A Pep Talk For The Peplum

 

 Picture taken from ASOS

Jess Cartner-Morley of the Guardian writes, “A peplum won’t make you look thin. Men don’t find it sexy.” Of course, these are the last words a girl wants to hear, especially me, a plus sized girl who just bought my first peplum dress. Up until last month, I had no idea what a peplum was.

A peplum, for those of us who are new to the concept, is a short overskirt or ruffle attached at the waistline of a jacket, blouse or dress. It became stylish in the forties, especially on jackets, to accentuate an hourglass figure, and then made a comeback in the eighties. Designer Jason Wu’s pink peplum dress, released early this year, has brought fresh vigor and interest to the style. I popped onto ASOS the other day and there was even a peplum link under “Trends”.

Weeks prior to knowing any of this, I purchased a vintage red dress on Etsy. And yes, it has a peplum. A few weeks later my housemate bought the latest Cosmo with Miranda Kerr on the cover, and as I was flicking through it during a Masterchef ad on telly, I open to a page filled with peplums. Peplums, peplums, peplums! My eyes lit up. “My Etsy dress has one of those peplum things!” The caption on the page read, “The style that suits everybody…it may be an 80s classic, but it’s also this season’s hottest look.” Then I felt smug. So, so, so smug that I had bought a peplum dress before I even knew what it was or that it had made a comeback.

I put the dress on with my widest black belt. My boyfriend, usually skeptical of vintage fashion, looked me up and down and said, “rowr.” 

Dress: Etsy

Necklace: Etsy

Belt: City Chic

Shoes: Dr. Martens

What I adore about this style is that the pencil skirt of the dress, which would ordinarily show the shape of my tum, is covered by the peplum, but you can still see a nice curve of bottom. It accentuates the smallest part of your waist and then lets go where you want it to. Cartner-Morley’s advice is that, “If wearing a peplum, the kindest point for your skirt to end is at the knee, or just below, where your leg shape narrows”. Tick, tick, dear dress.

I wore that frock proudly down Rundle Street the following week. I loved wearing that dress. I felt good.

As Cartner-Morley continued her peplum analysis, she ends her article by concluding that, “…we are not timid, and not cowed by the notion that a trend might not make us look our absolute thinnest. Peplums are the new normal. And that’s brave.” I love that. I appreciate flattering clothes, but sometimes that idea can get in the way of taking risks and trying new styles.

If someone were to ask me why I started this blog and why the focus on fashion, I think I would say that a good outfit can help you feel empowered in your femininity. And confidence is sorely lacking in many women today. But I have certain ideas about what makes a good outfit. For me, it has to be instinctual (although sometimes that instinct has to be developed because we’re not all born with “good taste”). It has to be edgy. It’s not about seeing an outfit in a magazine and thinking, “I want to look exactly like that”; it’s about making it your own. Attention to detail (an accessory, or simply fresh nail polish can make all the difference). And it has to be risky. I see it as a good sign if I walk out my front door feeling a little nervous.

So…be brave :D