When are the sexy women costume trends trending again, asks the BBC.
“It’s been almost four years since we’ve had a sexy woman costume, but I don’t think we’ve actually seen the trend turn negative,” says Julie Davenport, a costume designer who was asked to comment on the trend.
She says the trend has gone up in popularity, with “more and more” girls wearing the look, as they “don’t want to look like an ass or a fat woman”.
The trend was created in the US, where costume designer Katie Kloogman says the “slim, athletic and feminine” look was popularised by her husband in the 1980s.
The trend of “pale, slim and athletic” looks has also been seen in France, where it is used by fashion designers as a fashion statement.
“We are in a time when we’re all going to be dressed like these,” says Ms Kloos.
“In my experience, women have been wearing these costumes for ages, so I think we’re really just seeing a continuation of that.”
“You want to be able to put on a costume, it’s very much about personal expression and how you can express yourself,” says Darryl Jones, a fashion designer who recently collaborated with designer Katie Davenports to create a “proudly feminine” fashion collection for the New York Fashion Week.
“I want to represent the idea of who I am as a woman, but also as a person who’s been through this trauma and I want to give myself the chance to show off that as much as possible,” he says.
“The clothes I wear make me feel confident and sexy, and it’s the style that I want my girls to dress up in.”
In Australia, the trend of the sexy woman is a topic of conversation for the fashion industry, with designers such as Australian fashion house Jules Owens expressing their support of the trend and saying they’re “going to be rocking the sexy”.
“I think the trend is really great,” Ms Owens says.
“[It] helps bring people together.
It shows that we’re not just men, we’re women and it shows that it’s okay to be who you are.”
“People are starting to realise that there’s nothing wrong with women who don’t fit the mould,” says Mr Jones.
“There’s nothing to worry about.
The sexy women are not bad, just a fashion choice.”
But it’s not all about fashion.
“People really need to stop talking about body image, and talk about what they want to wear,” says Dr Jones.
The latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show women’s clothing sales increased by 2.9 per cent in 2016.
And although the majority of the clothing brands have been slow to embrace the trend, there are some companies who have gone ahead with it.
“My sister is going to wear the outfit I made for her for the first time on a wedding day,” says one of the designers who created the costume for her sister.
“When she saw it, she said ‘I’m so happy, I can’t believe I’m wearing that’,” he says, adding that the costume is a “very bold statement” in a world that’s “increasingly aware of body issues”.
“The idea that it is OK to wear this costume is an idea that is going around the world,” he adds.
“If I don [wear it], I’m not doing it for a reason, I’m doing it because I love it and I love my sister.”
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