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In a strange combination of freedom and regression, baby doll dresses in the ‘60’s were all the rage, with the style showing up on everything from formalware to pajamas.
The film Baby Doll, released in 1956, told the story of a grown woman with childlike tendencies. She wore the sexy and innocent style based on little girl pajamas - short, frilly dresses with matching panties. The style was dubbed “baby doll” , and women gladly turned in their tight girdles and cone bras for the comfortable and sexy style of the baby doll dress.

 

In the first half of the ‘60’s, model Twiggy personified the baby doll style with her long, lean, prepubescent body. As the “face” of the decade, Twiggy had the perfect silhouette for the short and sassy baby doll dresses in pretty flower prints, decorated with lace and frills.

 

The style returned in the ‘90’s when the panties underneath were replaced with spandex bike shorts. Riot grrrls and Courtney Love of the band Hole wore vintage little girl dresses with smeared makeup in a “kinder-whore” image. Girls wore pacifiers around their necks and stuffed animal backpacks on their shoulders for a complete baby doll look. As a homage to the girl power of the ‘90’s though, the baby look was combined with combat boots and fishnet tights.

 

Baby doll dresses picked up on the blend of sexy and innocent that became an intriguing recipe for fashion.