Boosting, lifting, hoisting and hoiking – not verbs I’ve needed to use for some time when appraising the British lingerie market.
But it’s time to call it; the bust is back. In the last week generous displays of cleavage have graced magazine covers, been spotted on red carpets, and even been a focal point at fashion shows (events which typically champion the flat-chested exclusively).
For examples, see Adele on the new cover of British Vogue, in an Old Hollywood-inspired, custom-made canary yellow Vivienne Westwood corset that scaffolds in all the ways you might expect a couture Westwood to do. See Beyoncé channeling Jessica Rabbit on the red carpet in London, wearing a black velvet cinched-waist bodice by the Albanian designer Valdrin Sahiti. See, also, Tuesday’s Alexander McQueen spring 2022 catwalk show, which put buxom silhouettes and squared-off necklines back on the fashion map for well into next season too.
It’s a classic case of the fashion pendulum swinging. This time last year (specifically on 14 October) we were approaching new winter lockdowns and more tiered restrictions in the grip of the pandemic. When times were hard, the nation had gone soft, literally, as more than 60 percent of British women switched from their usual bra styles to non-wired options, and 46 percent said they ditched their bras altogether for at least one day a week in the name of comfort.
The comfy underwear revolution had arrived swiftly in April 2020; almost any bra style that wasn’t an M&S Flexiform was furloughed with immediate effect, as working from home became the norm. At Figleaves, the Millie non-wired bralette sold out six times over in 2020, and John Lewis & Partners reported a sales boom of non-wired styles, up 56 percent, while push-up specialists Victoria’s Secret went bust, entering administration before relaunching with softer product choices.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley wore no bra, just a knitted crop top, on the cover March 2021’s Elle magazine – a total contrast to Adele’s Vogue cover statement for this month.
We’re all free to be seen again this winter, compared to last, when curling up on the sofa in loungewear was truly all there was to do. So will all the early signs of the return of cleavage prompt a mass trend?
Those popularised bralettes hadn’t really worked for many - especially those larger than a D-cup. And corsets had already been given an apparent ‘Bridgerton boost’ back in January, with internet searches perking up by 123 percent, according to Lyst, thanks to the costumes on Netflix’s period drama hit.
But that’s the thing about underwear trends; the clothes you wear on the outside must follow suit, and we’re not all suddenly wearing Regency era outfits. As long as slouchy knits and high-necked dresses are still in style, push-up bras won’t give the right silhouette.
There are a lot of special occasion and eveningwear contenders to consider, though; Valle & Vik’s ‘Revenge’ dresses and tops, with inbuilt corsetry, have sold out several times over, while brands from Khaite to & Other Stories are selling body-conscious knitted tops and dresses with inbuilt cups and portrait necklines, crying out for the right type of scaffolding beneath.
According to a study by Tu at Sainsbury’s, 27 percent of women swore last year that they would never buy an ‘uncomfortable’ underwired bra style again post-pandemic. It’s a nice idea, but I for one will be reaching for the structure as soon as I’ve got something glamorous to go to. Will we all now be eating our words, and burning our triangle soft cups?
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