by No matter how many multi-way bras we have in our lingerie drawers, the thought of a strapless dress is still terrifying to most British women.
This comes down in part to bra size, the average in the United Kingdom is 36DD, which is enough to require a small scaffold before pulling on one of the smocked, strapless dresses that have proliferated throughout the high street, and a makes easy work of furnishing for the. heat.
Weapons are another concern. No matter how many people tell us “you don’t and never had bingo wings”, for many, the same concern remains about the lack of tone and tan in the upper arms.
And yet, the strapless look is chic, no? So elegant, so minimalist, so 90s. A succession of celebrities have been convincing us of that recently: Sharon Stone on Monday night at the Cannes charity gala, Natalie Portman in Dior at the Mary in the Lake performance, the future Mrs. Jeff Bezos Lauren Sanchez almost daily on his Instagram.
They are all very different women, with very different personal styles, in different years of life, but each makes a convincing case for giving it a whirl.
Of course, it’s easy to wear a strapless dress when you have a personal trainer, a nutritionist, and the time to spend 90 minutes on Pilates reformer every morning. It is another story for those without the time, resources and capacity for all of them. We want to spend them all the same. John Lewis has seen a 32 per cent rise in ‘bandeau dress’ searches this week alone, although Cos can’t keep its strapless tops in stock. This trend also extends to rentals: “We’ve seen an increase in searches for strapless pieces,” says Victoria Prew, founder of peer-to-peer fashion rental platform Hurr.
If you like the look, but don’t know where to start, listen to the advice of personal stylist Annabel Hodin. You don’t need supermodel proportions, but the clothing itself should have some substance to it.
“Strapless tops need structure or an off-the-shoulder sleeve to hold the line in place,” she says. “The fit is key – you don’t want the dress to be pulling or tugging when you’re wearing it.”
Tube tops are dangerous, according to Hodin: “It has to fit like a glove – a snug fit is best, although that can melt. A strapless bra will make all the difference. A style trick is to use strong double-sided tape to hold the top of the suit in place.” Her guiding principle: “Don’t use strapless to show cleavage, but to highlight your collarbone and beautiful shoulders. That’s where the magic and the appeal lies.”
How to prepare your décolletage: tips from a beauty editor
And if you lack a beautiful collarbone and shoulder? There are plenty of easy fixes, says beauty editor Lucia Ferrari, who adheres to Joanna Czech’s ethos that skincare should start at the nipples and end at the hairline. “Whatever you’re doing on your face, take it down to the décolletage,” she says. “I use retinol to keep imperfect skin looking a little better.”
She recommends Neostrata body lotion (£53, lookfantastic.co.uk) for those suffering from keratosis pilaris, the “chicken skin” dots on the back of your arms. “I also find it hard to beat Embryolisse body lotion (£17.99, cultbeauty.co.uk) as it seems to make the skin look better and is lovely on the shoulders and arms,” she says. .
For definition, Ferrari uses the Pilates Magic Ring (£16.99, amazon.co.uk) to tone her arms. “It takes four minutes every morning like piano practice,” she says. “I notice the difference when I don’t do it, it just keeps things a little less wingy bingo.”
And if it’s too late for all of the above, Ferrari has a great cheat for better looking arms and décolletage: the By Terry Tea to Tan body spray (£22, spacenk.com). “It makes weapons look slimmer and doesn’t transfer to clothing.”
If the whole bare arm feels a little of trope for you, try pulling a blazer over your shoulder while wearing a strapless top, so you can see the slim neckline, but not the arms. A tuxedo-style jacket works well over a formal dress.
Here are the best strapless pieces to buy now – and how to wear them.
The classic strapless dress
Tie your hair up, add some big earrings and blend a little highlight over your cheekbones and shoulders. Throw a jacket over your shoulders if you feel self-conscious about your arms, or to ward off the chill in the evening.
Strapless organic cotton dress, £89, Nobody’s Child
The Bardot necklace
If you love to show off your décolletage, but not your arms, consider a Bardot neckline, which covers part of the upper arm.
Off-the-shoulder cotton top, £35.95, Massimo Dutti
The layered look
This works especially well when the strapless piece is in a stiff, structured fabric like denim, to avoid the appearance of crumpled fabric underneath. You can wear a bra, you’re not too skinny, and you look chic at Fashion Week. Try it with a T-shirt or a shirt in contrasting colors.
Slim fit T-shirt, £9.50, Marks & Spencer; Strapless denim midi dress, £325, Rice
