A Brief History of the Revenge Dress

Ariana Madix is the latest to get the last word via her look.

If you, like all of us, have been watching season 10 of Vanderpump Rules through your fingers and with bated breath, then you know Ariana Madix showed up to the reunion in a dress that’s already gone down in revenge dress history. While the history of the revenge dress is one steeped in old-school ideas of how women, scorned or not, tackle their lives post-breakup, we like to think of the revenge dress as a fresh start, or the first sentence of a new chapter, punctuated with self-love and celebration.

Madix’s revenge dress for the Vanderpump Rules reunion is a scarlet battlecry with a bandage wrap-style bodice. Who cares if her longtime partner (known best for questionable styling choices and bar-based attempts at entrepreneurship) cheated on by her longtime partner with her best friend? Madix is enough on her own. She’s all strength — and we don't just mean that in reference to her defined abs. Step further back into the history of this iconic way of dressing, below, and you’ll see that a revenge dress is more about self-determination and defiance than wooing back a lost love.

Princess Diana

In November of 1994, Princess Diana was in the middle of a publicity storm following her separation from Prince Charles. Instead of going into hiding (which let's face it, would've been much easier), the royal made headlines for an entirely different reason — her dress. On the very night that Charles admitted to his infidelity in a now-infamous interview, Diana stepped out in a chic black curve-hugging, off-the-shoulder dress by Greek designer Christina Stambolian to attend a party at the Serpentine Gallery in London. And so, the revenge dress was born.

Nicole Kidman at the L.A. Premiere of The Others (2001)

The night before her divorce to Tom Cruise became finalized, Kidman turned heads in this streamlined black bustier dress. Cruise, who had been separated from the actress for six months already, was also there as the film's producer. That's not awkward at all.

Britney Spears at the London premiere of Crossroads (2002)

Fans knew there was trouble in pop world paradise when Spears showed up to her film's Leicester Square opening without Justin Timberlake. Though the two split earlier in the month, Spears came out stronger in this plunging metallic halter dress.

Jennifer Aniston at the N.Y.C. Premiere of Derailed (2005)

See ya, Brad. Leave it to Aniston to do sexy in a subtle way. For her first premiere since her divorce from Brad Pitt, the actress let this beaded Chanel dress do all the talking.

Jessica Simpson at the VH1 Big in '05 Awards in L.A. (2005)

What do you wear when you're no longer a Newlywed? For Jessica Simpson, it's color. Just days after announcing the end of her marriage to 98 Degrees frontman Nick Lachey, Simpson put on a smile and bold purple gown to pick up the Style Icon prize.

Reese Witherspoon at the Golden Globes in L.A. (2007)

Hello, sunshine! In her first public appearance since her divorce from Ryan Phillippe, Witherspoon glowed in this now-iconic Olivier Theyskens for Nina Ricci look. Freshly cut bags and sleek strands gave her a whole new vibe.

Anne Hathaway at the world Premiere of Get Smart (2008)

Now this is how you come out of a messy breakup. Arriving in this curve-hugging Bill Blass cocktail dress, the actress moved on from her Italian businessman beau Raffaello Follieri in couture form.

Eva Longoria at the Golden Globes in L.A. (2011)

Bold, dramatic, sophisticated. As a newly single lady, Longoria pulled out all the stops in this Zac Posen creation, following her split from NBA baller Tony Parker.

Jennifer Lopez at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas (2011)

Not long after she separated from Marc Anthony, the singer held it down in this minimalist white mini. The dress's designer? Yup, Camilla and Marc. Coincidence? Hmm...

Selena Gomez at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards in N.Y.C. (2012)

When Gomez and Justin Bieber broke it off (the first time), Gomez took the high road in the style department. This sweet and sophisticated Giambattista Valli dress hit the perfect note.

Amy Poehler at the Emmys in L.A. (2012)

We were shocked too when Poehler and her husband of nine years, Will Arnett, split. But Poehler commanded attention just weeks after the split in this sexy Stella McCartney number.

Gwyneth Paltrow at the opening night for The Country House in N.Y.C. (2014)

It seems conscious uncoupling definitely agrees with Paltrow. Following her break up with Coldplay's Chris Martin, the actress stepped out to support her mom Blythe Danner's role in The Country House wearing this chic Monique Lhuillier number.

Miranda Lambert at the CMA Awards in Nashville (2015)

The same day that her ex Blake Shelton confirmed his new relationship with Gwen Stefani, the reigning queen of country slipped into this sleek Versace number and never looked back. Bonus points for the cool pink hair.

Gigi Hadid at the American Music Awards in L.A. (2015)

Hadid probably knew that she was going to run into ex Joe Jonas at the AMAs, so she really went for it in a revealing Bao Trenchi look and a new cropped do.

Jennifer Garner at the Oscars in L.A. (2016)

For her first Oscars without husband of 10 years Ben Affleck, Garner turned up the drama — with her dress, that is. Her sweeping Atelier Versace gown was one of the best of the night.

Taylor Swift at the CMA Awards in Nashville (2016)

2016 was a tough year for Swift, with splits from both Calvin Harris and Tom Hiddleston. And though Swift kept a pretty low profile towards the end of the year, she proved she could still shake it off and command the room in this sheer Julien Macdonald gown at CMA Awards.

Ariana Madix at the 'Vanderpump Rules' Season 10 Reunion

Revenge, thy name is core day. Proving that she has the strength of ten actors-turned-middling-bar-owners in her upper abdomen alone, Ariana Madix turned up and turned out to the Vanderpump Rules season 10 reunion in a revenge dress (that is, admittedly, two pieces). "When all of this happened, it was like, ‘Nope, scrap all of those. We’re going back to the drawing board. We need something absolutely incredible," Madix told Bravo of the instantly iconic — and sold out — MONOT pencil skirt and cropped jacket.

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