If you need proof of how quickly recent history can be flattened or forgotten, look no further than the thousands of people melting down over Olivia Rodrigo’s dress this week. Over the weekend, a video of Rodrigo performing “Brutal” for Spotify’s Billions Club Live concert in Barcelona went viral. One X user captioned the video with “Maybe I’m too woke,” while many of the nearly 2,000 commenters zeroed in on one thing: her outfit.
Rodrigo’s fashion choices throughout the rollout of her third album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, have been the source of pretty rampant discourse on social media. In Barcelona, she wore a Génération78 floral puff-sleeve top as a minidress that exposed matching ruffled bloomers as she crawled on the floor singing, “And they’d all be so disappointed / ’Cause who am I, if not exploited?” The outfit looked like an extension of every other look she’s worn during this album-release cycle, including the Petra Collins–directed video for “Drop Dead,” in which she ran around the Palace of Versailles in Chloe babydoll dresses and exposed bloomer shorts.
Both babydoll dresses and bloomer shorts have been trending for the last few years. Vogue ran a piece last summer about the pop-star resurgence of the babydoll, as seen on Sabrina Carpenter, Addison Rae, Kacey Musgraves, and, even back then, Rodrigo. The dress was even seen on multiple spring 2025 runways during various Fashion Weeks. And bloomer shorts have been on the rise for several years, as part of an underwear-as-outerwear trend. They’ve been pushed by magazines, influencers, and more high-fashion runways as well.
