The fashion mood for the spring-summer 2026 season is filled with tangible nostalgia. Designers are turning to the archives, rethinking iconic silhouettes of the past through modern trends. In this context, 1970s dresses have returned to the catwalks in five key silhouettes that will define our summer wardrobes. We will talk about each of them below.
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Boho style dress
The most obvious nod to the 1970s is the boho-style dress. Missoni was already mixing colors and patterns in 1975, creating recognizable zigzag and striped compositions reminiscent of abstract paintings. Today, Etro continues this tradition with its flowing silhouettes with floral motifs and ruffles that evoke thoughts of travel, freedom and escape from the everyday.
Missoni, 1975. Getty Images
Etro spring-summer 2026. Filippo Fior / Gorunway
Crochet dress
The boho aesthetic is impossible without crochet dresses – openwork, handmade, with an expressive texture. Jane Birkin made this trend iconic, turning the knitted dress into a symbol of effortless sexuality: the iconic model with floral weaving and a deep neckline, worn backwards, became a style icon. In 2026, numerous fashion houses, including Balmain, turned to this technique, complementing dresses with fringe and tassels.
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Balmain
Minidress
In the 1970s, short dresses became a bold evolution of the 1960s aesthetic, with variations of bohemian chic and glamorous rock. A-line, tunic-like or flared, they were adorned with floral, geometric or optical prints – such as Brigitte Bardot's striped minidress. In the spring-summer 2026 season, minidresses returned to the catwalks in the collections of Miu Miu, Givenchy and Celine – including lace, A-line and off-the-shoulder.
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Celine
Halter collar dress
Halterneck dresses are one of the key codes of the 1970s, combining bohemian lightness and glamorous expressiveness. The ties at the neck emphasize the shoulder line and the bare back, creating a sophisticated, timeless silhouette language. This cut was a favorite in Bianca Jagger's wardrobe. In 2026, it reappeared in the collections of Dior, Courrèges and Prabal Gurung.
Ron Galella
Dior spring-summer 2026. Daniele Oberrauch / Gorunway
Transparent dress
Sheer dresses made of mesh, tulle, chiffon or organza remain one of the leading trends of recent seasons, gradually moving from the red carpet to everyday wardrobe. Today they acquire a new aesthetic thanks to their multi-layering, but in the 1970s they were primarily a symbol of cultural revolution and freedom of expression. Suffice it to recall Cher's appearance at the 1974 Met Gala in a transparent dress designed by Bob Mackie – one of the first “naked” dresses in the history of the red carpet.
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Giuseppe Di Morabito spring-summer 2026. Giuseppe Di Morabito / Gorunway
Based on materials from vogue.it