Here's what almost every bachelorette has worn on night one of 'The Bachelorette'
Gabbi Shaw
- Season 16 of "The Bachelorette" premieres on October 13 on ABC.
- In honor of Clare Crawley's journey to find love, we found what almost every "Bachelorette" star wore on that fateful first night at the iconic "Bachelor" mansion driveway ... or in Crawley's case, the La Quinta resort.
- Unsurprisingly, there are a lot of sequins, glitter, and metallics.
After months and months of waiting, it's finally time to see how Clare Crawley's journey to find love plays out — and perhaps someone else's journey as well.
Her season officially begins on October 13 and photos have already been released from her first night as the lead, where she met her 31 suitors.
She looked beautiful, just like the "Bachelorette" stars before her. To celebrate the start of the season and everyone's favorite episode, we've found what 15 out of 16 bachelorettes — photos are unavailable for Jen Schefft's season — wore on the beginning of their journeys.
Keep scrolling to take a stroll down memory lane, from Trista Rehn to Clare.
Trista (then) Rehn was our very first "Bachelorette" star. Her night one look is much more understated than they would soon become.
Our inaugural "Bachelorette" season premiered on January 8, 2003. Rehn had initially appeared on the first season of "The Bachelor," vying for Alex Michel's heart in March 2002. Rehn was the runner-up.
Rehn found her soulmate on the show in Ryan Sutter. The two are still married to this day and have two kids, Max and Blakesley.
Meredith Phillips was the star of the second season. Her dress was a little more glamorous with the glittering detailing on the back.
Phillips' season premiered in January 2004. She placed third on Bob Guiney's season of "The Bachelor" back in November 2003.
Phillips got engaged at the end of the show to Ian McKee, but they broke up a year after the finale aired.
DeAnna Pappas' dress was more daring than her predecessors' dresses. She wore a plunging neckline.
After a three-year break, "The Bachelorette" returned in 2008 for season four with Pappas, one of the two final contestants who were rejected by Brad Womack. Womack was left with two women and didn't choose either one.
Pappas' season was the first to be moved to a May premiere date, where the show has stayed ever since, except for this season's October premiere due to the pandemic.
She got engaged to Jesse Csincsak but the two broke up soon after the finale aired. They both ultimately found love within Bachelor Nation, however. Pappas married Stephen Stagliano, whose twin brother Michael appeared on Jillian Harris's season. Csinscak is married to Ann Lueders, who was eliminated on night one of Jason Mesnick's season.
Jillian Harris' dress on her first night as the lead was all about the back.
Harris was the fifth woman to take up the mantle in May 2009 after coming in third on Jason Mesnick's season. Notably, she was the first non-American to become a lead — she was born and raised in Alberta, Canada.
Harris chose Ed Swiderski, who'd actually left mid-season and returned, and the two were engaged for about a year before breaking up.
Ali Fedotowsky chose a simple black gown, and as a result blended in with her suitors. It's now easy to understand why leads are decked out in sequins ...
Fedotowsky won our hearts when she made the tough decision to leave Jake Pavelka's season because of her career. She probably dodged a bullet anyway — Pavelka's not remembered fondly by Bachelor Nation.
She went on to get engaged to Roberto Martinez, but the two only lasted a year.
Ashley Hebert rocked a jewel-encrusted dress on the first night of her season — it's a trend that lives on to this day.
Hebert came in third on Brad Womack's more successful second season — more on that later. She had to deal with all-time villain Bentley, but eventually got her happy ending with JP Rosenbaum.
The couple is still married and have two kids, Fordham and Essex.
The color of Emily Maynard's dress also became a popular choice among the leading ladies.
Maynard actually won the season of "The Bachelor" she appeared on. She was engaged to Brad Womack for a few months before breaking it off.
Her season filmed in her hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, because she didn't want to leave her daughter for months at a time as she was filming.
Maynard chose Jef Holm as her winner, but the two broke up shortly after filming after a cheating scandal.
