Zendaya’s recent red carpet appearance for summer’s presumed next blockbuster film “The Odyssey” reminded us how Greek dress styles have consistently inspired designer collections through the years. From Chanel to Dior and everywhere in between, Grecian-style draping, flowing pleats and bare-shoulder looks in floor-length to mini silhouettes may echo the past, but continue to resonate as one of fashion’s most enduring sources of inspiration.
The Greek Influence in Present Styles, 1922 and Greece is the Word, 2017. Fairchild Archive/WWD
Across fashion’s timelines, dress codes from ancient Greece — from the chiton to the peplos — have created statement-making moments on and off the runway. While early successes can easily be connected to French couturier Madame Grès, whose meticulously draped and pleated column evening dresses remain iconic, many designers have since added to the conversation.
Madame Grès couture, 1977, Paris and Halston made-to-order, fall 1972, New York. Fairchild Archive/WWD
Women’s Wear Daily began capturing contemporary moments in the 1920s and 1930s when elements of Greek culture began directing fashion trends. In 1957, Pierre Balmain’s couture collection, which featured his “Erato” gown, helped carry that influence forward. From the 1960s on, similar Greek-inspired style influences could be seen at Valentino and Halston. Halston’s easy, voluminous draped silhouettes in the 1970s made Grecian style codes more wearable. Taking it further in the ’90s was Gianni Versace, whose liquid gold and silver chain-mail goddess dresses remain emblematic of the era. In 2003, The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art solidified the influence of Greek aesthetics in dress with its acclaimed exhibition “Goddess: The Classical Mode.”
(L-R) Elie Saab spring 2010 and Zuhair Murad spring 2013 haute couture. Fairchild Archive/WWD. Balmain spring 2026. Getty Images
Season after season, designer collections have returned to Grecian influences. From the mid-2000s forward Chanel and Dior’s cruise collections, Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad’s haute couture presentations and Olivier Rousteing’s draped spring finale at Balmain have kept Greek-inspired silhouettes iconic in fashion. And if “The Odyssey” delivers the summer’s next big fashion fantasy, the influence may be poised for another return.
From WWD and the Fairchild Archive, here are 20 designer runway collections inspired by Ancient Greek dress codes.
