TRENDS: Peplums

Peplums in all shapes, forms and colours are currently fashionable is a fact that goes without saying. They are one of this season’s hottest trends- Peplum:”a short gathered or pleated strip of fabric attached at the waist of a woman’s jacket, dress, or blouse to create a hanging frill or flounce”.

They have the ability to define the waist (even when you don’t have one) and to dress up everything from jeans to pencil skirts, creating a tailored, pulled-together kind of look. Throw in a narrow belt in a contrasting (even same) colour for extra emphasis on the waist. 

They are ultra feminine and flirty, emphasizing the hourglass silhouette of a woman. For me, the most exciting plus on this design is that they are perfect for a wide range of occasion including weddings, graduation, parties and a well selected variant of them can even be worn to the office with/without a jacket that perfectly complement them and they can be rocked with either lovely high heels or cute flats.

The hip-accentuating peplum detail that was most popular back in the 1940s with a brief appearance in the 1980s has been making a huge comeback, seen on the runways of Tory Burch, Jason Wu and Zac Posen at NYFW.

Almost every high street retail shop has it in their 2012 collections from L.K. Bennett, Jason Wu, Tom Ford, Louis Vuitton, New Look, Dorothy Perkins, Next, Topshop, Mango, Woolworth and even Primark and several others.

Celebrities from different walks of life have rocked the peplum designs on the high streets & red carpets since the spring of 2010

So there you have it - the peplum design. Hit the stores, smaller stores , if you can't afford the high street retail stores 'cos even Primark ain't cheap no more, and get the perfect cut and colour for you. Look chic, look hot and fabulous in it and remember, wear it with a whole lot of confidence.