Fashion faux pas or trend?

Naysayers had a field day trolling Deepika Padukone for her sartorial sense at the recent MET Gala 2017. Right when you thought the criticism was done and dusted, her Tommy Hilfiger satin gown was the talk of town yet again in a less than complimentary vein. The fashion police cried ‘wardrobe malfunction’ when her gown gave a peek of her side breasts. Deepika’s is not the sole case of what was called ‘revealing a tad too much’. Earlier this year, Sonam Kapoor was seen in a bold black dress when the paparazzi managed to click her in ropey angles, unsavourily calling it ‘peek-a-boob’.

However, this wardrobe malfunction is, in fact, a trend. It’s called the sideboob — literally defined as the side part of a woman’s breasts exposed by an outfit. And the sideboob now has a variation in the underboob, when the lower part of the breast is revealed. What’s being pooh-poohed as the nip slip or wardrobe malfunction here is quite mainstream in the international glam world.

Like designer Aanchal Bubber says, “The sideboob was popularised by models who did not wear bras. Christina Aguilera rocked this trend at the MTV VMA’s red carpet in 2002. The likes of Miley Cyrus, Lindsay Lohan and Kiera Knightley have been spotted sporting this trend.”

Deepika Padukone (Photos: AP Youtube)

Now that Sonam and Deepika have both sported it, is the trend catching up in India too? Designer Little Shilpa says, “What’s happening in the West is also happening here because fashion is no longer a European or Indian thing but a global platform.”

Shilpa points out that sideboob is actually making a comeback instead of starting anew. “We’ve had swimsuits in the past that bared the sideboob,” she says. So is the sideboob/underboob a departure from the cleavage or an addition to it? “Cleavage is a classic; just like red lipstick or little black dress,” says Shilpa, “Anything that happens around it is just an addition.”

However, from the flak that Sonam and Deepika have received, it would seem like India still has a long way to go before embracing this trend. Shilpa agrees, “India is still a culturally orthodox society. It also partly stems from misogyny not just in India but globally,” she says. Designer Sanjana Bubber agrees that the trend is being processed by a conservative viewpoint. Designer Narendra Kumar calls the critics out for snickering at the trend. “Sideboob/underboob is just a body part like the cleavage. What’s so shocking about revealing it?” she wonders.

The designers unequivocally opine that if a woman is confident about the outfit and her own body, then they shouldn’t shy away from flaunting their sideboob/underbood. “As long as it’s a subtle show of the sideboob, it is an elegant and chic statement,” says Sanjana. Sobti says, “To carry off this trend, one should know what looks good on her and what would enhance her beauty.” Aanchal recommends a neutral colour outfit with a sneak peek of the sideboob or underboob. Kumar says it’s just about the time and place to flaunt the sideboob/underboob. “A woman cannot really go out on the streets showing it off.”