Fashion trend: Off the shoulder

Spring Fashion Trends 2013 › Off the shoulder

Fashion trend: Off the shoulder

Call it the Michelle Obama effect: Shoulders are in. After a long winter of covering up, this erogenous zone shares the spotlight with bare midriffs and mile-long legs for Spring 2013. Whether completely exposed or veiled with transparent netting, wearing those shoulders bare is a sexy trend that nearly everyone can embrace.

While off-the-shoulder exposure is nothing new, Spring 2013’s collections brought the trend back the forefront with discreet cutout styles and glamourous one-shoulder dresses. This trend has an inadvertent come-hither effect, and it’s the perfect way to show some skin without going overboard. The seductive look can take any outfit up a notch, exposing the body in a playful way. Think Grease’s Sandy gone wild, but updated for today.

At Maison Martin Margiela, shoulders were a focal point with oversized ball gowns that exposed little but the shoulders. Even more modern, Gucci showed a stunning black evening dress with the shoulders covered in keyhole netting. What’s more, the popular one shoulder look is still going strong, with designers like Emilio Pucci and Isabel Marant taking part.

But it wasn’t all about the glamourous gowns on international runways. For a more casual spring look, off-the-shoulder sweaters and tops were on display at Anthony Vaccarello and Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti, that coincided perfectly with another of Spring’s 2013’s biggest trends: the 1990s. Just don’t forget the sunscreen.