Fashion

Peplum: A short overskirt or ruffle attached at the waistline of a jacket, blouse, skirt or dress. A 1940’s style, that had a revival in the 1980’s.

Peplum….the very word is enough to strike fear into my heart. Not because I don’t like them as a trend- on the contrary, I find them to be a delightful addition to a tailored silhouette, as well as extremely flattering. The fear arrived about ten years ago, when during my fashion degree, we were forced to make a hideous skirt suit with a vent, stand-up collar and….peplum. It was one of the ugliest ensembles I’ve ever seen, not helped by the fact that we had to make it out of calico and my pattern cutting skills were a bit slap dash to say the least… 

Fast forward to S/S 2012, the peplum is enjoying a revival and I’ve managed to get over my aversion to this design detail. So, a peplum is a ruffled or pleated piece of fabric, attached at the waist of an item of clothing- usually slim fitting items, such as pencil skirts and tailored dresses. It is a very flattering addition to a narrow silhouette- the volume of the peplum emphasizes and exaggerates a small waist, as well as covering up any lumps and bumps around the hips. It also means you don’t have to suck your stomach in all day when wearing a pencil skirt, so if you’ve been avoiding the gym, this is the S/S trend for you. 

Peplums are fantastic for hourglass figures, as they really exaggerate the feminine figure, a slightly longer peplum is great for skimming over bigger hips in pear shapes, and for those with a big bust, they will balance out the figure and draw the eye downwards. Apple shapes should steer clear however, as they will draw too much attention to your problem area.

I’ve found some beautiful examples in Forestside (maybe the perfect outfit for a big Valentine’s date??) For those of you that don’t want to go the whole hog, this dress from Dorothy Perkins is merely flirting with the idea of a peplum. River  Island’s dress is great if you don’t like showing the top of your arms. This top from Awear will add a nice dash of colour to a black pencil skirt or cigarette pants. Next’s grey dress is a totally office-appropriate take on the trend.

STYLING TIP: Emphasize the waist further by throwing on a skinny belt in a contrasting colour.