Why I Can't Stop Thinking About the Louisa Ballou's Blue Mesh Hightide Dress

May 2024 · 3 minute read

During quarantine, I wore crop tops almost exclusively. I have a history of being a tiny-top advocate even before the tiny-top-big-pants TikTok trend began. I'm not exactly saying that I'm a revolutionary, but I'm also not saying I'm not.

Starting in High School — and to my loosely-enforced dress code's dismay — I realized I felt most comfortable whenever you could see a little bit of my skin. Obviously, this made me well trained for the 'Going Out Top' stage of college, but due to my affinity for jobs in creative fields, I've never truly learned the meaning of the term 'Office Appropriate.' When Rihanna wore her famous mesh dress at the 2014 CFDA awards, I used it as my inspiration. The see-through look taught me what I could actually get away with wearing, skin-baring wise, in public — and, spoiler alert, it's a lot.

Unfortunately though, I don't have a CFDA award to accept, or even a savings account that could possibly pay for my own something made with 216,000 Swarovski crystals. I'm also not Rihanna, no matter how hard my manifestation journal works (although we do have the same Big 3, which I'm sure counts for something). I will say, however, I am someone who could technically splurge on an $810 Louisa Ballou dress (even if I shouldn't), something that I am convinced is the next best thing to RiRi's look.

Erin Glover

For starters, this dress doesn't feature all those bedazzled embellishments that would make me scared to sit down out of fear of crushing them (even though sitting in a pile of jewels does sound luxurious). Instead, it's a simple design that still feels groundbreaking; a mesh dress that would feel somewhat modest because of its length, but isn't at all because it's entirely sheer.

If the name Louisa Ballou sounds familiar to you, it's probably because the brand has been worn by everyone from Dua Lipa to Bella Hadid to Sophie Turner. Its most popular dresses are mesh, completely sheer, and often feature bright colors and dreamy prints. In my opinion, Rihanna's CFDA look walked so all of us — supermodels and normals alike — could run, possibly while wearing a dress that makes our bodies look like the ocean.

Erin Glover

Wearing a crop top to sit on a couch wasn't necessarily the standard 'unprecedented times' uniform, but this Naked Dress, on the other hand, does feels fit for the grand reemergence. After being locked inside for months, this sheer design feels like a taste of freedom to me, and I'm personally ready to show off everything from my clavicle to my belly button — just like Rihanna taught me.

Welcome to Big Ticket, a column that says 'wow that is expensive' and also 'we can not stop looking at it.' This time, it's part of The New New, our digital cover exploring all the ways to have more fun with clothes this fall.

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