Rescu

By Jane Johnston, Style Expert 

As the strong shoulder pad trend gathers momentum for yet another season, RESCU Stylist Jane Johnston gives you the fail-proof guide to finding a version of this look that suits you.

From local design maestro Alex Perry to international darling Balenciaga and beyond, we’ve got the lowdown on the best examples of this fierce trend.

Current US and European trends suggest that accentuated shoulders are coming back in a big way.

Step aside… (carefully, so as not to take out an eye), it is more complex than it may seem.

Before you get too terrified at the possibility of revisiting the grid-iron armoured look of Joan Collins on Dynasty, take a look at the cycle of fashion that has been playing out. Leg’o’mutton sleeves (named so for obvious reasons and the forerunner of the shoulder pad) first appeared on the fashionable in the 1830s, then again 60 years later during Queen Victoria’s reign. Fifty years post, we had the strong shoulder and a less muttony look of the 1940s. Skip 40 years and we are smack bang in the power dressing years of the 80s… and now thirty years later in the ever-reducing cycle of fashion trends, we find ourselves in 2010.

Already we have seen a strong ‘shoulder emphasis’ on the catwalks of Balmain, Balenciaga, Givenchy, Giorgio Armani, Alexander McQueen and Dolce & Gabanna in Europe, and Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, Carolina Herrera, Miss Sixty and Alexander Wang in the US, and it appears as if the trend is well and truly here too.

Australian designers embracing this trend
From the Spring/Summer 2009/2010 collections, stars such as Dion Lee, Willow, Camilla & Marc, Magdalena Velevska, Dhini and Nicola Finetti have all highlighted the ‘shoulder’ in the silhouettes of their collections.

The strong yet angelic shapes of Kit Willow’s Eternal Phi collection emphasises the shoulder and yet allows it to fall away reminiscent of angels wings, while others like Dion Lee have kept the look clean and angular with more than a touch of futurism.

Camilla & Marc have used a variety of techniques including strong horizontal angular shoulders on leather jackets, featured epaulets on a luxe gold jacket and sexy fitted dresses with featured exposed shoulder pads.

Newcomer Magdalena Velevska reinterprets the leg’o’mutton shape into a more angular and leaner version, as well as sheer blouses with ruffled and ruched detailing to create a dramatic broader look. And who could forget Dhini’s marching girl theme, which used epaulettes and capelets, with both soft and hard lines to make her fashion statement.

The emphasis on the shoulder is not limited in execution to the leg’o’mutton, and thankfully so. There are a variety of versions and detailing available so that most, if not all of us, can find styles that will suit and flatter. Further, emphasis won’t always be on the shoulder, but also on the top part of the sleeve allowing for softer more delicate fabrics to be used.

Will this style suit me?
With all fashion trends, one must be subjective when incorporating current trends into one’s own style. My advice, as always, is to stand in front of the mirror and ask yourself can I really afford to add more bulk on my shoulders or my arms.

If you have a long neck and broad shoulders, maybe consider going ‘up’ rather than ‘out’. Alternatively, if you have a not so vertically enhanced neck, maybe your best option would be to look at broadening your shoulders, which shouldn’t take away from the length of your throat.

Broadening your upper torso can also be of great benefit to those hips. If using this trend to slim down troublesome hips, keep in mind to streamline somewhere… be careful not to create a shapeless block. Cinch your waist a little or expose your legs. Think balance.

If height is your issue, broadening any area will only work against you so be subtle, consider ruched capelets (almost a fabric version of the grid-iron armour) that will softly drape and will feature, but not emphasise. If you keep the proportions smaller, this will ensure you can stay ‘on trend’ without comprising your length.

While winter tailoring will be a likely place to find the stronger silhouette, summer blouses, dresses and short sleeve jackets are all available with various featured ‘upper torso emphasis’. Consider vintage, research the 40s, and if you are young enough, the 80s, mix old with new.

Be smart and use it wisely, and the shoulder pad can be your friend.

Also, don’t miss Jane Johnston’s Style Notes for Summer.