Joan Collins' Most Buzzworthy Revenge Dress Moments After Divorce

TW: The following article includes mentions of sexual assault.

Joan Collins has lived through four divorces and has been married five times, so she has had many opportunities to revenge dress. The Hollywood icon first married Irish actor Maxwell Reed in 1952 and they divorced in 1956 after being separated for two years. Their relationship was a brutal one, as Collins later claimed that Reed drugged and raped her before their marriage and that she only married him out of shame. Collins went on to marry singer-songwriter Anthony Newley in 1963 and they welcomed two children together, but went on to divorce in 1971 after two years of separation. 

Collins then married Ron Kass in 1972; she was five months pregnant with their daughter, her third child, when they wed. They divorced in 1983. Collins then married Swedish film executive Peter Holm in 1985 in Las Vegas. According to Collins, Holm had a terrible temper and the two would embark on long and bitter arguments; they divorced in 1987. Finally, Collins found love with Percy Gibson, her junior by 32 years; the couple married in February 2002 and have been together since. In spite of the heartbreak, Collins moved on from her four failed marriages to ultimately find love. But she didn't miss the change for some stunning revenge dress moments, joining the ranks of the best celebrity revenge dress moments we could never forget. 

Considering how unhappy her relationship was with ex-husband Maxwell Reed, Joan Collins wasted no time moving on from him. With their May 1956 divorce behind her, Collins shed that relationship and stepped out as the radiant woman she is when she attended the premiere of "The Pride and the Passion" in July 1957 with Arthur Loew, Jr. In spite of the pain and assault she endured at the hands of Reed, Collins looked beautiful in a gold dress and coat. 

Joan Collins had fun at the Idlewild Airport in New York in December 1956 when she posed on a table and answered a phone after finishing "Island in the Sun." While Collins looked gorgeous in a chic dress and hat, her recent divorce and unhappy marriage had obviously caused her considerable pain. Decades later, in September 2023, she spoke to The Guardian about the abuse she endured from Maxwell Reed. "I come from a generation where if you're going to have sex, you get married," she explained of the unhappy relationship she left behind.

Joan Collins filed for divorce from Anthony Newley in 1970 and it was finalized in August 1971 after numerous alleged affairs on Newley's part, including an affair with Barbra Streisand. Years later, Collins claimed that Newley had relations with around 72 women while they were married. So when Collins stepped out at an event in New York City in 1970 in a gorgeous metallic dress with a plunging neckline, the outfit held a lot of meaning. It spoke to her empowerment and shedding of that betrayal.

Joan Collins and Ron Kass were married for over a decade, but their daughter almost died after being hit by a car and Kass struggled with addiction. Both factors put a strain on their relationship and the two divorced in 1983. Later that same year, Collins attended an event in Los Angeles with Linda Evans and designer Nolan Miller. She wore a showstopping gold dress with voluminous sleeves and tonal heels, capturing the excess and glamour of the '80s and proving that her marriage was behind her.

In 1984, a year after her divorce from Ron Kass, Joan Collins posed for a sensational shoot at her home in Beverly Hills. Photographed by Eddie Sanderson, Collins wore a white slip dress that slid down her shoulder. True to the diva she is, Collins used the portrait for years when sending mail to fans. Like Elizabeth Taylor, whose Old Hollywood glamour inspires contemporary outfits, Collins proved that the slip dress could be both a garb of revenge and of stunning fashion. 

After her divorce from Peter Holm in August 1987, Joan Collins proved that she wasn't looking back. On September 28, 1988, Collins arrived for the release party of her first novel, "Prime Time," and greeted fans in a sheer black dress with a plunging neckline. For anyone looking for a guide on nailing the sheer dress trend — from pops of skin to fearless transparency — Collins' black revenge dress is a good reference. Collins opted to show some skin, but the final result was very dramatic. 

Joan Collins looked radiant when she attended a "Dynasty" fashion show party in Beverly Hills, California on September 30, 1988, hot on the heels of her divorce from Peter Holm. The bridal reference, thanks to her white strapless gown and white opera gloves, seemed an obvious nod to the marriage she had left behind. And that stunning diamond necklace stole the show; she might not be wearing a wedding ring anymore, but Collins clearly had all the jewels she needed.