The Contemporary Prairie
The paradox of the prairie dress trend is the transformation of demure Victorian-esque silhouettes into something irresistibly alluring; of a humble item of clothing into this year’s haute couture. This new wave of nostalgic dressing combines what Batsheva Hay calls ‘elements of symbolic restraint’ such as high necklines and skirts that cover the ankles with an urban statement look which is sexy because of - not despite - its demureness. Whether it’s a 1970s-designed Gunne Sax dress or a modern form byThe Vampire’s Wife (worn by Florence Welch and Villanelle in Killing Eve alike), the contemporary prairie is a fascinating fashion reset in which a dress that was once literally made from a sack - trimmed with burlap or ‘gunny sack’ (inspiring the Gunne Sax label) - is now the hottest vintage-style piece to own (and wear for photoshoots in empty fields of grass and wild flowers - instagram’s approximation of the wilderness of actual prairies).
Originally worn in the American west during the 1800s as a rural adaptation of elaborate high-fashion dresses, the prairie dress has since undergone many evolutions, eventually ending up on the runways as the very height of fashion which it was initially designed to skirt around. Like the peasant blouse - which started life as a form of European workwear - the prairie dress has now become a ‘cool-girl’ staple, notably the feature of Viktor & Rolf’s S/S 2020 collection - which was inspired by Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie. Prairie dresses now sell for $$$ and are picked up as gems in vintage or thrift stores from all over, as well as being designed by labels such as Batsheva, Shrimps, The Vampire’s Wife and Tokyo-based Grimoire. One of my favourite takes on the style are the unique dresses created by Rose McMahon’s independent shop Rightful Owner. Her one-of-a-kind dresses are stunningly quilted from vintage pieces - again a technique which was developed for its practicality and sustainability in centuries past. Like Viktor & Rolf’s use of patchworking, Rightful Owner’s creations demonstrate how prairie dresses can be simultaneously nostalgic and sexy, and the personal hand-made feel reminiscent of the 19th century is what makes the design so captivating in the 21st century, a time when homogenising fast fashion companies are depressingly overwhelming.
From the Oscar-winning costume designs of Jaqueline Durran for Greta Gerwig’s Little Women to the remake of Picnic at Hanging Rock - the original being one of the influences on Chloe Sevigny’s style - prairie dresses seem to be everywhere now. So why the popularity? As Gunne Sax founder Jessica McClintock says, they appeal to the twin ideals of ‘romance and fantasy’ while also providing a versatile basis upon which to experiment with changing notions of femininity and the contemporary. Styled with pearls, scarves and sunglasses a prairie dress becomes 60s-glamorous. Go full Americana and wear with cowboy boots; bourgeois-bohemian to the max. Or pair a prairie dress with black boots, chains or harnesses and the contrast between punk accessorising and 19th century Romanticism is thrilling. The prairie craze also offers so many opportunities to play with gender norms: from femboy thirst traps on tiktok to Mick Jagger’s prairie chic to the reclaiming of traditionally repressed female expressions of sexuality.
Reclamation is found in the tension between the past, present and even future forms of the prairie dress, as its historical contexts will always be inherently contained within any modern or reimagined version. This is particularly embodied in the iconic blue prairie dress worn by Evan Rachel Wood as Dolores Abernathy in the HBO science fiction series Westworld. The artificially created ‘park’ of Westworld is based upon historical ideas about the ‘wild west’, complete with antiquated gender roles and traditional western-wear such as the prairie dress. But the twist is that the inhabitants of Westworld are all from the future - AI consciousnesses created to provide entertainment and pleasure for entitled future humans, in a parallel to historical notions of female sexuality as something which should be constantly available for men, but not to be expressed for itself. Dolores is the character who [spoiler!] goes through an enormous transformation from being the fantasy of an obliging prairie belle to a revolutionary figure with a futuristic aesthetic. What Westworld encapsulates is this brilliant temporal tension of the prairie dress in which the ‘romance and fantasy’ of 19th century Americana is situated in a futuristic update; the ultimate surreal paradox.
Viktor & Rolf S/S 2020
‘Self-portrait no.1’ by Rightful Owner
Evan Rachel Wood and Jimmi Simpson in Westworld (2016)