That’s Fashion Suite: Revenge in the LBD

Ever since high school, I’ve always used summer in one way or another. Whether that was in the form of an internship or refining my style palette for the year, there was one task that was never left off my summer to-do list: “Get together.

I put it in quotes because one, in California, that means soaking in the sun to achieve the golden-bronze glow of my dreams, and lighting the two always means something new to me.

In my younger years I took this literally, hitting the gym hard and eating extremely healthy, recently working on my balance and mental well-being. Especially with new graduates leaving my life, I’m especially prioritizing my relationships and making a better effort to meet and connect.

Summer is usually perfect for lighting up because of the warm weather and I finally have time to actively work on my goals instead of half-heartedly and half-heartedly between papers and labs. After all, giggles can happen at any time of the year – a sunny (or cold) winter break, a random Tuesday afternoon or, according to celebrities, starting strong with a new romantic partner.

This is otherwise known as post-divorce or revenge glow. Dua Lipa arrived at the recent Cannes Film Festival with her new boyfriend and French director Romain Gavras in a stunning Céline cut-out black satin gown.

She looks hot too.

Not only did she make headlines, her ex Anwar Hadid took to Instagram immediately after the new couple’s announcement, with captions like, “I can’t breathe” and “I hate the way you call my name.”

This immediately made my playlist and especially the “Who is she?” It made me think of that song. In I Monster, especially the opening lyrics “Oh, who is she? / A hazy memory / An angry face / Is she a lost hug?

Dua Lipa looks perfect as the mysterious girl in the 1st monster song.

She exudes a dark feminine energy and shines from within, but I can’t help but wonder how the launch would have been affected if she wore a different outfit.

When you try to paint Dua Lipa in bright colors or brights — like her multi-colored crystal butterfly Atelier Versace at the 2021 Grammy Awards or her 2022 Grammys look in a sequined gold and black Versace corset dress — no, the same comments are made.

The truth of the matter is that Céline’s dress was the perfect revenge flash dress for one reason: it was classy yet bold. One shoulder perfectly corrects the uneven back; The cuts on her chest still didn’t show any straight roots or side-bubs; Her waist was cinched in and the split leg was only high and slim enough to hint at her exposed leg but didn’t show it all.

Her bangs were also deliberately shaded and drawing attention to her dark, shimmery smoky eyes, neutralizing the rest of the face and minimally embellished.

So: When studying Dua Lipa, what makes the perfect revenge dress, and who perfected the art of the darkly feminine, post-divorce glow-up heavy boot?

Lori Harvey, the hard-hitting English actress Damson Idris wore her hair in soft Hollywood curls, wore a nude-brown smokey eye and also wore an asymmetrical, one-shoulder, sheer black dress.

The key look is to keep the makeup neutral and warm with an emphasis on the eyes, the hair soft and out of the face and the dresses black, tasteful and mysterious.

Of course, the right dress for you depends on your skin color and what colors suit your personal preferences for fit, neck, cut, shape and length. At the end of the day, the confidence and glow from within will make you look insatiable and (if this is a post-divorce blowout or a rough start) make you shamelessly swipe past photos.

But from what I gathered in Cannes this year, revenge is best in LDD: the long black dress.

Hadeen Phillips writes about the burgeoning fashion scene in the 21st century, especially breaking new trends and popular controversies in her column, “That’s Fashion, Sweet.”