India, Nov. 3 -- Fashion, quite literally, is having a bubble moment. Gathered hemlines with bulbous proportions have been an iconic silhouette across eras. From Cyndi Lauper's punk-princess bubble skirt in 1986 to Princess Diana's striped off-shoulder bubble gown at the Cannes Film Festival in 1987, the silhouette's popularity has waxed and waned through the decades, going from camp to couture, and back again.

But in 2025, the bubble is having its biggest pop yet. "Fashion is cyclical, and the bubble hem's return after the '50s and then '80s simply reflects our collective need for joy and playfulness after years of minimalism," notes designer Payal Jain. "The bubble hem speaks to the broader desire in fashion, one that thirsts for drama...