Elegantly Waisted

 

{mosimage}It has been a long time coming but the trend for those thong-baring, low-riding jeans could well be over. They started out on the designer catwalks around the early-90s, a la McQueen, and have since become a High Street staple. In a world obsessed with fast fashion and the next big thing the low-rise has done extremely well. Despite numerous complaints of butt-crack and underwear flashing the low-rise cut has been well and truly adopted.

 

 

{mosimage}Back in the day the average crotch-to-waist measurement on a pair of jeans came in around 10 to 12 inches. The birth of the low-rise brought the length down to about 7 inches, while the last few seasons saw a further drop to 3 – 4 inches. Looks like the only way is up – before it all gets ridiculously indecent. Top designers have been touting the high-waisted look for a couple of seasons now – and it seems the influential are finally taking note.

 

 

Take the latest batch of couture shows for instance, the catwalk wasn’t the only show on offer with the likes of fashion-forward editors and celebs milling around the scene. Say what you like about those attention-seeking celebs, there’s no getting away from the fact that they can, and do, influence mainstream fashion. As for the fashion pack, well, there is no better place to look when it comes to next season’s key styles. In contrast to this summers floaty, boho mood the focus was on clean-lined, nipped-in-waist elegance. {mosimage}

 

 

Check out the likes of J.Lo, even the low-rise queen of yesteryear has re-vamped her look and indulged in a pair of high-waisted jeans finishing way above her navel. Combine this with the return of hourglass suiting and it’s plain to see that the waist is making a comeback. For some this meant tightly buckling a belt over everything, while for French Vogue editor-in-chief, Carine Roitfeld it was a case of hourglass dresses and structured suits.

 

 

{mosimage}All well and good for them but what about the public at large, can there really be a break-away from those relaxed retro hipsters? In short, yes – don’t expect an overnight cover-up but there are high-waisted designs due to hit the High Street stores this autumn. Key styles include: wide-leg cords, dark wash jeans, trousers and cropped pants, plus fitted pencil skirts with corset-waist detailing.

 

 

{mosimage}For designer inspiration check out the Autumn/Winter collections from the likes of – Roland Mouret, Betty Jackson, Prada, Valentino, Daks and Proenza Schouler. And they weren’t the only ones cinching the waist – Angela Missoni said of her show: “It was time to give the waist importance, so I tried to underline it with Missoni stripes and to mix two kinds of volume: a very skinny silhouette – there are a lot of skirts and a lot of dresses and very feminine pieces—with cosy, cocooning big pieces.”

 

 

It may take some time but if fashion gets its way those butt flashing days could be over, well, for the time being at least.  

 

 

 

By JoJo Iles