They say three is a trend, but H&M, Zara and Miss Selfridge seem to be taking this idiom quite literally. Of course, with party season on the horizon questions around good/bad taste of sequins get pushed aside and anything that sparkles is welcomed with open arms. But what we’re witnessing isn’t a burgeoning trend but positively identical iridescent dresses sold unilaterally by three different high-street shops.
No exaggeration, no hyperbole, theses three dresses look so similar it can’t be a mistake. We get it, it’s hard to resist the visceral appeal of dizzying sequins. And, of course, they tap into a trend started by Michael Halpern’s namesake label that has swathed the likes of Adowa Aboah and Amal Clooney in dazzling dresses replete with lashings of sparkles.
The dresses in question are sequined with long sleeves, high necks and a specific ombre pattern that’s unmistakable. Zara’s ‘Sequin Dress’ rings in at £39.99 and features a rounded neckline and multicoloured appliqué. While Miss Selfridges’s £89 ‘Ombre Sequin Mini Dress’ may have an indistinguishable palette the dress is cut with slightly fluted sleeves and a higher-neckline. Like the symbiosis of the two, ASOS’ show-stopping sequin dress, which is due to drop on site imminently, has more exaggerated sleeves but a dead-ringer fabric.
three identical sequin dresses
1 of 3ASOS, Sequin Dress, TBC
2 of 3Miss Selfridges, Ombre Sequin Mini Dress, £89
3 of 3Zara, Sequin Dress, £39.99
Halpern designed an eerily similar dress as part of his first collection, which has been developed into a £870 top for this season. Yet, inspiration aside, the three dresses from Zara, Miss Selfridges and ASOS put a spotlight on how precise high-street trends can be and how small the mass-market really is.
Perhaps, the similarity is down to a small spectrum of pre-made sequined fabrics being available and a fevered interest in a specific party dress silhouette, or perhaps it’s pure coincidence.