As much as I've loved the smock dresses the latest seasons, the body-con trend is something so glamorous. The 80's style trend was back in 2007, with designers like Christopher Kane and Proenza Schouler showing it on their spring/summer runways. It was also seen for fall/winter 07 and though it wasn't all over the runways for next summer, there are still some designers that have their body-con dresses as a trademark.
Body-con is all about clothes that enhance the lines of a woman's body and leaving very little to the imagination. The trend was defined in the 80s, when designers like Hervé Léger and Azzedine Alaia created the bandage dress. The dress has been popular with the celebrities on the red carpet over the years, especially from Hervé Léger. Lindsay Lohan has worn a few, Victoria Beckham also and Kim Kardashian is a big fan.
Body-con is a style best suited to curvy, slim and athletic figures. It doesn't suit a large frame. Figure-hugging dresses sit best on strong-looking womanly bodies, with good legs. It's a power look and needs confident.
You can work this trend in a few different ways. If you've got some lovely curves and you feel good about your body, you should definitely try a tight version. If your more self concious, you should try a version that's got some details and not made of a stretchy fabric. And as you know, black is a slimming colour, so try a dark colour to hide any imperfections.
Then there's the body-con bandage skirt. It's great if you want to show your legs but keep the upper body more hidden. A loose blouse, for example, is great. Nicole Richie wore it a lot last summer and Ashley Olsen has also been seen wearing it. The body-con skirt is so much more relaxed than the dress and more suitable for daytime.
The main thing doing this trend is not to go overboard. You shouldn't show too much, even if you have the perfect body. A cropped jacket or a slightly oversized cardigan with a skinny belt is a great way to keep it classy.
Get the look
Cotton SpandexTwo-Tone Fitted Mini Dress $32 from American Apparel; Helmut Lang Zip-Front Mini Skirt $217 from Net-a-porter.com; Seamed Tube Skirt £28 from TopShop.
For another version of a body-con dress from American Apparel, check out Cotton Spandex JerseyBandeau Pencil Dress $34, available in over twenty colours. American Apparel also has a body-con skirt, the Interlock Mini Skirt $25. Topshop's also got another version of the bandage skirt, Skirt by Boutique £15. And last but not least, Urban Outfitters has two, the Lux Christiane Mini $24, and the Lux Knit Pencil Skirt $28.
9 comments:
oo nice post!
i will def try the skirts sometime, but maybe not the dresses...
Hey u have a great blog. Would u like to link?
Great job on this post
i love love love cuvy dresses, it's about time we celebrate being women and flaunt our stuff!
i like it on nicole richie and ashlee simpson.
Yeah body con is a power look, and quite hard to pull off without looking earnest you know? Still I like it.
hiiiiiiiiiiii- omg thanks for this post! i really love the herve leger dresses but wasnt sure how to apply them to my own not-stick-thin body. the skirts are perfect :)
will be interesting to see how it all translates this summer!
Bodycon certainly seems to be the movement, but a smock dress is so nice after a big meal...
i agree with the clothes horse- a smock dress is so nice after a big meal! :)
i do like the body-con wave though- i just like to mix and match with floatier pieces.
p.s. great job with the blog! i really enjoy it
Post a Comment