Every once in a while, a trend comes around that makes me question my dedicated following of fashion and tests my open mindedness in the sartorial stakes…wedge heel trainers I’m looking at you! And while I will generally give any trend a go and try to put my own spin on it, there are some that are just met with a sigh. In such cases, I vocally swear never to be caught dead sporting the trend only to later soften towards it (except in the case of wedge heel trainers!).
This was the case with the waist cincher/ corset revival. When I first noticed waist cinchers and corsets creeping back into the pages of vogue via collections by labels like Isabel Marant (and later into the high street) it brought back memories of teenage me wearing corsets out clubbing…shudder. As I had done with other trends in the past, I swore I would not be revisiting my corset collection.
However, this time around it is not about uptight and restrictive corsets with boning so stiff you’d have bruised ribs after wearing. SS17 bodices pull you in in all the right places without making it difficult to breath (always a bonus right!), creating the ever desirable definition around your waist; think of them as more of an oversized belt than a corset and you have the right idea.
The proliferation of this trend could be down to the recent obsession with waist trainers a la the Kardashian clan and it is hard to say how long it will last. Either way it sure is a hard one to avoid right now.
I am still on the fence on this one, reluctant to invest anything significant in recreating the look as I am not sure of the longevity of it. But with every image I see of a street style star sporting a cincher over an oversized shirt, a chunky sweater or to transform a classic blazer, I warm more and more to this look. Luckily the high street is filled with inexpensive cinchers right now so I may just throw one on next time I wear a chunky knit.
Is this a trend you will be trying?
Stylishly yours,
Trish xx
The Savvy Sartorialist 