Desiree Hartsock wore a metallic silver dress.
Hartsock came in fourth on Sean Lowe's season of "The Bachelor." Luckily, it worked out for both of them. Lowe is still with his winner, Catherine Giudici, and Hartsock married her season's winner, Chris Siegfried, in 2015. Hartsock gave birth to their second baby, Zander, in January 2019.
Andi Dorfman's dress was more ornate than any other "Bachelorette" star's.
We'd expect nothing less from Dorfman, who broke from "Bachelorette" tradition and dumped Juan Pablo Galavis on his season of "The Bachelor" because she simply wasn't feeling it.
Dorfman's relationship with her winner, Josh Murray, only lasted a few months before ending. He went on to appear on "Bachelor in Paradise," and had another devastating break up.
Kaitlyn Bristowe and Britt Nilsson wore black and white dresses, respectively. We can't help but feel that their color choices were intentional — Nilsson was the traditional America's sweetheart, while Bristowe was more sarcastic.
Both Nilsson and Bristowe were chosen to be "The Bachelorette" for season 11, for one night only. The men were then asked to vote for who they wanted to find love with, and Nilsson left the show brokenhearted while Bristowe went on her journey to find love.
Bristowe stayed with her winner, Shawn Booth, for three years before breaking up in 2018. Since then, she's moved on to Jason Tartick, the third-place contestant from Becca Kufrin's season.
JoJo Fletcher combined the shade of Emily Maynard's dress and the sparkles of Ashley Hebert's for her night one look.
Fletcher won over Bachelor Nation when she left Ben Higgins' season brokenhearted, after he committed a cardinal sin in Bachelor Nation: He told the final two women that he was in love with both of them.
Thankfully, it all worked out for Fletcher. She's still engaged to her winner, Jordan Rodgers, and the two are working on many projects together, like a YouTube show and a home renovation show.
Rachel Lindsay's patterned white dress looked beautiful — and yes, it sparkled.
Lindsay was announced as "The Bachelorette" before she had even been eliminated from Nick Viall's season, but she eventually went on to place third.
As the first Black "Bachelorette" star, Lindsay experienced a lot of pressure, but handled it extremely well. She even found her happy ending with Bryan Abasolo, whom she married.
Becca Kufrin also chose a white, sparkly gown.
Kufrin might have been the Bachelorette with the biggest fanbase behind her. After an excruciating on-camera break up with Arie Luyendyk, people all over the country were sending Kufrin money for wine on Venmo.
She got something even better than alcohol money, though — she became the next "Bachelorette" star to find love with her winner. Kufrin and her final contestant, the controversial Garrett Yrigoyen, were engaged for two years before breaking up in 2020.
Hannah Brown's sparkly dress was on trend with "The Bachelorette," but also had a dramatic slit that was very much in line with "Hannah Beast."
Alabama Hannah's journey for love began on May 13, 2019 — here's what this former pageant queen wore on her big night.
While Brown had one of the most beloved arcs in "Bachelor" history, going from a timid contestant on Colton Underwood's season to triumphantly proclaiming that she has had sex, and Jesus still loves her, her season unfortunately ended in heartbreak. She got engaged to Jed Wyatt, only to find out he basically still had a girlfriend back home. The two lasted a few weeks before calling it off.
There's always Tyler C., though!
Clare Crawley will kick off season 16 of "The Bachelorette" in this funky sequined gown on October 13.
Crawley also opted for a sequined dress with a thigh-high slit, proving that if something's broke, don't fix it.
While there's some speculation as to how this season goes down, we won't know for sure until the season airs. And who knows, maybe there'll be another Bachelorette to add to this list sooner than we think.
- Read more:
- Everything we know about this season of 'The Bachelorette'
- Becca Kufrin and Garrett Yrigoyen have ended their engagement — here's every couple from 'The Bachelor' universe that's still together
- Meet the 31 men competing for Bachelorette Clare Crawley's heart
- The most controversial 'Bachelor' couples of all time, and who they should've been with instead
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