There were corsets that squeezed the breath out of wearers to sculpt a wasp waist and lift the bust. There were steel-caged crinolines that held out a woman’s skirt for volume. And there were, of course, panniers — which is what I’m going to talk about today. Originating in Spanish court fashion in the 17th century, panniers are wide, side-hooped undergarments that thrust out the hips into cartoonish proportions. At the time, wearing them was somewhat of a flex. It telegraphed not just wealth but access, etiquette, status. The wider the hips, the more fabric was required, and the more fabric on display, the wealthier the wearer appeared. Bourgeois women also embraced panniers as an opportunity to show off the rich textiles they could afford.

At their peak, panniers made women so wide that they took up nearly three times the space of men. (At formal events, some ladies would wear panniers that expanded their skirts to a total width of seven feet.) Some panniers were fitted with hinges that allow the hoops to be lifted when moving through tight spaces, but for the most part, women were forced to turn sideways when passing through doors. Naturally, navigating life while wearing such an uncomfortable piece of clothing required some skill. It became a test of refinement. The ability to walk, sit, and otherwise function while trapped in these rigid, hooped structures signaled social standing. 

To no one’s surprise, given its complete impracticality, panniers began to fade in the late 18th century. Rococo extravagance gave way to neoclassical simplicity that emphasized a more natural form. These wide (and not to mention, extremely cumbersome) skirts no longer fit the era’s taste for slender lines and overall elegance. But certain garments throughout history — even extreme corsetry (hello, Galliano!) — have a way of coming back. And often, they return again and again as objects of desire. Panniers are no exception. 

Over the last couple of decades, we’ve seen so many designers revive this historical trope of femininity. For his spring 1992 collection, Azzedine Alaïa reimagined panniers — as well as corsets, redingotes, and broderie anglaise — in a completely modern way. It was, I should also say, a very sensual and provocative take on historical fashion; the French-Tunisian designer cut frothy tiered minis and placed triangular patches at the pubis of some dresses. John Galliano drew from Russian-Balkan folklore for the fall-winter 2009 collection of his namesake brand, sending out a bevy of lavishly embellished pannier-hipped looks. 

In more recent years, Jonathan Anderson played with bouffant hip drapery in romantic lace and linens for Loewe’s spring-summer 2020 collection. (This exquisitely layered, butter-yellow dress in particular will forever live in my brain.) That same year, Thom Browne also showed extremely proportioned panniers in cotton-candy colors, with some worn like caged skirts made out of the brand’s signature grosgrain ribbon. Panniers appeared again on the runways at Balenciaga and Moschino. Fashion journalist Vanessa Friedman called it “the weirdest trend of the season.” “At this point, if I never see another pannier, I will be happy,” she wrote for the NY Times. 

But the trend returned in earnest last year. (To be fair, I don’t think it truly went away.) Rei Kawakubo used it to a striking effect for Comme des Garçons’ fall-winter 2024 show — just look at this all-leather look sealed with a gigantic front bow. It continued to crop up on spring-summer 2026 fashion week runways, with Simone Rocha, Erdem, and Dilara Findikoglu all emphasizing exaggerated volume at the hips. 

But my favorite pannier-inspired silhouettes were created by Mugler’s new creative director Miguel Castro Freitas. I saw the designer’s collection in person last year, and I absolutely fell in love. Exquisitely tailored nip-waist coats curved out ever so sculpturally at the hips. Ah — it was pure drama, pure elegance, pure Mugler (but a little more demure). I knew right away that I wanted to explore this kind of shape, and close to three months later, here we are! 

I started, unsurprisingly, with a hip-padded Mugler blazer — this one from the brand’s spring–summer 2025 collection by former creative director Casey Cadwallader. I snagged it at a jaw-dropping discount, so the odds of it still being available are slim to none. Since this blazer anchors the entire look, I’m switching things up this time around and sharing a curated round-up of pannier-inspired pieces you can shop right now. That is, of course, if you’re looking to flirt with 18th-century proportions this year. From subtle side-volume blazers to dramatic minis, here’s where to scoop up standout, statement-making styles.

All products featured on MGR are independently selected by me. Although I may receive compensation from purchases made via these links, this does not influence my selections.