I promised myself I wasn’t going to blog about the reported ‘return of cleavage’, simply because a handful of red carpet frocks do not dictate mainstream fashion trends (let’s be honest, it’s just an excuse for news outlets to share photos of Rihanna looking awesome), but Caroline O’Donoghue’s piece for The Pool tipped me over the edge:
Good news, ladies: boobs are back! Rihanna, who has been nominated fashion’s groundhog, has popped out of her burrow in a low-cut red dress, indicating that we are to have six weeks of “cool cleavage”, “delicious décolletage” and “brilliant boobs” hitting us from all angles. […] Oh, hang on. There’s someone who hasn’t got the message, and it’s every single shop and clothes website on the internet.
Now, I don’t know which parts of the internet O’Donoghue shops in, but I think she needs to venture out of her bubble as there are loads of indie brands doing things that are different to the big high street brands. So, here are my top picks for showing off your cleavage, should you want to.
1) The Pretty Dress Company ‘Harper’ luxe crepe pencil dress
If you want Rihanna red-carpet glamour but can’t afford a frock from Vivienne Westwood, The Pretty Dress Company is a good place to start. Most of their styles follow current trends for high necklines, but there are a few v-neck frocks that could give the right amount of va-va-voom depending on how you style them. The Harper pencil dress could be demure or ‘in your face’ depending on how big your chest is or how uplifting your underpinnings are. If a pencil skirt isn’t your thing, the Myla dress has a similar top paired with a full skirt and… pockets!
2) Joy ‘Keoni’ frill wrap dress
A wrap dress is always a dead cert for revealing cleavage (sometimes more than you intended if it is a true wrapover!), and there are a few for sale at the moment from the Joy website. Keoni comes in a variety of colours and prints, in sizes 8 to 16.
3) Bright & Beautiful ‘Cathy’ floral dress
If vintage styling isn’t your thing, Collectif do have a few other brands that interpret retro looks in a more subtle way. This lovely floral dress from Bright & Beautiful (see right) shows off cleavage in a more subtle way, because the lacing detail provides a small amount of cover up. It’s also currently in the sale, and comes in a tropical print too.
4) Wolf & Whistle ‘Lillie’ yellow brocade dress
The model in the photo for the Lillie dress might not be showing lots of cleavage, but that low v-neck is what you need if you want to to attempt Rihanna-level wow. It’s a gorgeous colour for darker skin tones and looks seriously impressive no matter how much cleavage you want to show.
5) Lady Voluptuous ‘Lyra’ dress
If you are blessed with killer curves all round, you should probably check out the fantastic Lyra or Ursula styles that Fuller Figure Fuller Bust designed for their Lady Voluptuous range. The Lyra has an especially plunging neckline, and comes in loads of colours which can be dressed up or down. If you are under a UK size 16, Lady V London have a few other styles which may work (along with a Wonderbra) including the Harriet dress. There are only a few of these left in the sale and they definitely fall back into that ‘vintage glamour’ category, which I know isn’t for everyone, but it’s definitely a winner for cleavage.
Main image of Georgina wearing the Lady Voluptuous ‘Lyra’ dress is via Fuller Figure Fuller Bust.
