Innerwear-as-outerwear is nothing new… just ask Madonna.  She’s been doing it for decades with bustiers and lace.  Yet, when designers introduced slip dresses, suddenly the fashion world seemed as though it was turned upside down.  The fashion runways of the mid-90s were filled with women, vamping it up in dresses that looked like they’d disintegrate with a strong breeze. 

Usually in delicate colors, the look found itself on pop icons of the time, most notably for youth of the time, Courtney Love.  When she wasn’t sporting a baby doll dress (another negligee-esque fashion choice) she was in a slip dress.  It was perfect for the shabby-chic look of the grunge era, and was prominently featured on the cover of her debut album with Hole, Live Through This.  Prom queens around the country were hitting the racks for this slippery ensemble, making it standard wear for proms throughout the middle of the decade. 

As scant as the dress sounds, designers like Calvin Klein often presented the dresses worn layered on top of one another.  Others, such as Helmut Lang, had their models don tight sweaters to wear over their slip dresses, a look we’re sure caused a double-take or two in its time, giving onlookers cause to question whether the lady was in too big of a hurry to put her skirt on.