Peplum | iionfashion

Girls, this is fer-sure not the place for observance of the humdrum, unless parodied or viewed upside-down, swinging from a tree branch with one’s peplum blowing in the breeze.

And frankly, I’m still on the fence about whether I really like me a peplum (the purpose of which I continue to ponder). I mean, does a girl on-the-go really need any extra dead weight to drag around when sprinting for a cab??? Fast-forward to said appendage getting caught in a hastily slammed door, while being wisked away to an undetermined destination. …Afterall, where’s a girl going in that?

Apparently Raf Simmons knows. He bravely added peplum to his Spring 11 Jil Sander line. An element typically associated with overdone excess became so effortless. His peplum was perfectly minimal (and removeable!)

Jil Sander -Spring 11

And then, surprise surprise, other designers followed suit, back to the 40’s for inspiration. These ii’s caught sight of, dare I say, a parade of peplum –apparently not as useless as one might think, eh?– hangin’ around the Fall 11 catwalks, grazing the waist of more than a few collections. See below.

I am personally driven toward those who took it in a sculptural direction (i.e., Mary Katrantzou, Raffaele Ascione, Givenchy). And, I’ll be steering clear of anything resembling a ‘power peplum’ or ’80s leftover. Unless worn by the right person, the potential for fashion accidents, here, are certainly much higher. So, I advise proceeding with caution. [All photos from Style.com]