Perfectly Presentable Peplums

Good afternoon PPRs! What a terrible day it is (weather-wise anyway) plus the fact I am feeling awful! Not cool but at least I’m at home in the warmth and comfort of my lounge with Alex’s cardi and a big furry blanket around me! Not to mention the million cups of tea that I’ve had so far today! But I’m not going to moan! I get to work from home and research today’s post whilst snuggling with my kitties so I guess I can’t complain!

Today I’m going to talk about peplums, they’ve been around for the last couple of seasons and they do not appear to be going anywhere this season either! I personally love a good peplum! When they’re done well they’re fabulous! ‘A peplum tricks the eye’ says Roland Mouret, the King of couture, with finesse for making women look womanly. His gorgeously flattering designs are loved by the celebrity world and I can see why; he understands how to dress women, how to make them look incredible and if he loves the peplum, saying that ‘it is a modern way for a woman to disguise a part of the body that she may not love’, then I love the peplum too.

Roland Mouret Two-tone One Shoulder Dress. The asymmetric peplum waist on this dress is the modern twist that Mouret was describing.

Peplums received a lot of bad press when the revival began. Think back to the eighties, giant redundant flaps of fabric paired with even puffier shoulder pads. Cringe! But the modernisation of the peplum, with its toned-down, classy appearance has changed the way the fashion world feel about this figure-flattering fad.

Think Mary Katrantzou’s lampshade dresses, Riccardo Tisci at Givenchy and Stella McCartney all of these designers use the peplum to slim the waist and accentuate the hips to create an enviable hourglass figure. A much welcomed and overdue change in culture is slowly moving in where instead of waif-like models people are celebrating real curves, (think Kim Kardashian) and the peplum, when done properly is a wonderful way to achieve this.

Mary Katrantzou

Givenchy

Stella McCartney

Tops and dresses galore are adorned with a peplum this season and they really do look fab when worn correctly. Make sure the fabric is high quality-anything below standard and the peplum will lose its shape and make you lose yours! Ensure the garment fits properly. I know that this seems like a silly piece of advice as I’m sure that we all try on garments for size before we buy, but I mean make sure it REALLY fits! It has to be perfect as any alterations will ruin the shape of the peplum and add material exactly where you don’t want it! Remember to take care if you are a larger breasted lady or if you hold your weight around your stomach, it doesn’t mean you can’t wear this trend but it may take you a while longer to find the perfect peplum. Opt for styles that don’t have a full peplum, maybe just small excesses of material at either side; the more subtle styles will suit in this case.

Here are a few of my favourite peplum-sporting pieces for this season...

Jessica Biel at the London Total Recall Premiere wearing Giambattista Valli Couture 2012.

Sonia Rykiel AW12 Paris Fashion Week.

Zara AW12 Leather and Lace Peplum Dress.

Star Hu Cotton Peplum Skirt Paris Fashion Week AW12.

Burberry Prorsum AW12 Trench Coat with Belted Tweed Peplum.

Reiss Marcia Dress AW12.

ASOS Peplum Jacket AW12.

Daniela Tabois Peplum Skirt SS12.

A word of warning though ladies...don’t just go and buy any old dress with a piece of fabric stuck on willy nilly, use caution and try before you buy. I’m not saying that this is the easiest trend to pull off as adding excess material to your waist is not normally a good idea! But it’s big news this season and worth a try in my opinion. There are such a multitude of styles out there that I’m sure, whatever your size or shape, you too can look pretty in a peplum!

Hope you enjoyed today’s post, (I know it's longer than some of my other but I do love a Peplum), and that I’ve given you some confidence to take on the peplum! I think the pieces that I will be investing in is definitely a really cute peplum jacket to throw on with jeans or tapered trousers for an instant answer to this seasons trend, also I am loving the Zara leather and lace dress and this kills to trends with one stone: Neo-goth and Peplum! Fab!

Happy Friday PPRs...Hope you all have a fab weekend, I will be model casting in Cheltenham tomorrow for Cheltenham Fashion Week so come to La Tasca on Regent Street if you want to take part-no experience necessary and a brilliant opportunity!

Also those of you going to V-I am uber jealous and have fun! Say hi to Alex if you see him there!

Love, love,

x RT @ PP x