‘It’s not about sex but empowerment’: why I picked a ‘naked’ frock as dress of the year

A fashion editor received a 'TOP SECRET' invitation from the Fashion Museum Bath to select their prestigious Dress of the Year for 2025. This annual tradition, initiated in 1963 by founder Doris Langley Moore, aims to keep the museum's permanent collection contemporary by having a fashion expert choose an outfit that encapsulates the preceding year's zeitgeist. The selected 'dress'—interpreted broadly to include various forms of clothing, like men's suits and culturally significant pieces such as Jennifer Lopez's Versace dress or a Black Lives Matter T-shirt—becomes part of the museum's historical record. The editor ultimately chose Sarah Burton’s sporty, daffodil mesh dress, citing its connection to contemporary themes of empowerment and the political nature of bodies. The museum itself is undergoing a significant revamp, with a new location slated to open in Bath's old post office by 2030, while its collection is currently stored in Wiltshire and accessible online. This selection continues the tradition of capturing historical and cultural moments through fashion.