Bust Out

When I first saw the pictures from the Martin Margiela S/S07 show, I did have to stifle a little giggle at the 'exterior bra' tops.  I couldn't quite figure out whether I liked the odd look or hated it for trying too hard to be odd.  I resigned them to the 'great for styling, not wearing' category and of course they have been in countless editorials since.  I stand corrected.  Snapped by the Facehunter, this girl walking about Shoreditch in London wears the flesh coloured top to great effect.  It may help in this case that she isn't particularly well-endowed in the bust area as I think the combination of the bra print and big boobs would veer into the comic.  Simple accessorising also works in this girl's favour. 

It's not directly influenced by Margiela, but I've been toying with the idea of wearing bustiers/bra tops/cropped tops on the outside.  Obviously a lacy/racy confection of a bra wouldn't work but something simple that alludes to something but isn't explicitly sexual.  I'll now toy with it a bit harder and see what I come up with...

Comments

[Crystalie]

This looks absolutely retarded.

It's not cute, it's not endearingly coy; it's trashy. It's some immature trick-of-the-eye clothing prank that Britney Spears or some slutty highschool kid would pull.

When I eventually see people dressing like this, I will have officially lost hope in peoples' ability to dress themselves.

[Eli]

I like it. It almost looks like her boobs are wearing sunglasses.

[esther(Mrs. Golithtly)]

Its awful.. really awful.. Its like something Britney would wear hahaha sooo true.. or a crappy look form Pink... I hate it!!! xxx:S

[kb]

I'm sorry Susie but I'm going to have to agree with the others, it is equivalent to wearing coconut shells over your boobs out in public, dumb. I think only a person desparate for attention would need this look.

[miriam]

it is a really lame concept, a bit like those 'comedy' bikini/ 6-pack aprons, but for some weird reason, that girl makes it work. I guess, like susie says, because of the very minimal accessorising... lots of black, that giant bag and those white shoes... it's not like she's drawing attention to it in a 'too much lipgloss and thong poking out' kind of way. It just seems kind of strange and random...
I think it'd be a more interesting top for a bloke though - all scrawny and adrogynous... I saw a guy wearing a t shirt with a lacy bra print on it and it looked fantastic.

[Maddy]

I think a lacy bra would work as well as any other for outerwear. I mean, if you're going to wear it outside your shirt, your underwear should look pretty. And you could do it almost demurely... have a baggy blazer pulled over on top, perhaps, so only peeks of lace show through here and there? Oh, I don't know.

[bobble-bee]

Why people is so critic?! I think she looks fantastic, stylish and chic. Bravo for her!

[Puddle jumper]

i'm thinking maybe a silver foil bandeau bikini top over a shift /bubble dress in a solid colour? (taking inspiration from the Josh Goot (sydney designer) for target collection recently released in Australia) :-)

[mint]

Its rather ugly and crass

[DJM]

I like wearing underwear on top of things, and it's not a new concept (plain corsets/bustiers over baggy tshirts and shirts for example) or bra's incorporated on the outside of dresses and tops (a la Proenza Schouler), but I think this fails to work because of the nude background of the top and the coconut shell comedy aspect of the bra. But I suppose if you really wanted to do it a seamless bra from M&S would do the trick.

[valeria]

If you look back on facehunter, I already spotted another girl with same top in Milan in april ;)
Actually I guess this is a bathing suit.
And.. pretty much as any other trompe l'oeil piece of clothing, I love it.

[K]

I agree terrible..... I much prefer Ann-Sofie Backs efforts with her hidden bra cup dresses.

[dimes]

this outfit is for someone with taller proportions. her best bits (i.e. face & good cut) are lost and she looks about 1 meter high.
it doesn't flatter her shape at all.

[hannah]

I actually think she pulls it off... with the rest of the outfit (except for the shoes) being black, it doesn't look trashy, instead it looks quirky and fun. That said, a busty girl would look like trashy is this, and it does remind me of those costume things... but I like it better on the girl than on the runway—stick to black and wear a shirt under it and this look could work, it a place like London at least. ;)

[Lauren]

um, is anyone else thinking Sue Ellen Mischke (Seinfeld)?

[Jenny]

I agree with others, quite trashy looking (doesn't help with the industrial looking backdrop). But it reminds of something Carrie Bradshaw would have worn on Sex and the City.
PS - Love the Seinfeld reference from Lauren!

[Gryphon]

I love wearing satin bustiers or functional, seamless bras over clothing/ under sheer blouses, a la Cher in Clueless and Lauren duPont. But I agree, you need a certain body type and definitely the right personality to pull off this look. For instance, Marina Rust is flatchested but wearing an exterior bra makes her appear... retarded.

