An epic tale, of course, deserves epic fashion. While the stars of Christopher Nolan’s buzzy summer blockbuster The Odyssey have been flexing on the red carpet, we’ve been time-traveling through our archives, collecting images of fashion that directly evoke Homer’s classic tale of heartbreak, drama, fantasy, and romance. In aesthetic terms, however, The Odyssey style generally favors garments that highlight the natural body, one that is unbound within loose, free-flowing drapes and folds rather than controlled by boning or corsetry, as was so prevalent in later eras (and at the fall 2026 couture shows).
The visual essay below features virtuoso examples of the techniques that designers have used to replicate the ideals of classical dress over the years, including draping, pleating, twisting, and wrapping.
Some of these garments were created by designers who were referencing their own Greek roots, among them Jean Dessès, Dimitra Petsa, Sophia Kokosalaki, and Mary Katrantzou. Pleating, meanwhile, was another prevalent way for designers to replicate the look of ancient statuary. The method—which Mariano Fortuny and Henriette Negrin developed for their inimitable silk Delphos dresses (worn by some of the characters in Remembrance of Things Past) almost 120 years ago— has never quite been replicated, but Mary McFadden had a go, developing a plissé polyester material she called Mari. Another notable sculptor of fabric (often jersey) was the mysterious Madame Grès (Germaine Émilie Krebs), to whom innumerable designers have paid homage, including Yohji Yamamoto, Mossi Traoré, Richard Malone, and Francesco Murano.
Regardless, fashion history is rife with references to the goddesses and mortals who populate these monumental tales. Below, a look at some of our favorite mythical runway looks for latter-day Penelopes and Athenas.
