‘I wanted to create the female version of a man’s suit’: how Roland Mouret’s Galaxy dress took over the world

One the most famous dresses of this century, it was worn by royalty and A-list celebrities in the noughties. Its latest fans are Maga women. Here, the designer, and former mentor to Victoria Beckham, reveals the story behind it The story of one of the most photographed and ripped-off dresses of the last 50 years came together with a simple zip.

It was 1998; the designer Roland Mouret had shown his first collection at London fashion week and was looking for a way to produce good clothes at speed. He connected with a small British atelier and it was there that some old-school industry wisdom would alter his course: he learned that a longer seam doesn’t actually cost any more than a shorter one. Despite his brilliantly instinctive approach to design, it…