Bustier Collective

More and more we're beginning to see classy ways of wearing a bustier top, be it with a pair of chandelier earrings or pant suit with sneakers. Or you could pull a T-Swift and pair them with high-waisted pants, hiding any trace of a belly button and allowing the world to ponder whether you have one at all. Still, they're an item worn by the extraordinarily skinny women of the fashion world, but there's plenty of plus size women who are making the trend their own. Again, high fashion isn't really pandering to these kind of women, and any kind of progress is small but with Beth Ditto walking at the latest Marc Jacobs collection at New York Fashion Week is definitely a step in the right direction (haha puns). Of course the trend is also trickling down into the high street, with brands carried by Asos such as Missguided making some really cute, pattern bralettes with lace and metallic finishes. I'm dying to know if you guys know of where to buy cool bustier tops!

1- unknown, 2- Kayla Scott by Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia May 2015, 3- Photographed by Theo Sion for for The Gentlewoman FW 15, 4- Vanessa Axente by Josh Olins in 'Island Dressing' WSJ Magazine, April 2015. 5, 8, 11- FKA Twigs performs on Day One of the Osheaga Music and Arts Festival on July 31, 2015 in Montreal, Canada. 6- Frankie Rayder by Raymond Meier for British Vogue, September 2003. 7- Lauren de Graaf at Fausto Puglisi Spring 2016 RTW. 9- Chloë Sevigny. 10- Malaika Firth - Diane von FurstenbergSpring-Summer 2015.

The Armour

Armour is defined as something which offers the wearer protection and is therefore traditionally conceptualised as tough and unforgiving. It is heavy and all but smothers the person underneath, but what if it didn't have to be about hiding the person underneath? Alexander McQueen and more recently Bouchra Jarrar's couture shows have proven that feathers can be used in a similar way. For birds they offer protection from the elements but are also used in order to attract the opposite sex in flashy shows of display or camouflage to suit their surroundings. Many of the aforementioned designers have stuck to rich earthy tones when using their feathers simply allowing texture to reign supreme. Compared to the other couture this season, Susie Bubble noted that Jarrar's collection was a welcome reprieve from the spectacles of fashion week. This resounding approval only reinforces the idea that feathers frequent some of the more spectacular editorials. Indeed it is somewhat overwhelming to imagine where one would wear such an outfit but as always, fashion can be used as more of an escape.

1, 4, 5, 8- Bouchra Jarrar via Style Bubble. 2- Grace Bol by Simon Burstall for Hunger Magazine. 3- Giambattista Valli, Alexander McQueen. 6- Mia Wasikowska in Alexander McQueen's Ostrich Feather and Silk Dress 'Dual in the Sun'. 7- Lady Gaga in Alexander Mcqueen SS11. 9- Chanel, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent. 10 & 13- Bouchra Jarrar Couture Fall 2015 photographed by Kevin Tachman. 11- Feather Dress from the Alexander McQueen SS08. 12- Versace, Alexander McQueen. 14- Lady Gaga in Alexander McQueen.