Five Ways To (Well) Wear The Babydoll Dress This Summer

From the Chloé and Miu Miu Spring/Summer 2026 collections to the latest outfits shared by celebrities like Kaia Gerber, Bella Hadid, and Amelia Gray, the babydoll dress seems to be making a strong comeback this summer. Even if it means reigniting some old debates: just look at the controversies surrounding Olivia Rodrigo’s stage look.

For the tour of her new album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, the Gen Z icon opted for babydoll dresses deemed both too sexy and childish, bringing back the myth of Nabokov’s Lolita. Despite its detractors, the babydoll dress is indeed enjoying a new moment of glory, and the recent controversies surrounding it show that it has always been a subject of discussion since its creation.

First created in the 1940s by designer Sylvia Pedlar, it was initially intended for nightwear, reserved exclusively for the privacy of the bedroom. It then became a fashion trend in its own right following the release of the film Baby Doll, in which the heroine, played by Carroll Baker, wears a mini-dress that has since become iconic. The babydoll dress was born and immediately associated with the controversial nature of Tennessee Williams’ original work.

While it was Cristóbal Balenciaga ‘s scissors that elevated it to the status of a true fashion staple, this little dress quickly became the symbol of the mod aesthetic, with early muses like Twiggy, Françoise Hardy, and Jane Birkin cementing its success. No longer associated with its initial scandal, it now represented youth and accompanied the emancipation of the body, offering greater freedom of movement. Deemed too demure, the trend faded for a few decades before resurfacing once again, this time in the music scene, when Courtney Love reclaimed it. Once again, the babydoll dress took on new symbolic meanings. By subverting its deceptively innocent look with fishnet tights, Dr. Martens boots, and leather jackets, it blurred the lines between provocation and feigned innocence.

Then, it was up to figures like Lana Del Rey and Alexa Chung to bring the babydoll dress back into the spotlight. The American singer, for her part, draws direct inspiration from Priscilla Presley and plays with her glamorous aesthetic, pairing powder pink mini-dresses with voluminous hairstyles, graphic eyeliner, and ribbons in her hair during her concerts. Alexa Chung , on the other hand, regularly wears it, playing with its retro feel. A subject of both passion and debate, the babydoll dress continues to transcend eras without losing its power to fascinate. Here’s some visual inspiration on 5 ways to wear it well in 2026.