CaitlinSo… peplum’s doing the rounds this summer isn’t it? That little extra hem seems to be decorating the midriffs of women everywhere, be it through skirts, shirts or dresses. Now I have to admit, I was skeptical, in fact I’ve been refusing to buy any such item on the grounds that in a few months the novelty will have subsided and I won’t be able to look at it again, yet alone wear it.
The most important thing about a purchase, for me, is the so-called “cost per wear” value, especially relevant for students on a budget. Think about it like this; say you buy a dress for £20, now I’m not for a second criticizing this decision. It’s a nice dress. But let’s say that you wear it only twice (once to that party you bought it for and once again because you feel you should). So you could say that, per wear, said dress cost you £10 each time.
Makes sense right? And this is worth thinking about because if you buy a dress for £50, so long as its good enough quality to last and you love it, you may end up wearing it somewhere between 5 and 10 times. Per wear the more expensive dress has given you no less value than the cheaper alternative. This is my logic, flawed though it may be, which makes it worth investing in items that you know you can wear again and again. It also means thinking twice about loud or particularly distinctive pieces on the grounds that the trend that inspired them may wear off quickly.
This brings us back to peplum. Was I right to be suspicious? I mean the style has existed for years; with notable peplum dresses featuring strongly in the 1940s and 1980s. Nevertheless I couldn’t shake the feeling that the style has had a prominent feature in several high street collections recently, indeed on some nights out it seems to predominate as the female fashion statement of choice.
In any case a few days ago I finally caved, in response to a particularly attractive bluey-pink lace number. It’s a fitted dress (a little above the knee) with a peplum around the waist. The dress caught my eye because it is literally beautiful… I mean, you know, it’s nice. I don’t love it or anything. Shut up I don’t. Eye so caught perhaps, but I largely tried it on as a experiment, you see I realized that although I’ve been avoiding the peplum I’ve no idea what it actually looks like on me.
It. Makes. My. Waist. Look. Tiny. Peplum is a very flattering style. FACT. Even if your stomachs a little less toned than you’d like so long as you have some discernible waist the extra skirt will pick up and accentuate it; by proxy drawing attention away from other areas. Handy.
Won over by this particular detail I began to consider, more closely, my other concerns. If something looks good is the novelty likely to ever wear off? My guess is not for a while at least. I paid around £54 (£60 with a 10% discount #sohappytobeastudent), which isn’t excessive so long as I wear it a few times. Also who cares if the “trend” passes? Even so I’ll still get to go out in a pretty, well-made and flattering dress plus I may even get to do so without feeling like one face in a peplum flock.
Conclusion: if something looks good and it will last then make sure you look good in it for a long time. Don’t worry what everyone else is wearing. Although I am equally sure that a black peplum dress will stand us all in good stead for A/W. Baa, Baa.
Not 100% satisfied? Try holding your own waist in.