Exposed Shoulders- Season’s Big Reveal

Seductive, minimal, and playful the exposed shoulder is the season’s big reveal

- Rahul Vijay

Jack Mccollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler created a fashion revolution with their Spring 2016 show. One that’s showing no signs of slowing down. When their models walked the ramp in broderie Anglaise shirt dresses with cut-out shoulders, and tops and dresses that spilled off them, it was clear: The bare shoulder had arrived. And Proenza Schouler’s delightful versions were only the beginning.

Designers across the world are now playing architects, reworking the trend in their own ways. Erdem set the mood with Victorian prairie dresses that seemed to be coming apart at the shoulders, and Alexander McQueen’s 17 th -century courtly versions had ruffles cascading across the body. Chloé’s boho dresses with bare shoulders would do the Coachella girls proud. Directional brands, too, have adopted the style in their designs Salvatore Ferragamo’s rainbow-striped maxis, Givenchy’s punk-rock satin dresses with cut-outs, and Christopher Kane’s oversize knits, to name a few. Pieces from Michael Kors and Stella McCartney have even inspired the high street.

So what is it that brings bare shoulders into the limelight? The answer lies in its myriad interpretations that have shifted it from an exclusively eveningwear staple to the daywear favourite it has now become. It’s more risqué, and a sexy antidote to the normcore minimalism of the past few seasons.