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I remember how I felt the first time I watched Beyoncé’s 2016 visual albumLemonade. I curled up alone in a chair in my bedroom about two feet from the TV (I moved closer after the first five minutes, wanting to be moreinit). I was rapt. I couldn’t remember a time when I felt so emotionally engrossed in a score of music. This was cathartic, radical, rebellious, romantic, political, and personal. I was watching a woman grapple with love and loss, with deceit, power games, and fame. It was also a masterpiece of modern fashion. Every fur coat, hoodie, Gucci monogram set, pinafore, and turn-of-the-century lace bodysuit said something important. This was the album that made “slay” go mainstream and Beyoncé’s clothes underscored that idea of embracing unbridled, unapologetic confidence.
“Hold Up,” a pop-reggae anthem on the album, is peak slay. AsLemonadeturns ten years old today, I keep coming back to the searingly glorious image of Beyoncé emerging from a flooded building, then skipping down the gritty, city sidewalk in platform heels while wielding a baseball bat, a big fat smile across her flawless face. She swings the bat around while prancing by bodegas and stoops, singing lines like “What a wicked way to treat the girl that loves you.” She smashes the windows of a car while belting out “You let a good love go to waste.” And she’s wearing a mustard-colored, tiered ruffle gown from Roberto Cavalli, its sheer wispy fabric swirling and whirling as she knocks off the top of a fire hydrant.
The dress (which became an instant meme, with fans calling it the ultimate revenge dress) was designed by Cavalli’s creative director at the time, Peter Dundas, who first showed it on the Fall 2016 runway in Milan. “She always transforms the clothes into something much bigger,” Dundas said over the phone last week. Now helming his own brand, Dundas, and doing some design consulting, he mentioned that he has been collaborating with Beyoncé since the early 2000s, but this moment felt particularly kismet. It was actually B. Akerlund, wife ofLemonadedirector Jonas Akerlund, who chose the yellow dress for “Hold Up.” As Dundas recalls, it was by chance that the inspiration behind his Fall 2016 collection fit within the realm of Beyoncé’s narrative for this particular song. “It was very much about the combination of these independent creatures,” he said. “We called the collection ‘The Witches.’ They were pagan, and they were strong and sensual, and there was this unapologetic femininity as well.”
Though much of the press and the Beyhive referred to the look as classically bohemian in style, Dundas still sees it a little bit differently. “When you think of bohemian, it’s also this emotional independence as well, which I think is really important. It’s about being unafraid of softness. That’s how I started the collection—thinking of almost this pagan spirit, independent from anything, but also with a power.” He added, “I think the dress possesses the same duality. It’s fluid and fragile, but it’s also very commanding, both because of the color and the volume.”
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If Princess Diana got us talking aboutthe revenge dressin the ‘90s (hers was a slinky little black, off-the-shoulder dress designed by Christina Stambolian, and she clutched a prim black evening bag instead of a bat), we have Queen Bey to thank for making the concept go viral in the age of social media. Clips of that fluttery yellow frock have been hashtagged and regrammed millions of times over, often from women expressing rightful anger or frustration or celebrating a triumph. Kim Kardashian paid homage to the video in her showAll’s Fair, while a number of comedians have lovingly parodied the video. The October afterLemonadewas released, the Halloween season was packed with yellow dress costumes, wooden bats included.
The imagery of “Hold Up” captured something visceral and emotional about the revenge dress, something arguably more action-oriented than Princess Di’s photo op. That yellow gown physically flounced its way into the culture and the psyches of women everywhere because it said you stood by Beyoncé, but also yourself, no matter what. Has your partner cheated on you? Throw on a black bra, a glamorous see-through gown, big jewelry, and grab a heavy object. As Beyoncé sang, “Look in the mirror.” Let him know what’s up.
Beyond the dichotomy of the pretty silhouette and destructive accessory, the dress's color played a big role in the visual power of “Hold Up.” Yellow has long been a signature for Dundas, who says he’s always been drawn to the fact that “it’s solar, it’s positive, it’s strong.” He believes that it carries a distinct energy, one that feels and looks vibrant but has a softness to it as well. That combination matched Beyoncé’s free, unfiltered vibe in the video. “I think she’s always had this incredible ability to embody both vulnerability and power at the same time,” Dundas said. “And when that functions together with the clothes, that’s golden.” He added, “When you say it was a revenge dress, I think it was more about reclaiming power.”
So is Beyoncé’s yellow Roberto Cavalli dress the most powerful revenge dress of all time? No. It’s a slay.
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