Why the cleavage is back – and it’s not about sex
eyes up here please Yes, breasts are back – bolstered, lifted, hoisted and pulled up, they’ve come back from the flatlands of fashion exile and are once again dominating the red carpet.
Here’s something optimistic about fashion’s sudden embrace of cleavage. A plunging dress is sexy, yes, but more importantly, it’s eye-catching and quite cheerful.
And yet, high fashion has always been wary of breasts. That’s partly because top models tend to be very tall, very skinny, and decidedly without cleavage, and partly because a certain type of silhouette falls better on a long, narrow frame.
As a result, for years many of us have discounted and diverted attention from our breasts for fear of coming across as milkmaid or bloated.
But will our poor, ignored breasts finally be freed? It seems so. A growing push for a range of body shapes on the catwalk, coupled with a general trend towards extroverted clothing after two years of sofa-bound lockdown, has pushed everything booby-related into the spotlight.
As evidenced by the Screen Actors Guild and the Cesar Awards last weekend, for which stylists appeared to be saying goodbye to the high-necked maid-style dresses they were so enamored with pre-Covid and hello to anything a little deep .
Boobs were everywhere, especially at the SAG Awards. Lady Gaga wore a white column dress by Armani Prive with a plunging silver neckline that felt like a throwback to old Hollywood dressing. The crystal bustier is designed to turn heads while its curve-hugging design feels wonderfully feminine.
Cate Blanchett, meanwhile, offered not once, but twice a masterclass in cleavage first dressing for the over-50s. Also in Armani Prive at the SAG Awards, she opted for a long black column dress with striking jewel-like detailing on the bust and a neckline that started just above her navel.
Cate Blanchett gave a masterclass in cleavage first dressing at the SAG Awards. Photo: Getty Images
And yes, most women over 30, let alone over 50, may covet that gravity-defying cleavage, yet nothing about her appearance seemed effortful or attention-grabbing, perhaps because her breasts were neither pulled up nor manipulated to look bigger or smaller than they actually are.
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Instead, she seemed relaxed, stylish, and almost casually sexy.
So did her outfit at the Cesar Awards in Paris. In a city that has always abhord ostentatious displays of flesh, Blanchett opted for a very French approach to revealing attire: an all-black suit from Louis Vuitton, consisting of a sequined blazer and an embroidered black lace bodice, with just one strategic placed button. These were paired with perfectly tailored black pants and black heels.
Cate Blanchett at the Cesar Awards in Paris. Photo: Getty Images
Also at the Cesar Awards was the always stylish Lea Seydoux. She, too, wore a tailored Louis Vuitton piece and her straight but plunging black corset neckline certainly showed off her cleavage, but subtly — and in a far more modern way than the V-neck and push-up bra designs of the past.
“The wonderful thing about the current cleavage trend is that it’s about individual choices, and I think fashion has so many options right now (hooray),” says red-carpet stylist Rachel Fanconi, who has worked with celebrities like Helen Mirren and Emily Watson Collaborates and The Duchess of York.
“Yeah, designers like Nensi Dojaka do that nice, thready, natural, ’70s-inspired thing that makes the cleavage look really modern, but [low-cut tops] Also looks great with tailoring if you want to add a bit of wearability and warmth to the look.”
Lea Seydoux wore a custom Louis Vuitton piece. Photo: Getty Images
Tailoring with a bit of boob action was particularly well received at the SAG Awards by Jessica Chastain, 44, who wore a simple, shimmering Dior pantsuit with nothing underneath.
As Fanconi suggests, adding a low-cut bodysuit or a silk negligee makes this look a lot more wearable for the rest of us.
Sandra Oh, on the other hand, looked stunning with the SAGs in silver Carolina Herrera, but while the plunging neckline was part of her look, there was no sign of the underwires that plagued so many women in the ’90s and early 2000s.
Jessica Chastain at the SAG Awards. Photo: Getty Images
So what can the rest of us learn from all of this? Boobs are definitely back, but the “two apples” cleavage — the puffed-up and protruding aesthetic once promoted by brands like Wonderbra and Victoria’s Secret — isn’t, and that’s good news for women around the world .
I’m certainly not suggesting that we all go bra-free, but rather that we show off our cleavage in well-tailored tops and dresses that celebrate the female form without overly manipulating it.
Sandra Oh in silver Carolina Herrera. Photo: Getty Images
In practice, this means that women with small breasts could try a low-cut black bodysuit under a blazer, while larger-cupped women who need some support could opt for a straight bustier or a top or dress with a scaffolding built into the design could decide .
The result?
Immediate cleavage and happy, sexy dressing without any discomfort.
https://www.independent.ie/style/fashion/why-cleavage-is-back-and-its-not-about-sex-41408597.html Why the cleavage is back – and it’s not about sex