Heard of flossing? No, not the teeth-cleaning technique, nor the viral dance of 2018, but actually the fashion trend sweeping runways and being spotted on style stars.
Loved by the likes of Zendaya and Dua Lipa, fashion flossing sees items of clothing embellished with multiple straps, criss-crossing the wearer's body, reminiscent of the super-strappy styles of the '90s, but put into overdrive.
An iteration of the extreme cut-out dresses we've seen evolving for a few seasons, we began to identify these strap-laden items in the SS20 and AW20 collections from Christopher Esber, Supriya Lele, Dion Lee and Jacquemus.
Thankfully, the unabashedly sexy, but still minimalistic design that often mirrors and mimics an exposed thong or bra strap, is going nowhere, as it emerged again in so many of London Fashion Week's SS21 collections.
Victoria Beckham dipped her toe in the trend with some delicate additional straps on some of her evening wear, while relative newcomer and Bella Hadid favourite Nensi Dojaka dove in headfirst, with almost her entire collection featuring straps-galore.
'A lot of my fascination with straps comes from my lingerie background.' Dojaka told ELLE UK, 'I love when garments look as if they’re being suspended by beautiful fine straps and the design evolves with where the straps bring it. Straps are feminine and can create an intriguing web for the fabric to anchor around.'
There are already plenty of ways to introduce fashion flossing into your wardrobe, with pieces from Rejina Pyo, Bottega Veneta, and Christopher Esber available to shop now.
'This trend can be intimidating as it tends to show more skin than usual.' Net-A-Porter's Senior Fashion Market Editor Libby Page told us of the trend. 'Pairing it back with an oversized blazer and trousers, or transeasonal bermuda shorts, is a great way to balance out the sexiness of the straps. Bottega Veneta did this best during their FW20 show, where strappy knitted styles were styled with oversized outerwear and shorts. '
Plus, if you're hesitant to buy a whole new skirt, top, or dress in the trend, then may we suggest you buy an asymmetrically-strapped bra and wear under an alternatively-strappy top or dress to create the same effect?
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