing wrong with it; it’s a great stunt!” says Bhansali, while Satam feels stunt dressing makes fashion more conversational.
Sancheti, however, believes “it’s a bit crazy”: “For me, stunt dressing is costume-y. Having said that, there are people who relate to this particular kind of fashion.”
Replicate with caution
In a post-pandemic world, more and more people seem to be unapologetic and out there without paying much heed to trends or conventionality. But, when it comes to something as risqué as stunt dressing, a certain amount of caution is vital. “Know your audience, or else you’ll just be the butt of jokes,” says Satam. And Sancheti advises not to recreate the entire outfit from the runway as is, but to borrow certain element(s), thereby toning down the look.