From Princess Diana to Dakota Johnson, 7 of the most iconic revenge dresses of all time

When a celebrity relationship ends, the entire world watches to see what comes next; especially what the woman will do next. In 1994, Prince Charles shocked the world when he admitted to having an affair with Camilla Bowles, while being married to Lady Diana. The world was watching what Diana would do next: would she hide her face? Would she make a public appearance filled with shame? However, the day after King Charles' revelation, the world was no longer talking about his affair. All eyes were on Princess Diana's stunning fashion choice. It was this very fashion moment by Lady Di that led to the concept of a revenge dress; which was a sartorial clapback of sorts to show their former partner, and the world at large, just how well they were doing.

From Jennifer Garner at the 88th Academy Awards post her split from Ben Affleck, to most recently, Dakota Johnson after her split with Coldplay's Chris Martin, the 'revenge dress' makes a striking statement. Scroll below to see some of the most iconic revenge dresses to go down in fashion history.   

1. Princess Diana

Shortly before her divorce in 1996 from the now-King of England, Princess Diana had to deal with her ex-husband's affair becoming public fodder in 1994. Everyone wondered what the people's princess would do next.  Fashion icon that she was, Lady Diana chanelled her grief into one of the most iconic looks of all time; coining the term 'revenge dress'.  When stepped out of the car, the day after King Charles revealed his affair, she was dressed in a body-hugging black Christina Stambolian dress with a sweetheart neckline. She may not have known the impact she would have on the fashion industry; as the little black dress was a cultural reset and a bold lesson for women everywhere to hold their heads high, even if their relationship ends in a very public fashion.

2. Dakota Johnson 

Lately, The Materialists actress, Dakota Johnson, has been dressing for revenge. The 35-year-old is busy promoting her new movie alongside her co-stars, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal, while also dealing with her break-up with Coldplay musician, Chris Martin. The Fifty Shades of Grey-famed star has been killing it on the press tour with her multiple black dresses that we interpret, could be her mourning the relationship while moving on from it, in style. 

For her first look, she opted for a sexy, yet sophisticated, sheer black dress by Nensi Dojaka that featured a long-sleeve, criss-cross draped top paired with a fluted mermaid midi skirt that has a tulle set layered over a brown bodysuit.

For the New York premiere of Celine Song's Materialists, Johnson opted for a Gucci slip dress that featured a black silk scarf draped around her neck.

3. Jennifer Garner

Ben Affleck recently expressed his desire to get back together with his ex and the mother of his children, Jennifer Garner. This has come years after the pair first separated due to Affleck's dalliance with their daughter's nanny. Talented, smart, and beautiful, Jennifer Garner is a Hollywood all-rounded who has it all. Shortly after their divorce was finalised, Lawrence turned heads at the 88th Academy Awards in a one-shoulder black Atelier Versace gown.  

4. Jennifer Aniston 

Imagine you divorce your ex for cheating on you and shortly after, his new relationship with his alleged mistress is then dubbed as the romance of the century. In the early 2000s, Friends star Jennifer Aniston had to go through this unbelievable trauma. But she held her head high as she flaunted her smashing figure in a sparkly champagne Chanel mini dress, when she appeared at the premiere of Derailed in 2005. 

5. Bella Hadid 

Bella Hadid wore the ultimate revenge catsuit in this figure-hugging off-the-shoulder Alexander Wang mesh look at the 2017 Met Gala, which she was set to attend with her ex-boyfriend, The Weeknd. He went on to attend the event with his then-beau, Selena Gomez. Hadid chose the body-hugging Alexandra Wang dress that had all the cameras pointed at her and The Weeknd and Selena Gomez's relationship fell victim to the infamous Met Gala curse. 

6. Taylor Swift 

No one does revenge like Taylor Swift. Her brand of revenge comes; not just with a killer dress, but also an album that makes one sorry they ever got on her bad side. After Kanye West hassled a young Taylor in 2009 when she was accepting her Grammy award, and then, 2016 restarted their feud with his song Famous that referenced Swift's lyrics, the pop star attended the VMAs in an Oscar de la Renta bejewelled dress 'that made the whole room shimmer.' 

7. Marilyn Monroe 

Marilyn Monroe mourned her divorce and ended up giving us a revenge dress moment even before it was a thing. She had showed up to the courtroom, in what was later dubbed, the 'DiMaggio black dress' during her divorce proceedings. Monroe wore all-black during her divorce proceedings with Joe DiMaggio; the second of Monroe's three husbands. While announcing the split to the public, she sported a form-fitting zip-front dress that made her look fabulous, even in the face of such unpleasant circumstances. She stunned at the courtroom in a black suit dress with matching white gloves and a pearl necklace.