[sarah kay]

I don't like it either :-/. Although corsets over things I like. I saw a girl in ellegirl magazine doing that a few years ago and I found it very cute and fascinating...but then again I love corset tops and bustiers by themselves too. Like a nice black bustier under a fun leather jacket!

ahhh, fashion makes me excited!

[Omnibus Driver]

My mother once went to a Halloween party dressed in black slacks and a black turtleneck , with a white panty girdle and lacy white bra worn on top. Of course, she was masquerading as the Maidenform Woman. What this designer's excuse is, however, I have NO idea.

[Omnibus Driver]

And those tops look more like Ray Bans for the boobs that a bra.

[Andrea]

Ehh.. I dunno, I think it would work better if it was less like her skin tone. This rather looks like an unbuttoned cardigan and a bra.

[ambika]

As a busty girl, this isn't a look I'd go for. Not that I'm leery of showing them off, but not with a faux bra.

[SwanDiamondRose]

i like the Eli suggestion. and i think it would be better as sunglasses. then it is just out and out kitsch. this falls in some in between land. i dunno maybe i do like it.

[Eli]

When did fashion get so serious? I think it is fun and funny. I would wear this, even if it does look like sunglasses like I said.

[*cocogirl*]

I agree with Eli. Don't comply. If you like it wear it. If you don't well don't YOU wear it :) I don't know if I would have the guts to do it, but I actually think it suits her I applaud her for showing off her personality and guts!

[susie_bubble]

Wow...some really mixed reactions here... I don't really think 'trashy' is the right way to describe it as it doesn't strike me as overtly sexual in a tacky way.... like say an Ann Summers outfit....

I mean, the girl isn't exactly looking like a pornstar is she?

I doubt I'd wear the top myself either but a variant of it suits me fine like DJM said.

Eli, you're right - 'When did fashion get so serious?' Something I ponder all the time...

I think this looks amazings, could people just loosen up and see it for what it is, a top with a random print. I dont think it looks trashy at all but thats cos the girl isnt particularly well endowed in the boob department and doesnt have a supercurvy Beyonce esque figure(dont mean that in a bad way) if she did the look would probably not work that well.

[lauren-w]

I quite like this look. I have been toying with the idea of wearing a bra on the outside of my clothing simliar to this simple idea nothing frilly and lacey. An editorial in RUSSH a few months back featured a white elle mcpherson bra being worn on the outside and I rather liked it. I don't understand why people think it is so trashy, no need to take fashion so seriously all the time.

[Heather]

I actually quite like it. It's nice to see a bit of humour in fashion, and the last thing I would have thought when I saw that photo was trashy. I couldn't wear it myself, but it looks great on her

[Liana]

I really like it. I think it's being written off just because it looks like a bra, but really it's not trashy at all. Like Susie said, it helps that she's not better endowed, but also with the black sleeves its quite obvious thats it's not attempting to be sexed up. I think it's quite indifferent actually, in terms of sexiness. If that makes sense.
With the bag and her hair, its a really well-put together outfit.

[Ally]

This is ridiculous, how can you wear a bra on top (faux but nontheless) and think it looks good?

I don't know because it doesn't!

[mimi]

i love the idea of wearing plain or lacy corsets/bustiers as normal tops, in a sort of cyndi lauper style :)

[melanie]

it reminds me of regina george in mean girls! (marc jacobs created a t-shirt inspired by that scene) i like your version you posted today MUCH better.

[annie]

I think the huge bag does more to make her look three feet tall than anything else, but no, I don't like this either. It doesn't look exactly trashy, either, but... gimmicky? I guess some people don't mind that, but it's not for me...

[gigicaron, jeweler]

I love to see someone just going for it. Interesting is better than boring. If she felt good in it, it's way better to me than everyday dullness.

[fashionmethis]

I think the shirt matches her skin tone too well so it looks almost as if she's just wearing a bra
so if she had a darker color like the model does
still i think its a look that only someone tall could pull off
and i dont think the short hair compliments it well, although she does accesorize it well.

[bianka]

that just looks plain stupid...

[jessica]

i love it!
i loved it the first time i saw it on facehunter, and i still love it.
i also think the nude is nice.
(nude as in the colour :])

love your blog.

x
jessica

[alison]

It looks asome. If only she doesn't wear any underwear then it will be a picure people will be downloading for months to come!!!!!!!!!! Especially if she is having her period.

[Shelley]

I like it. But lacey would be even better! Richard Nicoll Fall 06: totally love it, real bra over clothes is better than an optical illusion like this one.