Celebrity Style
Dua Lipa’s “Water Droplet” Dress Marked The Mermaidcore Renaissance
Even BLACKPINK’s Jennie Kim is a fan of the aesthetic.
2025 is turning out to be the year of musical crossovers, especially for BLACKPINK. After Rosé released the earworm “APT” with Bruno Mars, her bandmate Lisa collaborated with Doja Cat and Raye for “BORN AGAIN.” The latest member to follow suit? Jennie Kim.
She released her new single “Handlebars” on Friday, March 7, and tapped a powerhouse pop diva to sing with: Dua Lipa. The collab makes the utmost sense — apart from being music icons, they’re both fashion girls, with Chanel endorsements under their belts and a chic sense of style. If you need proof, look no further than their song’s teaser photo, where Jennie showed off her expert layering and Lipa wore her spiciest dress ever.
Dua’s Net Dress
Lipa has never met a see-through dress she didn’t like. Since 2023, the “Dance The Night” songstress has been at the forefront of naked dressing, donning the flimsiest, sheerest, nippliest outfits before the risqué style was embraced by the fashion cognoscenti.
She dipped into her sheer sensibilities in their joint teaser photo. Posing beside Jennie, Lipa wore what could barely be called a “dress” and more of a clear net overlay for her (also) see-through lace bra. While some netted fabrics still offer some form of coverage, this particular weave was so wide that it closely resembled fishermen’s netting (read: near-bare). The only true form of coverage were clear giant balls, possibly crystals, that looked like water droplets.
Her look waded deep into mermaidcore territory. Even her sparkly, bejeweled eyeshadow added to the siren vibe.
The aquatic-inspired look is more of a homecoming for Lipa, who’s always embraced the aesthetic. She practically lives in bikinis on the regular and has channeled a mermaid tail’s glistening scales look on red carpets. Plus, she played an actual mermaid in Barbie, wearing a monofin and a seashell bra.
A Moment For Jennie’s Look
Even Kim nodded to the fishy vibe, masterfully showing her expertise at mixing textures. She donned a patterned chainmail dress underneath with a metallic skinny scarf wrapped around her neck.
Her outfit’s pièce de résistance was the coverup: an ivory ruffled topper covered in circular paillettes. Do they remind you of scales? Same.
Mermaidcore is so back.
