Gosip Girl Leighton Meester’s Crocheted Dress

By Rachel Choi – 32 Comments

Recently, Leighton Meester an actress you may recognize from the TV series Gossip Girl, was spotted at a movie premiere with a crocheted dress by Marc Jacobs. This dress received some negative feedback in the press, ranging from being too revealing to too odd of a combination. How many outfits have you seen that combine a gold breast plate with a crocheted bottom?

I love seeing folks wear crocheted clothing, but not so much when it makes crocheted clothes look bad. Crochet clothes in general are fun to make and wear! What do you think about this outfit? If anything, what would you do differently?

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32 Comments

  1. Kristine says:

    Mesh should be done as a shawl, etc. Not as the top itself. Personally, I don’t like it.

  2. Kim says:

    It really needs a contrasting liner, then it would look better 🙂

  3. Jackie says:

    I agree with Kristine and Kim..I don’t like it either…You can see right through it…

  4. JeanneS says:

    It’s a hideous dress. Items like this give crochet a bad rap. A classically-styled dress with a crocheted wrap, or even crocheted lace edging or collar, would have been so much better.

  5. Tina says:

    I like the outfit, but I do agree with Kim about the lining. A contracting lining that matches the skirt would both preserve modesty and tie the whole thing together. As an alternative, a nude- or flesh-toned lining would still preserve modesty, but give it a sexy look. Of course, these days preserving modesty doesn’t seem to be a major priority. I think back to what Bob Mackie used to do with Cher’s outfits on the Sonny & Cher TV show back in the 70s. Everything was covered, but the outfits looked totally see-through, even though they weren’t.

  6. Tina says:

    OOPS! ^ contrasting, not contracting. Sorry for the typo.

  7. Bananas says:

    the combination is all WRONG. if he wanted to use gold it should have been the underliner and made the dress either a solid black or red. Maybe he should read your web-site on color combinations. 🙂

  8. Dominique says:

    As a person that loves crochet, I like to see things that are different, but I’m upset this will have a negative tone to crochet. There was a dress worn by someone, I can’t remember who, it was all granny squares. People called it hideous and asked how could a beautiful actress wear that on the red carpet. Personally, I don’t think the critics are fair with crochet, they just see it as something that doesn’t belong on the red carpet no matter what. With this dress, I like it to a point. It’s interesting and different but a bit too revealing for my taste.

  9. Paige says:

    The top appears to me to have a lining. If you look closely you will see that it is a shade different than her skin. That being said, I don’t really like it either. It’s not so much the design, just something about the colors, or the combination of the gold with everything else…..I don’t know. Something just makes it weird.

  10. Cynthia says:

    I think it’s beautiful. It just needs something under other than a gold breast plate. Maybe even a black or white full length strapless dress would suffice. I personally like the pattern, but I wouldn’t even use a nude or skin toned color underneath, something that would stand out. Like I said black or white, maybe even red. =)

  11. mom2fur says:

    What’s with the gold thing? She looks like someone from an old opera–you know, the lady with the Viking helmet and the breast plate?
    I would put a liner under the top (if there isn’t one) and I’d do a solid bottom in satin. Or I’d just ditch the ugly skirt cover and go with the shorter skirt underneath–which should either be a tight crochet or satin fabric.

  12. Laurie says:

    I don’t think it’s hideous, but it’s a bit too much. There’s so much going on here that the eyes have nowhere to rest. Get rid of the gold altogether. Keep the nude lining at the top to show off the beautiful open work and beading. The lining at the bottom, rather than having a gold shimmer to it should be a simple black silk either the same length as the existing lining (because she has the legs to do it) or full length. There’s nothing wrong with revealing as much as this dress does if you make it about the dress itself and not the body parts.

    I’ll take it one step further and say that I would have chosen to do all of the jewelry in black crystal to repeat (and not compete with) the black crystals all over this dress.

  13. isonprize says:

    There is just too much going on here. red skirt, black one-shoulder top, silver earrings and bracelets, gold ‘breastplate???’ I’m kinda scared to know what style shoes she had on. I’m not so sure it gives crochet a bad name. In my opinion, it’s just kinda tacky, that’s all.

    This outfit could have been very elegant in all black with a black sheer lining and silver/black crystal jewelry. But maybe she wasn’t going for elegant…

  14. Rita says:

    I think the skirt is great. But the top needs improvement.

  15. corliss says:

    Like the bottom not the top … don’t like the breast plate thing , top should be the same color and not mesh …. But like seeing crochet on the runway ….

  16. Yvonne says:

    Poor girl! Whoever dressed her should be fired. She looks terrible! This is what gives crochet a bad name.

  17. Geneva says:

    Too me, it is too immodest, also poorly designed and not one bit becoming to her. I totally agree with Yvonne!

  18. LMB says:

    I would have done this dress differently. The entire thing lined. Extending the lining of the skirt to the floor to match the length of the crochet overlay. The top should be completely redone-it really looks bad. It would make a nice shawl/cape but as a top-uh no. Not without lining. The asymmetry doesn’t work. It is possible to wear/make something asymmetrical and have it be very beautiful. In this case for whatever reason-it just doesn’t work. It makes the entire shape not look right. Crochet can certainly work beautifully in a dress or skirt but in this case-the design is poor. Did he throw that gold metal disk from across a room at the dress????! It screams after thought. Like he knew the dress didnt look right but was out of ideas and time or not brave enough to fix it I swear sometimes I think designer’s hate women. Or perhaps trying so hard to compete or outdo other designers they miss the mark by a light year and a half. Cringe!

