Flaunt What You’ve Got!

Some say that the ‘body conscious’ style is the new black. Could this be true? After almost a decade of sober colours and silhouettes that conceal the body, we are gaining new perspectives on human anatomy in fashion, owing to a slew of transparent, flattering and body-hugging creations.

Body conscious—that’s the keyword of the season. It is an ideal way to describe the new approach that designers are taking with respect to the human body. It is a great way to define the trend of showing skin, flattering silhouettes and body-hugging clothes. This trend can also be labelled as simply sexy!

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This season, we go back to the ’80s, where printed Lycra shorts are paired with cropped tops, we forget about clothes that cover the body (something that Belgian and Japanese designers have subjected us to for the past two decades). This year, which, coincidentally also marks the 200th birth anniversary of Marquis de Sade, announces the arrival of super short skirts, that sometimes border on raciness. Moreover, the past 20 years have seen an increased interest in fitness and sports among women. And the gym trend has subsequently influenced street style. It all adds up so perfectly.

This new racy and sexy trend has been influenced by Azzedine Alaïa’s unconventional approach to fashion. The recent success of his Paris exhibition at the Galleria Museum—1,23,000 visitors flocked to this exhibition from all over the world—only proves the potential and highlights people’s interest in this trend. His creations also have mild references to the pristine and minimal trends that we saw in the year 2000.

Stella McCartney describes her summer 2014 collection as ‘understated seduction’. She interprets this trend using different coloured lace fabrics as well as feminine, decorative elements, which had not been explored by this otherwise rock-inspired designer. This season, collections all over are featuring lace, fishnet fabrics and other lingerie-inspired creations, reinterpreted for prêt-à-porter. At the house of Alexander McQueen, Sarah Burton uses kinky harnesses and bustier bras with ethnic embellishments, tribal elements and feathers. In most collections, the highlighted waist and exposed midriffs—a signature of Alaïa—are showcased, paired with sober, flowing skirts.

One of the main inspirations for this body-conscious trend is the world of sports and the use of high-performance fabrics, clothes that hug the body or faux transparent effects. There is, however, a certain subtlety to all this. While these sporty clothes aim to show off the female body as much as possible, there is also a sense of minimalism, restraint and discretion. These days, the body is never placed on display for the world to see. Small elements are revealed, the imagination is tickled and skin is exposed with a sense of discretion. The body-conscious trend is not about showing off your body. It is about liberation, being free and flaunting what you’ve got.

From the May 2014 issue of L’Officiel India.