Ariana Madix says her ‘revenge dress’ felt like ‘armor’

Months after the Vanderpump Rules reunion had everyone buzzing about “Scandoval,” the name fans gave to the massive scandal that broke out when it was revealed that Rachel Leviss (then Raquel Leviss) had been having a months-long affair with Tom Sandoval, long term boyfriend to her reality co-star Ariana Madix, things had started to die down.  But it seems like things are heating back up now. Rachel Leviss has promised to tell her side of Scandoval on a podcast premiering in January 2024 and Ariana Madix has spoken up about that iconic “revenge dress.”

Ariana Madix donned the dress again for DWTS

Ariana Madix’s iconic red look first made its appearance at the Vanderpump Rules season 10 reunion. The dress, which is actually a cropped jacket with matching top and cutout pencil skirt and has been worn by other stars in the past, turned heads instantly when Madix appeared wearing it on the reunion, prompting Lisa Vanderpump to comment on it with a description that has stuck: “That’s a revenge dress if I ever saw one.”

“Revenge dress” is a cultural concept that dates back to 1994 when Princess Diana was spotted wearing a black evening gown to the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens following the news of her husband Charles’, then Prince of Wales, affair. It’s a fitting moniker as even Andy Cohen chimed in to compare Ariana Madix to Diana with their show stopping dresses.

Ahead of the December 5 release of Ariana Madix’s cocktail cookbook, she spoke with People about the dress. The original revenge dress she wore to the reunion made another appearance on Dancing with the Stars and in her book, Ariana Madix recreated the look with a similarly stunning belly-baring red dress.

While speaking to People, she clarifies that she didn’t intend for the dress to become such a viral moment and that it wasn’t planned to be dubbed as a revenge dress. She states she just wanted to wear something “that [she] felt strong in.”

“The word ‘revenge’ has never come out of my mouth,” she also clarified in the interview. “It’s something that was said by Andy in the moment and was a really nice thing to say. … And yeah, it was a moment that it helped me feel like I had some sort of armor.”

Regardless of whether or not she was seeking “revenge” with her dress, Ariana Madix’s red dress stole the show at the reunion and has gone on to inspire one of the cocktails in her book, out December 5.