It was two decades ago that a certain polarising Icelandic musician by the name of Björk hit the red carpet in fashion so unusual-yet-alluring that it had others wondering if she was still in character of a Czechoslovakian immigrant losing her eyesight (a role which earned her a Best Original Song nom as well). While this might be considered tame by today’s Doja Cat standards, dresses like these were often reserved for provocative moments at MTV award shows. But bless Björk’s sweet heart because this landmark fashion move gave her more headlines around the globe than her hit tunes ever did. The dress featured life-sized swan wrapping its elongated neck around Björk’s neck and body with the beak resting on her chest. What was even stranger was that Björk wanted to celebrate the idea of fertility in this dress, so she laid ostrich eggs as a prop on the red carpet as part of her artistic license, a move that didn’t amuse ushers and security. While the fashion set applauded her daring red carpet game, Björk has since went on the record to mention she wasn’t even serious about her look as she was just having fun and predicted that this would be the first and last Oscar nom she would ever earn. The Marjan Pejoski design has since become an unlikely pop culture phenomenon and has been parodied several times over, from cameos in movies to punchlines at subsequent award shows. But perhaps its biggest plaudit since then came from a Valentino nod when then co-designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli were loosely inspired by Pejoski’s work in the creation of a couture look for its spring-summer 2014 collection. Björk must have been checking her DMs this morning as Dior’s recent showing of its cruise 2022 collection in Athens ended with a swan gown as its final look which was again designed by Chiuri. An elevated design of the original, this tulle version with a train features the familiar swan with wings that flap in accordance to the wearer’s movement. Similarly, it features an elongated neck and beak although this version is perhaps more angelic than Björk’s. And yes, no eggs this time. Phew! Watch the video below to witness the gown in its full glory.

www.dior.com