In the flesh, fashion can be confusing, drawing on body image, trends and the weather. The question of how much flesh to flash is a perennial one, which probably (and correctly) overrides all of the above. Should you show underboob or sideboob? What’s the state of cleavage in 2016? Which leg is better? Angelina Jolie thought the right one and, put simply, Kim Kardashian said yes to both. The good news is that flesh-flashing has evolved in 2016. It is less about nudity and more about nuance. Here are the new pounds of flesh:
Thigh-high
Things were only ever going one way for our legs in this modern world of thigh-high boots. That they transitioned from fancy dress to catwalk to normality might feel like a blindsiding move: the best approach to thigh-high boots is to think of them as the new trousers. You can still wear a skirt. You must still wear knickers. But, practically speaking, they are warmer and a lot less weather-dependent than, say, stockings. Seems more doable now, right?
Upper-chesting
Tops with built-in-chokers were never going to fly. American Apparel had a go. It felt weird. Wear a choker if you want but don’t wear one attached to your top. Fashion has learned and this new wave of cut-out tops is being billed as “choker cutout”. The flesh you flash is measured without being boring. It’s a jumper with flare. Plus, it’s warm. Ish.
Hip flash
Squint and you will miss this one, which has its merits depending on what you want from your cutout. Either you wear a vest underneath and flash a bit of colour or you wear nothing and flash a bit of hip. Either way, it’s oddly feminine (in that we have hips proper and men don’t). And it’s still virtually a T-shirt.
Cold collarbone
Bardot tops (the off-shoulder summer staple so named because Brigitte Bardot wore one a couple of times) have probably peaked. Painful to hear, sure, since you probably overshopped, but really the off-the-shoulder top doesn’t have much longevity past October. In short, the collarbone flash is the way to go, because a suggestion of neckline is all you will want to show when the cold sets in (don’t believe us now but do refer back to this as we approach Christmas).
Elbow peek
The idea of flashing your elbow will always be alien. Why, really, when you can flash any part of your body these days? For grip? To save wear and tear on your jumpers? It’s a riddle but not an insurmountable one. The good thing about showing a little bit of your arm is that this is the last hurrah for your summer tan. When do you have tanned elbows if not at the end of the summer? Which sort of flips it round: it’s sort of now or never.
