WHEN ROMANCE NOVELIST Jasmine Guillory first saw the Mara Hoffman popcorn dress, she was so taken with it she purchased a version (the Sloan in pink and red) without trying it on, instead trusting a FaceTime modeling session with a friend, New Yorker food writer Helen Rosner, to help her determine sizing. Guillory bought the Sloan to wear to a wedding. A year later, she saw photos of Rosner wearing another version of the popcorn dress (this time, the Freya: poofy, long-sleeved, mid-length, with abstract splashes of crimson, royal blue, and marigold) to her baby shower. Rosner had decided to buy this second popcorn dress after she saw a pregnant Katy Perry wearing the same one to sing the national anthem at a soccer game. Guillory expressed so much love for the Freya via DM that Rosner offered to let her borrow it. Which is how Guillory found herself, the night before an appearance on Hoda & Jenna, trying on a dress she'd never worn, fully confident it would fit her well enough to go on national television. The fact that it clung to her perfectly wasn't luck; it was the magic of the Mara Hoffman popcorn dress.
The popcorn dress: form-fitting, easy to pack, wear-it-everywhere, with a signature texture not unlike that of the shirts once carried by Limited Too and a size range and stretchiness meant to accommodate every body from XXS to 3X. Made of Tencel, it comes in eight dress styles, as well as in a series of top-skirt sets-just enough variation that you can express your personality by your selection. (Are you a Laura, short and classic, or are you a Mereba, bold enough to dress like the flamenco-dancer emoji?) First released in spring 2020, the popcorn dress has since become so popular that it has its own featured tab on the Mara Hoffman site (The Popcorn Shop), where new variations and color combinations launch with seasonal regularity. Most versions sell for around $600.
This story is from the January 30 - February 12, 2023 edition of New York magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 30 - February 12, 2023 edition of New York magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Enchanting and Exhausting
Wicked makes a charming but bloated film.
Nicole Kidman Lets Loose
She's having a grand old time playing wealthy matriarchs on the verge of blowing their lives up.
How Mike Myers Makes His Own Reality
Directing him in Austin Powers taught me what it means to be really, truly funny.
The Art of Surrender
Four decades into his career, Willem Dafoe is more curious about his craft than ever.
The Big Macher Restaurant Is Back
ON A WARM NIGHT in October, a red carpet ran down a length of East 26th Street.
Showing Its Age
Borgo displays a confidence that can he only from experience.
Keeping It Simple on Lower Fifth
Jack Ceglic and Manuel Fernandez-Casteleiro's apartment is full of stories but not distractions.
REASON TO LOVE NEW YORK
THERE'S NOT MUCH in New York that has staying power. Every other day, a new scandal outscandals whatever we were just scandalized by; every few years, a hotter, scarier downtown set emerges; the yoga studio up the block from your apartment that used to be a coffee shop has now become a hybrid drug front and yarn store.
Disunion: Ingrid Rojas Contreras
A Rift in the Family My in-laws gave me a book by a eugenicist. Our relationship is over.
Gwen Whiting
Two years after a mass recall and a bacterial outbreak, the founder of the Laundress is on cleanup duty.
