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The New ‘Bare All’ SS16 trendWith new stock hitting the high street for Spring/Summer 16, the way to bare skin this season

is through the shoulders. Bare shoulders, draped sleeves and asymmetrical designs have all

been taken from the catwalk from Paris to New York and this season the spotlight is on this

silhouette. From bohemian to Bardot, to architectural to colour blocking this shape seems to

define this years SS16 looks.

Exposed shoulders seems to be this seasons way of targeting a sultry look without being

explicitly sexual. What’s better is that this look is overly universal and flattering to any body

shape and style. The shape isn’t a new design, designer Donna Karen explained her infamous

1993 off the shoulder gown to Ingrid Sischey in 2004 as ‘the ball of the shoulder, is the only

part of a woman’s body that does not age. A woman never gains weight at her shoulder

point.’ Her comment reinforced the fact why this design is so flattering and popular.

The fuss of having to worry about buying Spanx for our tight midi skirts or making sure our

legs are looking tanned and toned doesn’t matter with this favourable look. The bare shoulder

allows femininity, glamour and wear ability for us body conscious fashion followers. More

recently designers have started to realise women are becoming more insecure with having

their arms exposed. Sales executive for Kalayci London said at Pure London, ‘’the only

struggle is now people do want to cover up their arms and people are looking for more [ways

to] cover up, but if its off the shoulder people are still covering part of the arm and their

happy with that,’’ ‘’people still like it (off the shoulder) and its still sexy yet still covering up

the bingo wings so to speak.’’ Later adding in ‘’they (women) don’t mind showing shoulder

but don’t want to show a full arm.’’

Long kaftans and flowing maxi dresses incorporated many of the cold shoulder looks in

various collections at Pure London trade show for the upcoming season. The easy to wear

kaftan designs are light for summer wear as well as hiding a multitude of sins with its loose

silhouette. Sales advisor for Zaeem Jamal, based on Kings Road in Chelsea says on the kaftan

dresses from their collection ‘as for these kaftan ones that have the cut out, people still like to

cover up but show something, and people tend to be very happy with this top area like the

collar bone and the shoulders.’’ ‘’ We are finding its not so popular to have a lot of loathly

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completely sleeveless dresses, we do find people are happier wearing a lot of kaftans in the

collection.’’

When speaking to the Senior fashion editor at Cosmopolitan, Sairey Stamp agrees with

Zaeem Jewel’s designs being the more favourable this SS16 ‘’It’s (the dress) flattering being

loose in the body and most women have attractive shoulders, an area that they don’t feel

embarrassed to expose. It’s a winning combination.’’

For SS16 we’ve seen The Row have taken off the shoulder inspiration with an all black

bohemian style top, featuring billowing sleeves. Boss, too, have teamed their classic little

black dress and a Bardot style shoulder exposure silhouette with a satin belt around the waist.

While Chloé SS16 collection featured off the shoulder knitted jumpers in bright hues worn

over a colourful midi skirt for a relaxed feel. Whereas Proenza Schouler adorned the cold

shoulder crop with ruffles and ticking off two trends in one, with it in a colour blocking

electric blue.

Over in America the exposed shoulder has attracted a large fan base, as Sales Executive of

Wow Couture says on the designs from the brand ‘’our main customers are [from] Miami and

Brazil.’’ ‘’In the states they are extremely popular and that’s why we are bringing more in

[off the shoulder dresses], off the shoulder and cut outs especially them two combinations are

doing extremely well in the states.’’

Quickly becoming a fashion staple for SS16 in the UK Sairey Stamp, Senior fashion editor at

Cosmopolitan expresses her personal favourite ways to wear the trend for the upcoming

season. ‘’I prefer crisp cotton versions, in white or blue and white stripes, the sleeves should

be wide and billowing.’’

Following Stamp’s comments, the cold shoulder style has adapted over the years and its in

any era. The first designs being for wealthy women specifically for evening wear with

lowered necklines and off the shoulder drapery. This soon adapted with evening bodices that

were off-the-shoulder with trimming framing the neckline. Evening sleeves were small and

decorated with ruffles, puffings and bows.

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The 50s and 60s saw the huge revival in the popularity of the bare shoulder. Favoured by

Brigitte Bardot the ‘’Bardot’’ (appropriately named after herself) were popular everywhere in

dresses and tops. Today the retro Bardot style dresses which normally opt for a full-skirt

vintage feel are still worn and seen as a height of class and femininity.

No era however, loved this style more than the eighties though. Mixing off the shoulder with

sportswear it was the ultimate style worn in every bright and bold colour, garment and

occasion. Nicknamed the DOD (dancers-off-duty) the off the shoulder looks represented the

way many dancers dressed, think of Fame and Flashdance. It wasn’t just reserved for the

sporty girls among us though, the eighties saw Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink wearing a

cut out design in an evening dress and Whitney Houston opted for many ‘’Bardot’’ style tops

to team with her Ra-Ra skirts for her music videos.

The off the shoulder, cold shoulder, ‘’Bardot’’ and bare shoulder, whatever you like to call it

has once again found it’s way back in our hearts. With the British high street gearing up for

Spring/Summer 16 stock expect to find many catwalk replicas in the like of Zara, H&M,

Topshop and even Primark. Predicated to be a huge hit as soon as February be sure to inject

some peek-a-boo loving items in your wardrobe.

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