Sadly, the world has lost another genius fashion icon: Thierry Mugler has passed away at the age of 73. Avant-garde couture designer Manfred Thierry Mugler was a visionary in his industry, making a name for himself in the 1970s with his own fashion house. Known for his artistic and theatrical interpretation of couture that always pushed boundaries, Mugler loved to creatively combine the worlds of style, pop culture, and architecture. Mugler frequently dressed celebrities like Cardi B and Kim Kardashian, sought after for their unexpected materials and their ability to create pure magic with them. Here are the best Thierry Mugler dresses of all time.
1. Kim Kardashian at the 2019 Met Gala
No one could forget that time Kim K showed up at the Met Gala in this gorgeous, bejeweled gown. This stunning latex and beaded gown took eight months to make and was Mugler’s first design for his fashion house in two decades. The vision was “California girl coming out of the ocean” and we’d say it nailed it.
2. Beyoncé’s “I Am…Sasha Fierce” album
One of Mugler’s wildest looks, this bustier was inspired by a motorcycle in the best possible way. Beyoncé loves Mugler’s supernatural, futuristic inventions, and we’re not surprised: She looked like a superhero supergirl in all the creations she designed for Sasha Fierce’s world tour. This corset was first worn by Harley Davidson in a George Michael music video in the 1990s.
3. Cardi B at the 2019 Grammys
Speaking of dramatic! Inspired by Botticelli’s Venus, this pink and black dress by Thierry Mugler is from his Fall/Winter 1995/1996 ready-to-wear collection, hailed by many as his best collection of all time. This is a new kind of sexy in Cardi, who usually wears a more nude look.
4. Claudia Schiffer in Fall/Winter 1995 RTW
This supermodel walked the Mugler runway many times, this time in a stunning embellished teardrop gown. This is clearly the inspiration for Kim K’s infamous look, and while the dress is fabulous, it’s the oversized fur stole that makes this look so iconic. A look of glamorous luxury and drama.
5. A collection inspired by insects from 1997
In her Les Insectes collection, Mugler combined insect-inspired looks with a futuristic dominatrix vibe. We love the pill box with little antennae and texture for this bright and unique look. Another memorable moment from this collection was when four matching models came out with matching skirts, bug eyepieces, and hats, also complete with antennae of course.
6. Nadja Auermann on the Mugler Fall/Winter 1995 Ready-To-Wear runway
This goddess look combines soft and hard femininity in this gold corset, which screams Wonder Woman but is made more delicate with the accompanying tulle. This metallic corset is timeless and fierce, and has been chosen time and time again by A-listers to wear, like Beyonce and Celine Dion.
7. Jerry Hall in a sparkly bug-inspired dress
Jerry Hall was Mugler’s biggest muse, along with supermodel Iman. She loved that she was a femme fatale and a true performer on the runway, and she certainly outdid herself in this strapless butterfly-wing sheath dress from Mugler’s 1997 Les Insectes collection. Irina Shayk recently wore the same dress to the opening party for Thierry Mugler Couturissim in 2021.
8. The Chimera Dress
This famous (and very expensive) dress has all the colors of the rainbow, held together by the coolest gold corset you’ve ever seen. He tuned the model into a hybrid creature and was covered in endless scales, feathers, and pearls, as well as real horsehair at the sleeve ends. This dress took two years to make, and each reptile scale was individually hand-painted.
