Sexy has turned over a new leaf in terms of fashion and got our heads in a spin. Gone are the days of bodycon dresses, extensions and smouldering for the camera. The Paris Hiltons, Brad Pitts and Cristiano Ronaldos of the world are no longer the fashion forward and instead, people like Carey Mulligan and Alexa Chung are the new sexy instead of being categorised as alternative and bohemian.
The new sexy isn’t about looking as polished and perfect as is physically possible. No no. The new sexy eludes intelligence, modesty and unpretentiousness. The new sexy is natural, confident and just a little unkempt. The new sexy, most importantly, is about keeping it buttoned up.
The designer who made this all possible is of course, the fashion veteran, Marc Jacobs. He has inspired numerous fashion houses from Derek Lam to Stella McCartney to even high street stores like River Island to embrace the midi length skirt, sheer blouses and structured flares.
Christopher Kane, who brought neon twinsets with knee length skirts to the runway this season, names his inspirations as Princess Margaret and Marilyn Monroe to name a few, “I’ve never seen Marilyn Monroe in a short dress, and people say she was one of the sexiest women in the world“. Good news for us, no?
Looking at the style icons of the moment, it becomes clear what the new sexy is all about. Emma Watson’s understated nude Valentino at the Bafta’s, Alexa Chung in that beautiful Peter Pan collared Chanel shift, even American Kate Bosworth in those beautiful Proenza Schouler shift dresses.
Erdem, the new sexy brigade’s design favourite, sums it up in a few simple words, “They’re not pretty pretty, there’s certain intelligence to them, they’re smart women. And there is definitely certain sexiness in keeping something back“.
Watch out for sheer blouses, fitted flares and knee/midi length skirts this season, they’ll be absolutely everywhere. Karl Lagerfeld opened his new Chanel couture show with flat pumps rather than dressing the models in heels, both creating a stir in the fashion world and starting a new trend that would travel from high-end Chanel to high-street stores like Topshop.
The new sexy is a strict rebellion against the old sexy, and the perfection of it all. Could our skirts have got any shorter, or our shoes any higher? I think not, so why not go back to the drawing board and create something more function and fluid?
Erdem says “Every woman wants to look like the most beautiful version of herself and this [new sexy] is about being in touch with what she wants.” In this case, we can really say that for the new season, less is most definitely more.
Photo c/o wallpaperswide.com
Emily Fashion Fiend 