  19. lorrwill says:

    Warning: no holds barred harsh but honest response coming…

    In a word: fugly.

    The gold cookie (as the Fug Girls called it) just looks odd. It adds nothing but “what the heck were they thinking?” to the dress.

    As for the rest, I was around with this sort of thing was “in” in the 60’s and 70’s and this would have been just as bad back then.

    The combination of textures do not flatter each other, the style is unattractively sack like (on this lady – the raised waist and gathers – oh heck no, honey!) and the little half slip isn’t working. Perhaps if it were gold and asymmetrical it would look better but it would not save this dress. The flower (?) arrangement on the opposite shoulder is rather dowdy. Her hair (too severe) and earrings (silver? white gold?) don’t help this mess, either.

    As to being too revealing, well that is the style and this is an exhibitionist – er, I mean – actress.

  20. theresa says:

    Why do they always post pictures of people in crocheted dresses, that they know they look awful in? I mean, come on…cant just one person post a dress that is crocheted that looks good? They are giving us crocheters a bum rap!

  21. Heidi says:

    She should sue!!! That is not flattering and it makes it look like we all still work with the 70’s style… YUCK!

  22. jhoanna says:

    Have you seen the dress worn by Kylie Minogue? It could have been so much better if the dress looked something like Kylie’s drees. Check out the link http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_W0WKtRSx9Ag/SYll5U0eGJI/AAAAAAAAetY/xktkCh77upY/s1600-h/%D0%9B%D0%B0%D0%BF%D1%83%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BA%2B%2815%29.jpg

  23. Geneva says:

    @ jhoanna,
    I like THAT crocheted dress, in fact, I would wear it myself if I were still slimmer. It’s obviously lined, thank goodness! I don’t care for the necklace she is wearing though, tee-hee!

  24. mary says:

    Well, if you look closer , it is lined on top and bottom, if the gold piece was actually a breast plate it would cover the breast which it doesn’t, it is just a bit jutting out to draw your eye away, and the brain fills in the rest. I think more gold around the waist would have drawn things together, there are gold threads through the skirt . Silver earrings just didn’t make it, I think the undergarment is like the spanx , just doesn’t work with this dress but it is the style now. The bottom hem is much fuller than the waist. I would have cut the length to about 4 inches or below the lining level and use that part to make a long detached sleeve–like belly dance wear on the left side, it would balance the look. With the sleeve added, gold earrings, and a matching face veil….who knows, I’ve been in more odd outfits

  25. Richard says:

    I don’t know much about women’s attire but, I think that the Black top should have Cris-crossed just south of her bosom and been a little more revealing up top. The gold breastplate could have been tossed at that point. The skirt might have looked better if it had a Cream or Ecru lame’ liner.

    Just a male crocheter’s point of view!

  26. Autumn says:

    HORRIBLE!!!!!

    Totally lose the skirt. Go for something solid, not lace.
    Top is good, but a lining is necessary.
    As for the gold cup cover, what the #%&*!!!!!! And if you look closely at the side view, it does not actually cover what we think it is covering. I think it is totally for decoration, and not6 functional at all. Double Uggg!
    Autumn

  27. I think the skirt is pretty…would look a lot better if lined all the way to the bottom, tho. I would ditch the top and pair it with a really pretty silk satin blouse in the same color as the skirt, with a wide black belt. As it is …it is just too, too much!

  28. John Hablinski says:

    I don’t think I have ever offered a critique of women’s attire. Back in the ‘70s when Jimmy Carter was president many jokes were popular at the expense of the president and about him being a country bumpkin. We do love to beat up our presidents. The dress reminded me of one such joke. When President and Mrs. Carter were being driven to the Whitehouse for the first time Roselyn turned to Jimmy and said we need to line the driveway with tires, but don’t forget to have them whitewashed, we wouldn’t want it to be tacky. Isonprize has it right, it is just tacky. There is no sense of continuity in the work. I don’t find the colors attractive and the juxtaposition of the two motifs, the mesh and the circles don’t blend well, and I have no idea of what to say about the breastplate. I try not to say disparaging remarks about another’s work, even when I don’t find something particularly attractive I try to find something positive to say; so I’ll say it is original and the crochet work itself is great, but I’m sorry Mr. Jacobs I just don’t care for the piece.

  29. John Hablinski says:

    Rats, I misspelled Mrs. Carter’s name it should be Rosalynn.

  30. kaylee says:

    it could have the potential to look better if she was weearing more than just a bikini under it. mesh looks better when it is designed as a wrap or shawl. there have been many shows and people who put down crocheting and knitting. on hannah montana they said how shell be like an old lady who spends her time knitting all day. i am only a teen and i love to crochet but im not the best at knitting yet.

  31. Faye says:

    what would I have done differently? Well. I wuld have looked in a mirror and then picked something else to wear. This is an example of what gives crochet garments and crochet in general such a bad reputation. Just because a designer made it, and an actress is silly enough to wear it, doesn’t make it fashionable, or even good enough to wear. Find the eye bleach quick, and find her a mirror!!

  32. MinDea says:

    What would I have done differently? Lining of course. One thought would be to make it all black w/belt of the pink or another thought: make the top like the bottom and wear a black belt. I think the colors as they are look okay – but the gold breastplate and the see through look just don’t work. There is nothing wrong w/her wearing a crocheted dress, but it just wasn’t done as nicely as it could have been. When I was younger, in the 70’s, we were very in fashion wearing crocheted clothing, even envied by some other girls, but they were all lined.

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