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Premiere Of Universal Pictures' "Dolittle" - Arrivals© GettyImages

Selena Gomez is bringing back an 18th-century fashion trend and we’re here for it

Panniers and side-hoops have been released from the chains of fashion history as the fashion world is transformed into the court of Versailles


MARCH 14, 2020 7:25 AM EDT

Fashion is cyclical – that is a truth that is as imposing as the Palace of Versailles itself. Even the craziest  fashion trends , that we thought had been left behind, tend to remain in the collective imagination return to reign over the style world just every so often. And that’s exactly what has happened with the pannier – yes, the 17th and 18th century century hoop skirt undergarment – which has slowly but surely begun to spread its fabric wings over the collections of some of the most renowned fashion houses and into the wardrobes of such stars as  Selena Gomez  and  Camila Cabello .

Crinoline, side-hoop, pannier or farthingale. Whatever name you know this skirt-volumizing apparatus by, the style that has returned leaves the front and back of the silhouette relatively flat, lending all the curve to the hips.

Selena Gomez wore a modern version of the pannier skirt from the Givenchy Couture Fall 2019 collection© Getty Images
Givenchy Couture explored the classic pannier in their contemporary Fall 2019 collection, a trend that Selena Goméz was quick to jump on board with.

You'll recognize them from portraits of Marie Antoinette, in Velasquez’s painting Las Meninas or from one of the various movies set during the era such as Dangerous Liaisons, which won the Oscar for Best Costume Design in 1989, as did Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette in 2007. They've also been featured in performances like  Madonna 's on the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards, which in turn inspired  Camila 's performance of her single Cry for Me on Saturday Night Live.

It's likely that the pompous and wildly exaggerated character of the pannier is what has prevented it from re-entering the fashion world as one of the more wearable trends. Its charm had been left confined to the realms of the performing arts – that is, until now.

Zara pannier style miniskirt and skirt© Zara.com
While the full pannier look might not be practical, you can find more restrained interpretations with the spirit of Versailles volume, like this look from Zara for $39.90

Designer Clare Waight Keller of  Givenchy  – a favorite of  Meghan Markle’ s – had already alerted us to the return of this trend by exploring the idea of historic skirts with flared sides in general, transforming them into more restrained versions for a decidedly more modern take on this historic fashion; a version so current that Selena couldn’t resist, wearing it exactly as it appeared on the runway.

It wasn't long before we were seeing it in the Spring/Summer  2020 ready-to-wear brand proposals, with designs such as the one from Loewe, very much in line with the Givenchy vibe. Thom Browne, through his highly-sculpted personalized, theatrical tailoring, complemented the style with yet more Versailles-inspired elements such as ornate rococo details.

Collage of Versace, Christian Siriano and Christopher John Rogers runwaysn© Getty Images
Christian Siriano and Christopher John Rogers included the court of Versailles style skirt in their Fall/Winter 2020/2021 collections, while Versace designed their version for Cynthia Erivo

While Comme des Garçons also explored this aesthetic, it was British brand pushBUTTON that presented the most down-to-earth proposal: a curve-sided blazer that's somewhere between a bar jacket and a peplum.

While the lavish nature of the pannier skirt might mean it might take up too much space on your local off-the-the-rack stores, the spirit can be seen in voluminous paper-bag waisted skirts with bubble hems at shops like  Zara .

Madonna at the MTV Video Music Awards 1990 and Camila Cabello on SNL© Getty Images / @camilacabello
Madonna at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards and Camila Cabello on SNL

And we’ll definitely be seeing the style on the red carpet. You only have to look at the Atelier Versace dress with the skirt flared at the sides worn by Cynthia Erivo at the Oscars, a trend simultaneously confirmed by the Fall/Winter 2020/2021 collections at New York Fashion Week, which featured proposals by Christian Siriano, Area, and the ever more noteworthy Christopher John Rogers, winner of the 2019 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund.