Shoulders are the new bums. Which were the new boobs, in case you've been living under a rock for the last 12 months. Yes folks, while 2014 has undoubtedly been the year of the bottom, have faith, because 2015 brings hope in the shape of lovely, bare shoulders.
Credit: Gotceleb
What a blessed relief. Everyone can show off their shoulders! No matter what size or shape you are in the booty and breast departments. You can wear an off-the-shoulder top even if you've got the year's worst PMS and are more bloated than a 12-year-old coming out of Krispy Kreme. You can rock a double shoulder even if you've put on 20 kilograms in the past three months because you've developed penchant for Maggie Beer's chocolate and salted caramel ice-cream. You can even bare shoulders if you've just had a baby but want to reveal some flesh, excluding anything from the breasts down. Yes, shoulders are for everyone. Even if you don't got it, you can flaunt it.
And reassuringly, off-the-shoulder tops are the height of high fashion (something bottoms have never been able to say), with celebrity fans accumulating faster than a spray tan salon attracts partygoers before New Year. Kate Hudson spectacularly showcased an off-the-shoulder dress which started just above the bustline, and, Angelina Jolie wore a ruffle trim, off-the-shoulder outfit that flaunted her famous decolletage.
Credit: Hawtcelebs
See, the joy in an off-the-shoulder top is one every woman has had the privilege to feel. There's something about it that transforms you into a fun, flirty senorita. You're inclined to do things you normally wouldn't … like order a lychee martini or two. Shimmy when you dance. Give a barely perceptible shoulder shake when you're being introduced to someone. You just feel … different. Sexier. More womanly somehow. And in total control.
It's a completely different ballgame to shaking your booty or flashing cleavage. Whereas both of those styles are rather big moves, quite obvious and in your face, subtlety is the secret weapon of the bare shoulder. It's strength lies in its quiet elegance. You don't have to be overt, because you can say it all with a backward glance over your gleaming shoulder.
Credit: Cambio
Of course, it's not just a shoulder at all. The new shape begins just above the bustline, so it's very low. The expanse of chest on display is wide and smooth, like a canvas you can pop a pretty necklace on, but I wouldn't, because this look is all about skin, and all you need to do is moisturise.
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But where did it come from, this trend that's about to push the bum into oblivion? It's almost as though there's been a discussion behind the scenes, amongst stylish celebrities, who may or may not have collaborated to find a solution (and who I'll only refer to by first names for their own protection). Let's call them the anti-bum brigade*.
Alexa: "What can we do to combat this god-awful bottom trend? Something chic, but sexy. Something that will restore faith that we don't all need to show butt cheek to get attention."
Sienna: "Boobs?"
Kate: "Boring. Been done."
Kendall: "Pelvic bones?"
Alexa: "What are you doing here again?"
Gwyneth: "I know, the shoulder! The shoulder always wins!"
And win it does, every. Single. Time.
* This doesn't exist by the way, but it should.
Read more on The Age.