Cut-outs the cool look of summer
Time to play peekaboo with your skin
EDMONTON — Cut-out Tshirts, tanks and dresses are a slice above the rest this season.
One of summer’s sexiest trends, cut-outs offer slashes around the waists and backs of dresses, while T-shirts up the game by snipping out geometric shapes along the neckline or honeycomb patterns that span the entire upper back. Even leggings are tearing it up, thanks to slits.
Cut-outs are a cool and classy way to play peekaboo with your skin.
Store owner Yasmin Bhuiyan says she’s seen cutouts carve out a place on her shelves over the past six months.
“It makes (clothing) really interesting. Out of the ordinary. Even if it’s a simple black dress with cutouts on the side or the front or back,” Bhuiyan says.
Gabriella Cruz, store manager at Foosh Audio & Apparel (foosh.ca), says the trend might be an extension of the rocker look of ripped jeans and frayed shirts. Instead of sporadic holes and worn-out patches, cutouts are more purposefully placed, adding a bit of edge without giving too much away. “You can dress it up and down,” Cruz says. “It’s perfect for summertime right now.”
Although a toned body is best for cut-outs — especially if the fashionable fissures are located near your typically jiggly places — confidence can go a long way when pulling off the trend.
Cruz says you’re only young once: If you’ve got the body, go ahead and rock the look.
For those still hesitant about allowing strangers to peep at portions of their skin, layering is another way to wear cut-outs. Neon tanks, colourful camisoles and bold bandeaus can be slipped on underneath. Change them up at will and you’ve got a whole crayon box of different outfits.
“We have some dresses with an open back but not everyone is comfortable showing their entire back without some support,” Cruz says. “So bandeaus are a huge thing for us right now ... because you can hide your bra and feel more comfortable.”
In addition to providing coverage, especially when transitioning to cooler fall temperatures, layering also adds a pop of colour to solid or simple cut-out garments. For cut-out leggings, try wearing funky pantyhose underneath.
“And if it’s not an actual cut-out, it’s sheer mesh patches,” Cruz adds. “I know Hellz Bellz is a clothing brand that does that a lot, where they’ll have basic black leggings but there will be tons of mesh cut-outs on the side of the leg or right in front of the knee.”
Cut-outs will be harder to pull off come winter. Bhuiyan isn’t sure the trend will stick around for long, but for now, it’s selling better than she expected.
“I think it’s going to be more of a fad,” Bhuiyan says. “Not too many people are going to get into it, but it’s everywhere at this moment.”