The Freshest Way To Show Some Skin

Fashion’s latest erogenous zone? Shoulders, of course. Gone are plunging necklines and low-cut backs: the sexiest (and sweetest) way to show some skin this season features far less cleavage, and far more collarbone.

From shoulder-baring dresses to skintight Bardot tops, the off-the-shoulder trend started off feeling a little costumey. A slinky black style felt a little too Sandy from Grease (post Pink Ladies treatment, natch) and anything overflowing with ruffles had a distinct low-budget Disney princess vibe about it. Yet the current highstreet iterations have captured the vibe just right. Part bohemian, part French girl-sleek, it’s the sartorial update every lazy girl who knows her love affair with oversized shirts is coming to an end has long been waiting for.

Big boobs? Don’t fret. There’s few things a decent strapless bra can’t help you with. But as for the silhouette? Yes it’s true billowing trapeze styles can have a somewhat maternitywear vibe about them when they’re floating off anything larger than a D cup. Not that there’s anything wrong with that -after housing my E-cups in a navy ASOS number in the office I became all weirdly delighted at the pregnancywear possibility of the top.

“I mean look, I totally could be pregnant, no? I could definitely get away with wearing a Baby On Board badge on the tube to get a seat on the commute.”


Plus I’ve always been so quick to voice my joy over how loose-fitting styles can hide a multitude of sins, like the after-effect of a weekend spent dining on croissants, brunch, burgers, bacon and brie, beneath the billowing silhouettes.

But if you still feel too matronly, a figure-skimming off the shoulder top will show off your curves in the most upper echelon of Kim Karsdash boyconism. Simply team with some cropped flares for a retro finish rather than a jersey tube skirt and you’ll be nailing that effortlessly cool-cum-sexy girl aesthetic we Brits so achingly long for from The Reformation. 

So scroll down for my edit of the best off-the-shoulder tops online right now – for big and small boobs alike – and what to style with them all through Spring/Summer 2016.

Photography by Rebecca Spencer

I’m wearing ASOS Top, Miss Selfridge Jeans, VVA Dahlia Bag (c/o), Berskha Mules, Astraet Coat (c/o Farfetch)