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.
