Bare upper midriffs and strategically placed cutouts are making a comeback in the fashion world, even as winter months grow cooler.
Recently, Keira Knightley wore a stunning Roksandra Ilinic gown on the red carpet for the premiere of her upcoming film, ‘A Dangerous Method.’ The black and white dress bared a portion of her upper midriff, as well as having a more open back.
Gwyneth Paltrow did it on a September 2011 red carpet in a stunning piece by Emilio Pucci which was black with embellishments and a little bit of bare belly.
Alexa Chung, Nicole Richie, and Jessica Szohr have also donned the daring style on the red carpet.
Aside from bare midriffs, bare backs and interesting cutouts are also showing up all over the place.
Rosie Huntington-Whitely wore a positively stunning Max Mara dress recently, while Jennifer Aniston and Ginnifer Godwin did their own takes on cutouts.
Donna Mizani, Factory by Eric Hart, and the Revolt Clothing Lovers & Friends line are showing unique cutouts on some of their holiday collection cocktail dresses, too.
And – don’t forget, you can bring sexy back – literally – with a modest-in-the-front, scandalous-in-the-back look. An open-backed dress can be even more alluring than showing leg or Décolletage.
One of my favorite looks was from early 2011. It was Anne Hathaway’s gorgeous open back dress at the Golden Globe Awards, which was very conservative from the front but lovely from the back.
Jessica Casatain’s Elie Saab Fall 2011 gown at the Venice Film Festival was another great option.
More recently, celebrities such as Keira Knightley and Taylor Swift stunned in adaptations by the aforementioned Rosksandra Ilinic and Contrarian New York, both this month and last month, respectively.
Even Sir Paul McCartney’s bride, Nancy Shevell wore a daring backless black dress in September.
Check out photos – how much would YOU bare?
~~ By Ashley Boynes-Shuck
