Gen Z Is Bringing Back The "Milkmaid" Dresses

The "milkmaid" dresses is making a comeback thanks to social media and several conservative outlets. Even TikTok is abuzz with a this new Gen Z fashion trend of wearing long, flowing dresses − dubbed "milkmaid dresses" − when they go out clubbing. Kendall Jenner, 29, seems to have gotten in on it, turning heads in one of these types of dresses at Weekend 1 of Coachella.

The trend has stoked fascination and ire from some millennials and older Gen Zers. "How it feels to go out at 25 and see that 19-22 going out attire is now little house on the prairie themed," one TikToker wrote, in a video with 2.1 million likes and 20.6 million views. The comments are full of people expressing similar sentiments.

So, what's really going on with the milkmaid-dresses-as-club-attire trend? Well, quite a lot actually.

According to Lorynn Divita, a professor of apparel design and merchandising and the author of the book "Fashion Forecasting," fashion has always reflected larger cultural and political trends − and the milkmaid dress is no different.

"The present is always changing − always − and fashion is very quick to respond to changes in taste that reflect modern life," Divita says. "We are seeing this reflected at a time where women's roles are − in some places − in a lot of flux, not in a way that we had even a couple of years ago."

In some ways, so-called "milkmaid" dresses were ripe for a resurgence no matter what.

First off, they're available for purchase at a variety of price points, which makes them widely accessible. They also offer a silhouette that's flattering on many different body types, Divita says.

Milkmaid dresses may also be getting a boost thanks to trad-wife influencers, many of whom embrace a 1950s aesthetic and advocate that women submit to their husbands.

Love them or hate them, trad wives, Divita says, have had an undeniable influence on pop culture. That influence may now be seeping into fashion.

For many, milkmaid dresses may also offer a way to feel safe and nostalgic.

"It stands in sharp contrast to the chaos that we are currently living in right now," Divita says. "It's a calming, serene aesthetic, and I can see why people gravitate towards it."