THE RISE OF THE MIDLIFE MIDRIFF
FOR ALL THEIR WILD VARIATIONS,
trends can really be filed into just two categories. The first is the ‘Why not? Sure, I’ll give that a shot’ type; the second is perhaps best known as the ‘Leave well alone unless your surname is Jenner or Hadid’ category. We need hardly tell you which category the midriff falls into. Except, does it?
If ever a trend had an under-25 age limit on it, you’d think belly-baring would be it (followed closely by pigtails). Especially as we’re now in the throes of Midriff 2.0: Extreme Edition, championed by the likes of the impossibly taut Emily Ratajkowski. So, what if you’re a little older, wiser and less gravity-defying – can you still dare to bare? Of course you can.
The midlife midriff is giving the Millennial midriff a run for its money – and about time too. Done right, it’s modern, surprising, and not at all daunting. A prime exponent is Diane Kruger – the key to her midriff mastery is to show just a tantalising tease of tummy by opting for clever cut-outs or teaming cropped tops with high waists; a pencil skirt and top separated by only a strategic slither of stomach is also surprisingly chic – just look at Gwyneth Paltrow in her white two-piece.
‘But that’s Goopy Gwynnie! What about the rest of us?’ we hear you cry. Well, if you’re more Krispy Kreme than kale queen, sheer panels are another way to nod to the trend without doing the big reveal. Take Sharon Stone in her va-va-voom Rubin Singer dress with lace detailing at the waist – it was a bit gothy, a bit sexy, and totally now. Note: that’s how you do belly-baring without being ‘obvious’.
But perhaps the final word should be left to Alexandra Shulman, the 59-year-old former
Voguegue editor who recently exited with over 25 years at the glossy under her belt. When she posted a bikini selfie on Instagram last week, it promptly went viral and notched up a host of celebratory comments. The consensus (as much as there ever can be one on the internet) was: good for her! The surprise wasn’t seeing a real woman in a bikini but how good, how comfortable she looked. As she told The
Sunday Times, ‘I happen to love bikinis… I fully intend to continue wearing them to my grave.’
Which leads us to think maybe there’s a third trend category after all: ‘It’s my body and I’ll wear whatever the heck I want.’ Amen to that.