We recently made a case for the return of the bumster, and now it's time to make a case for the return of the whale tail. And now that the trend has been co-signed by non-other than Hailey Bieber, there is truly no argument about it. For a night out at the 2025 GQ Men Of The Year party and in celebration of her iconic cover and spread shot by Tyrell Hampton, Bieber pulled up to the Chateau Marmont for an evening themed "Party Like It's 1995" and proved that both and stylist Dani Michelle take assignments very seriously.
From the front, it simply looked like Bieber was embracing the ever-present naked dress trend in a black haltered sheer embellished Gucci gown. When she turned around, a completely open back and exposed high-rise thong featuring an embellished Gucci double-G emblem was revealed, truly transporting us back to the 90s and bringing icons such as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera top of mind.
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This serves as a direct reference to Tom Ford's Spring/Summer 1997 collections for Gucci (womenswear and menswear alike) where models walked the Milan runway in sheers and underwear of different cuts, including g-string thongs with the unmistakable Gucci emblem.
Gucci Spring 1997
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Getty Images
Hailey Bieber isn't the first to revive this trend in recent years, though. In 2019, Alexa Demie walked her first Euphoria red carpet in her interpretation of the trend and, more recently, Charli XCX took the trend for a spin during her "Brat" era last summer.
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The controversial, statement-making whale tail trend, popping up a few times every year and now co-signed by Hailey Bieber, seems to have solidified its spot in the fashion zeitgeist. And we're all for it.
