As one of the biggest production companies in the world, The Walt Disney Company has created countless films that have become cornerstones in not just childhoods but in the cultural landscape of mass media. Within those movies, masses of beautiful dresses have fluttered across the screen. Gorgeous but also essential to crafting meaning in the story they manifest in.
Whether it is through its collection of princess gowns in live-action costumes or modern animated attire, Disney has enthralled viewers with its magical wardrobe in which the only limit is one’s imagination (and the costume designer’s). From its vast closet, here are Disney’s most iconic dresses to appear in film.
10 Cinderella’s 2015 Gown
This stunning ballgown is not only one of the most dazzling incarnations of Cinderella’s head-turning dress. Out of all the Disney Princess dresses in the recent wave of Disney’s live-action adaptations, Lily James’ butterfly-adorned gown is easily the one that best captures the original magic and aura of its 2D predecessor.
Lily’s dress is primarily blue, but its iridescent shades invoke memories of the gown’s slivery origin, as well as affix an otherworldly quality to the luscious layers of fabric encompassing the gown emphasizing how Cinderella stands out from the crowd when she makes her entrance at the ball.
9 Cruella’s Dumpster Dress
The infamous Cruella de Vil’s titular film painted a very different portrait of the stylish villain, changing her relationships with the main characters of 101 Dalmatians and reconfiguring her most devious actions as sensationalized rumors. Cruella put the spotlight on the eponymous protagonist’s passion for fashion, resulting in a film packed with exquisite clothing. But Cruella’s garbage truck dress is exceptionally striking.
In one scene, the dress manages to establish Cruella’s signature black and white style, subtly callback to her window display design, symbolizing how she has grown up in the gutter, and juxtaposes her modern ingenuity against the Baroness’ posh but rigid glamour.
8 Wendy’s Whimsical Nightgown
Wendy Darling’s baby blue nighty and Tinkerbell’s little green number are two of the most well-known Disney dresses that aren’t worn by Disney’s cast of princesses. Both dresses are lovely, but Wendy’s simple sleepwear is chockfull of characterization and meaning. Her trip to Neverland being experienced in pajamas accentuates the dreaminess of the adventure, as well as the necessity of growing up that she accepts by the film’s end, thereby waking up from the dream of eternal childhood.
All three of the Darling children wear pajamas, but Wendy’s nightwear is distinctly more elegant than her siblings, stressing her maturity over the film’s other children and the motherly nature she possesses that draws Peter Pan to her.
7 Sarah Sanderson’s Witchy Frock
Sarah is written as the most alluring of the Sanderson sisters, so it is no surprise that her witch robes are as bewitching as she is. The film is brimming with entrancing costumes, after all, it does take place on All Hallows’ Eve, but there is something devilishly spellbinding about the lace-accented layers of Sarah’s red and purple corseted ensemble. Sarah Sanderson is a hypnotic reminder that not all witches wear black.
She and her iconic costume return in Hocus Pocus 2, now streaming on Disney Plus.
6 Giselle’s Wedding Gown
Enchanted’s redheaded fish out of water wears a number of charming dresses as she dances and sings her way through to her happily ever after. But Giselle’s massive and elaborate wedding gown is hard to forget, and it’s the perfect outfit to emphasize the whiplash she faces when she goes from a literal fairy tale to New York City.
Giselle’s grand dress is completely out of place on the grim streets, and even a physical hindrance to her as she attempts to navigate a new world vastly different from the one she has always known.
5 Alice In Wonderland’s White And Blue Ensemble
As one of the most iconic characters to feature in a Disney film, it is to be expected that the titular heroine’s dollish attire would be well-remembered. The vibrant blue color of Alice’s dress has often tinted costuming in other media to reference the curious girl’s wanderings in a fantastical land. The young girl’s white apron, or pinafore, though not alluded to as often, is also a distinct detail of her wardrobe and one relevant to her character.
The garment was usually worn by children to avoid dirtying their clothes, which were more challenging to wash. Adorning Alice with such an item underscores that despite her primness and occasional, she is still a child who dreams the afternoon away at heart.
4 Elsa’s Let It Go Gown
While Frozen may have been shoved down everyone’s throats just a tad too much and that includes the number of costumes it inspired, Elsa’s breathtaking icy dress still deserves to be acknowledged for both how beautifully it is animated and how succinctly it illustrates Elsa’s change in psyche. Her spectacular wardrobe change at the climax of “Let It Go” visually shows the audience how she finally feels permitted to be free, bold, and herself.
The fact she herself creates the dress emphasizes that she is becoming the version of herself that she envisions, with no one else’s opinions altering or limiting her imagination.
3 Sleeping Beauty’s Two-Toned Dress
Whether Sleeping Beauty’s metamorphosing gown is truly pink or blue will forever be debated among fans of Disney’s Silver Age. No matter what hue it holds, Aurora’s dress stands out from the rest of her fairytale peers. Its atypical medieval-eqsue design and A-line skirt offer an elegant simplicity and regality in contrast to the extravagant ballgowns Disney Princesses are known for.
Curiously, Aurora’s more angular design was meant to mirror villainess Maleficent’s harsh appearance, which is possibly why the slumbering damsel’s sharper contours diverge from the more softy-drawn princesses.
2 Isabela’s Flowery Frock
Encanto is flourished with a myriad of beautiful Columbian-inspired attire with character-specific details but the Madrigal family’s most “graceful” member dons a particularly ornate dress, one that boasts the graphic ability of its studio. Isabela’s lavish gown immediately sets her apart from the rest of her family, stressing her position as the “golden child”. However, like herself, the dress undergoes a transformation.
Its lilac color darkens into a blue-violet shade that fits into her side of the family’s color palette, highlighting how she’s become closer to her sisters. Her once immaculate regalia is now splattered with pigment, revealing that though she is still feminine and showy, she is no longer obsessed with perfection.
1 Tinkerbell’s Little Green Dress
This spunky fairy has become one of Disney’s signature motifs, nearly rivaling the famous Mickey Mouse as the company’s mascot. Her leaf dress may be simple, but it is one of the most widely known dresses not just in Disney film history but in media. Its high recognizability perhaps be because green is an unusual and therefore memorable color for clothing or because the incredible simplicity of the frock makes the ensemble easy to replicate.
Either way, this little sidekick’s dress, much like the land she comes from, is timeless.