The Power of the black dress: Maya Jama stole the Love Island show

Let’s be honest. Nobody was looking at any of the Love Island contestants last night when Maya Jama sauntered into the villa towards the end of the episode in the incredible black dress. She wowed in the figure-hugging dress with cut out details around her chest and stomach.

For those of you who are wondering who created the dress, it is by Mônot, which is stocked at the likes of Net-a-Porter and Matches. The designer behind the label is Eli Mizrahi who was born in Lebanon and moved to New York as a political refugee at the age of 13.

According to Mônot’s website, Eli began “meeting influential figures in New York City and created an impressive network of friends and contacts through consulting for various brands.”

When Vogue magazine described Eli Mizrahi as the “designer bringing sexy back,” in 2019, one can be assured that it did wonders for his career and the success of the label. Maya certainly looked incredible and judging from the reactions on Twitter, most definitely ‘sexy.’

If anyone knows the ‘power’ of the black dress, it is Maya Jama. She wore a Sabina Bilenko Couture gown with a collar necklace by Messika Jewellery and a black hat to The British Fashion Awards towards the end of last year. I saw it as a modern take on Audrey Hepburn’s look from the classic film ‘Breakfast At Tiffany’s.’

What is so interesting about Maya Jama and her penchant for black dresses is that she previously revealed in 2021 that she never used to wear black at all because she liked the idea of standing out, but had started to wear a few black dresses. Judging by her recent black dress appearances, Maya obviously soon learned that black is anything but dull.

One well-known celebrity who knows all too well about the power of the black dress is Elizabeth Hurley. Cast your mind back to the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral in 1994 (yes, I know it is a long time ago and some of you were not born!).

Actor Hugh Grant turned up to the premiere of the film with Elizabeth Hurley on his arm wearing an incredible Versace black dress held together by several oversized gold safety pins. Elizabeth and THAT DRESS, both became overnight sensations and the dress itself is considered by many to be the crucial factor that led Elizabeth to carve out her career and subsequent success.

As one would expect, no sooner had Elizabeth Hurley been photographed in the Versace infamous dress, carbon copies of it appeared on the high street. Be prepared for the same thing to happen when it comes to Maya Jama’s dress.

Underestimate the power of the black dress at your peril. Another iconic example of the power of the black dress is when the late Princess Diana wore black as a revenge outfit. To this day, I don’t think any dress has come close to Diana’s ‘revenge’ black dress. She wore it to a 1994 dinner at the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens in London after King Charles (then Prince Charles) had revealed he had been unfaithful to her on national television.

She was reportedly planning to wear a Valentino dress to the event, but then switched to a dress by designer Christina Stambolian that had apparently been in her wardrobe for three years. It was a wise decision as that dress became known as the ‘revenge’ dress from that moment on.

Although Maya was definitely not seeking ‘revenge’ on Love Island, she ensured that nobody could take her eyes off her, which is a victory in itself.