“the year is 2012. you’re wearing a peplum top, a giant necklace and a sock bun. (…) you add the lark filter and a border to an unappetizing photo of your dinner and hit post. it gets 0 likes. you don’t care. life is good.” and guess what, life is about to get better: the year is 2024 and peplum top is about to make its official comeback.
it’s spring 2012. the paparazzi can’t get enough of the new couple kim kardashian and kanye west and follow them everywhere. in one occasion, kardashian is photographed leaving a movie theater in new york wearing a LNA black leather mini skirt, black strappy sandals and a white peplum long sleeve top from céline’s spring 2012 collection. that wasn’t kim’s only time being caught on camera wearing a peplum top. throughout 2012 and most of 2013, the socialite turned beauty and fashion mogul wore peplum tops, dresses and even pants to death.
media outlets were quick to name peplum - a ruffle attached to the waistline of a skirt, dress or top - the silhouette of spring 2012 but the year before designer raf simons was already flirting with the idea. a tangerine peplumed skirt worn with a simple white t-shirt was indeed one of the most memorable moments from jil sander’s spring 2011 collection. by the spring of 2012, however, peplums were everywhere and 9/10 of my outfits at the time - there’s a slight exaggeration for dramatic purposes - included a peplum top.
in cotton, leather, plain or printed, short-sleeved or no sleeves at all, I was hooked. but like all trends with the same colossal, yet polarizing, effect, since the mid-2010s the silhouette has been all but retired. whether we love it or not the peplum is about to make its comeback. will it be as big as it was in the 2010’s? I highly doubt it. but there’s no denying the ubiquitousness of the peplum in the spring 2024 collections. in new york, it was spotted at prabal gurung and ella johnson; in london, eudon choi, roksanda and tove are among some of the designers who brought back the infamous trend, whereas in paris, sarah burton for alexander mcqueen, balmain, chloé and cecilie bahnsen are the ones to blame.
prabal gurung, spring 2024
tove, spring 2024
cecilie bahnsen, spring 2024
cecilie bahnsen, spring 2012
the new peplum is not as over-the-top as the early 2010’s one. designers were indeed drawned to more flowy fabrics and the silhouette itself is now way more subtle and effortless than it was before. but how do we feel about this comeback? are we ready to dig into our closets and fully embrace the return of the peplum? as all things fashion, only time will tell. as for this exact moment, I’m not really buying it.
cátia santos reis "the world is yours but greece is mine” could be her mantra as cátia santos reis is yet to find a greek island she hasn’t fallen in love with. in the meantime, she keeps traveling the world. for CINCO editorial, the 34 year-old, will share her favorite things to do, visit and eat in every destination.we independently evaluate all recommended products and services. if you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.
