The Womanly Allure – by Kyrsty Hazzell
26-08-2005
The Womanly Allure
The alarm is blasting and you slam your hand over the ‘off’ button. Its 7:30am, it is still dark and you’re fighting fit ready for your morning jog. As you pull back the curtains you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror- glistening hair, flawless skin and a lean, tight bottom. Not so. For many of us, pulling back the duvet reveals a sight resembling something far removed from the media’s perceived idea of perfection. But do these airbrushed images of supermodels really define beauty, or is it time for us to all embrace our individuality and celebrate what we’ve got? Well according to Roland Mouret and the rest of the fashion pack, it is time.
It is the season of the body. Not in the flashing-flesh, boob exposing, bottom skimming way, but in the subversively sexy, subtly covered, curve enhancing, all and every woman sense.
{mosimage}With the explosion of Hitchcock heroine inspired pencil skirts and slinky black dresses which hug the female form creating an extraordinary effect, it isn’t hard to miss. The woman has come back from hibernation and an impression it has certainly made in the shape of Roland Mouret, Yves Saint Laurent, Paco Rabanne and Julien MacDonald. The body surgeons as they are more well known as this season, have made the silhouette classic hourglass as well as reflecting a more knowing attitude: to wear a pencil skirt and heels is to aware of your body in a way that you never were in a kaftan.
The silhouette- a defined waist, a pencil skirt to the knee – casts spotlight on the swell of the hips, and beneath, the curve of the calf muscle stretched by an elegant pair of heels. It is a long way from the girlishness phase that we have all grown out of. The Timotei advert style, soft focus aesthetic of consecutive summers of boho chic has left us yearning for something a little more sophisticated. It is a very different eroticism to that of the bare thigh and stomach revealed by the gipsy skirt, but by no account, any less powerful. All you have to do is look at Roland Mouret’s femme fatale dresses with the pushing out of the bosom, the cinching in of the waist and the stretch of the leg, and you will see how sexy the womanly allure can be.
You may be getting a sense of déjà vu; however, the new womanliness is quite different from last winter’s ladylike trend. Where that was all tweed and teacups, today’s look is more modern, sexier, more complicated. Its new icons are classic film stars, characters with mystique; women whose self possession speaks of a life lived, of tales to be told, secrets to be kept. Think of Tippi Hedren with her dry martini and cigarettes, or the curvaceous sirens of Fellini. It isn’t so much about the style influences, but more about the spirits and attitudes of the icons, it is about living their life stories.
{mosimage}Although the new womanly allure trend is all about embracing the female form, it has come at a time where women’s idea of being beauty is at an all time low. According to a global report conducted by Dove cosmetics, female definition of beauty is based on images seen in entertainment, advertisement and catwalk runways. The startling impact of this reveals that only 2% of a thousand women from 10 different countries consider themselves beautiful. Most alarmingly only 13% of women who took part in the Dove campaign were satisfied with their appearance and shape.
Unsurprisingly, it seems to be a consequence of mass media, which has played a major role in portraying and communicating a narrow definition of beauty. Moreover, it found that more than two thirds of women strongly agree that the media and advertising set an unrealistic standard of beauty that most women can’t ever achieve. Well over half of all women believe that attributes of female beauty have become very narrowly defined in today’s world. So what is happening to sabotage the media and fashions constricted conceptions of beauty? The answer: Realistic tailoring which enhances curves instead of hiding them, the pencil skirt, the bubble skirt, fitted skirt suits and elegant laced frocks- all there for real women who no longer have to squeeze themselves into clothing which only suit size 0 supermodels.
So no longer do curvaceous women have to be pressured into conforming to the traditional notion of what is beautiful. Instead, they are learning to love their love handles, saggy bums and bigger bosoms by embracing the new womanly allure- How will you show off your curves?
Which skirt suits you?
THE BUBBLE
- They look lovely on girls with tiny waists and hourglass figures.
- Wear with: Sexy court shoes or if your brave, wear your favourite flats
- Best high street buy: Topshop
THE PENCIL
· Looks great on both a narrow frame and a curvy, hourglass figure. If
you’re tall, try a longer length, and if you’ve got shorter legs, then
stick to knee-length
· Wear with: Knee high kinky boots or killer stilettos
· Best high street buy: Morgan and French Connection
THE TUBE
Look slinky on ladies with super-long legs. Choose your fabric carefully, though-if you’ve got a curvaceous behind, avoid wearing clingy material
Wear with: Lace up shoe boots, flats or heel
Best high street buy: Zara
THE TULIP
· Suits short girls and those with narrow hips (as it gives you an illusion of curves) make sure your top is fitted around the midriff or you may lose your waist!
· Wear with: Cute heels
· Best high street buy:
