Fashion editor Jess has selected Sarah Burton's sporty, daffodil-coloured mesh dress for Givenchy as the Fashion Museum Bath's Dress of the Year for 2025. The choice was announced after Jess received a 'TOP SECRET' email in February inviting her to pick the outfit, which she said 'is not about sex but empowerment'.
A tradition of capturing the times
The Dress of the Year award began in 1963, founded by museum creator Doris Langley Moore to keep the static collection current. Each year, a fashion expert selects outfits that capture the year, which join the permanent collection. Past picks include a Mary Quant dress, a Katharine Hamnett slogan T-shirt, Ossie Clark chiffon, Ralph Lauren pinstripes, McQueen's bumsters, Jennifer Lopez's green Versace Grammy dress, Dior's 'We Should All Be Feminists' slogan, Naomi Campbell's pandemic hazmat suit, a Black Lives Matter T-shirt, and the dress worn by the Duchess of Sussex for her Oprah interview in 2021.
The museum is currently closed for a revamp, with construction on a new site in the city's old post office set to open in 2030. The collection is stored in Wiltshire and viewable online.
Why the naked dress
Jess explained that 2025 was the year of the 'naked' dress, citing examples like Margot Robbie's crystal-covered look, Julia Fox's transparent mesh, and Zoë Kravitz's dress with a heart-shaped window. She argued that the naked dress is about the body, not the bedroom, noting that 'bodies are more political than ever' amid debates over women's bodily autonomy and celebrity transformations from cosmetic surgery and GLP-1 usage.
The chosen dress, from Burton's first collection for Givenchy, features a kicker hem and sunny shade. Jess praised Burton as 'a woman who celebrates rather than objectifies'.
Armani as menswear pick
For menswear, Jess chose an ensemble from the last collection designed by Giorgio Armani, who died in September 2025. She described Armani as 'a giant of culture' who pioneered smart-casual style and gender-fluid dressing. The pick includes soft shoulders, fluid fabrics, and layered looks from an emotional show in Milan after his death.
Jess noted that Dress of the Year is not about what everyone wore but about capturing the attitude of the time, hoping the clothes will retain 'something of how it felt to be there'.
