The New Sexy

Skin tight dresses are over.  Sorry Kim Kardashian, but you're going to have to find other ways to show off those curves.  This winter, women are required to wear clothes.  That is to say, from head to toe.  Hemlines have fallen below the knee, cut outs are a distant memory and even the skinny jeans are given a break.  Overt sexuality is over, demure is the new buzzword.

The obvious examples are '50s inspired Prada and Louis Vuitton with tight bodices and full skirts.  Regardless of the long length, cleavage is a welcome distraction and the classic hourglass figure is miles away from the size zero ideal of the noughties.  Could the inclusion of buxom beauties Lara Stone, Miranda Kerr, Catherin McNeil et al be a shift away from the straight up and down figures of the Frejas, Lilys and Anjas of the past decade?  It's too soon to tell, and that's not the point of this post anyway. 

If '50s aren't your thing, take your cue from Marc Jacobs, who recycled maxi dresses from the summer by throwing on a thick jumper.  Dries Van Noten also paired full skirts with jumpers on the catwalk.  This season's sexiness is about dressing like demure women, with sexy flashes of cleavage and bare shins to entice.  While Mad Men has proved influential on the runway, we'll see how long it takes to translate onto the everyday woman, if at all.

(D&G, Peter Som, Dries Van Noten, Erdem, Marc Jacobs, Prada, Prada, Louis Vuitton - images from style.com)