26 Women Share The Real (Or Fictional) Dress Of Their Dreams

Every girl has a dream dress. Maybe it was a dress that captured your heart as a child. Maybe you saw it on your favorite actress or flipped past it in a book or a museum, and you’ve never been able to shake its memory since. You look for elements of it in every Important Dress you wear: your prom dress, your wedding dress. You look for a copy at the thrift store, or prowl eBay just hoping you’ll stumble across it.

I asked a few of my friends what THEIR dream dress is and why, and it was incredibly fun to see why each girl responded to her dress of choice. What’s yours? I’d love to know. Tweet me or leave a comment below! Let’s talk.

My dream dress (well, one of many) is the Jean-Louis dress Marilyn Monroe wore to sing “Happy Birthday” to JFK. I’ve always wanted to be nearly-naked and dripping in sparkly bugle beads. And a friend of mine pointed out that this dress looks like the one Ariel emerges from the sea in at the end of the “Little Mermaid,” which was an early dream dress for my child self. –Kara

I’ve always wanted to be married in a copy of Maria’s white dance dress from “West Side Story.” –Marci

Rose’s red beaded dress. I loved the beadwork and long train. Also because she had a crazy night in it: drank beer, danced, made love in the back seat of a car. –Justine

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I’ve always dreamed of something like the new Marchesa dresses. I would feel like a goddess, and that’s the only way I want to feel. –Chrissy

The gold lame gown (and veil) from “Bringing Up Baby.” She made a wrap dress super fancy, and she ripped it open in the back and found a way to make it work. –Ashlie

Cher’s white dress in “Clueless.” (“It’s a dress!” “Says who?” “Calvin Klein.”) It’s sexy and simple and made for a tall lady. –Sophie

I always thought Liesl’s “16 Going on 17” dress was sooo beautiful and romantic, especially when it got wet. –Maggie

The green dress from “Atonement.” –Everyone

This is actually the most impossible question. There are too many iconic dresses and designers. Where to even begin? The ‘50s? The ‘30s? Both great decades for gowns. Ultimately, I have to say I lean towards the ‘30s: Vionnet, Schiaparelli, Lanvin. Their skill with bias-cut silks, beading and hand applique are unrivaled. I can’t pick just one. –Maritza

So elegant, with beautiful movement. –Emma

Nicole Kidman’s 2005 blue peacock dress; I made my own gold version for prom. –Danielle

Audrey Hepburn’s tea-length wedding dress in “Funny Face.” Elegant without being heavy-handed. Ripped off constantly, never replicated. I will say my wedding dress was the perfect dress for real life. I found “the one” on two counts! BARF. –Katherine

Kate Moss’s wedding gown and Elizabeth Taylor’s white dress from “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” They’re both fresh and angelic while hinting at sexiness. –Hannah

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J. Lo dresses how I would dress if IDGAF. And had the cash. I secretly love her cheap clothing collections. Who wears a gold dress? Homegirl, that’s who. –Alexis

Rita Hayworth’s “Gilda” dress. I wanted to wear those gloves and do a striptease. –Aunt Sharon

This Grace Kelly dress. It’s a classic black dress that speaks louder than a bright color or lower neck, because it lets grace and poise shine through. Plus, those clavicles! –Lottie

The yellow one from “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.” Rarely used color for evening, slinky backless heaven. –Alli

Michelle Williams in that yellow [Vera Wang] with that red lip! Also, Reese Witherspoon in the yellow [Nina Ricci] dress and Belle’s ballgown. Yellow is such a hard color to wear and people hardly ever go for it, so I love when dresses are made in the color. –Ella

The dress Audrey Hepburn wears to the party after she comes back from France in “Sabrina” is my dream wedding dress. Just swap out the black for lace or white. –Megan

Katy Perry’s green Gucci gown. Amazing color, and I think deep down, we all wish we could fill out a dress like that. –Katie

My girl Scarlett’s green barbeque dress. –@maddsbabe

Anjelica Huston at the 1975 Oscars. It’s simple. –Beth

This looks beautiful and weightless, like you wouldn’t notice you were wearing anything at all. –Brittani

J. Lo’s plunging Versace dress. Plunging necklines emphasize cleavage and I feel like I can get away with that because I have small boobs. –Sable

I like pretty much everything that Lady Mary wears in Downton Abbey, because it’s all quite simple shapes with really elaborate detail. This dress is probably my favourite because it’s really sparkly and the neutral colour makes it the perfect outfit to get nuts with jewellery. Also, these vintage shapes work really well on me. And my face is a bit old timey aristocratic looking, so it all comes together. –Alle

I saw Moulin Rouge when I was 11 and loved it SO much, at one point I had it memorized word for word. Everything Satine wears is perfection but the red dress is everything I’ve ever wanted to be. It’s sexy and glamorous and most of all– red, which is the best color for dresses ever. I just want to be a smoldering temptress. –Rachel

What are your dream dresses?