Pop goes the peplum

The moral of this story is to never underestimate the women of Britain. They said we were too timid and too vain, and we proved them wrong. When the peplum began its comeback six months ago, most of those watching assumed they were watching a catwalk trend that would stay on the catwalk. A peplum won't make you look thin. Men don't find it sexy. It is a bit costumey, and liable to get crushed on the underground. Every high-street retailer put one into production this season to ensure their visibility in the trend pages, but few would have backed the peplum as a commercial hit.

Back in vogue

Well, what do you know. Two weeks ago, I was in Cos on Regent Street. It wasn't a shopping trip as such, but rather one of those unexpected ten-minutes-between-appointments-OMG-there's-a-shop moments that, somewhere along the line, have replaced actual shopping expeditions in my life. So there I was in the changing room, dive-bombing through dresses and jackets at breakneck speed, and the first outfit that made me stop and do my hair in the mirror (the universal changing-room sign for "I like this one") was a pair of petrol-blue trousers and a matching top, with a peplum. It turned out they didn't have the top in my size, but in the ten days before I tracked one down, it became clear that the peplum thing really is happening. For a start, I was suddenly aware of all those women who had maddeningly bought my Cos top before me and almost thwarted my peplum ambitions. And then of a twentysomething daughter and fortysomething mum I saw at the Royal Academy together, both wearing peplums: a stretch dress, and a tailored jacket and trousers respectively.

The same happened with capes a few years ago. A trend that seemed destined for a limited release became a long-running-at-Topshop blockbuster. I find it very cheering when fashion goes off-piste. There is a street-style gallery on the New York Times website, which collates readers' photos of chic peplum wearers from Seoul and Nigeria, but it has gained more traction in London than it has in, say, Paris.

In Paris, where fashion is about finding a look that suits you and sticking with it for four decades, the peplum was never going to get much of a look in beyond a cameo appearance on American and Italian fashion editors attending Paris Fashion Week.

Peplums are fun. Jolly. And they are most certainly not a look that only string beans can wear. Beyoncé looks brilliant in a peplum, and so does Liv Tyler. On the other hand, look at the very beautiful Michelle Williams, in peplummed Louis Vuitton on the Oscar red carpet. The whole point of a peplum is that it celebrates a waist-to-hip curve, so it looks a bit odd when worn without one.

Of course, some peplums are hideous. As a rule of thumb: If it looks a bit like the frilly valances you find around the bed, popular in the nan school of home decor, give it a miss. Something a little sleeker and more sculptural is more up our street. And still, there are hazards to be negotiated. By adding an additional horizontal line across your hips, a peplum foreshortens your leg length.

Pair it well

On the catwalk, one popular way for a peplum to be styled was with an above-the-knee skirt, and ankle boots. All very well, so long as you have the catwalk-standard minimum inside leg, of 36 inches. The average is about 30 inches, and those 6 inches make all the difference. (For much the same reason, normal human beings can rarely pull off the ankle sock-and-sandal look with summer dresses.) If wearing a peplum, the kindest point for your skirt to end is at the knee, or just below, where your leg shape narrows. (The classic Dior peplum, of 1947, was at its most elegant when worn with a pencil skirt in this length.) Follow this natural break in the line of your legs for your skirt hem, rather than adding another horizontal line. And be wary of ankle boots and ankle-strapped sandals. The court shoe is your friend here.

Even better, wear your peplum with trousers. This is more flattering on short legs, and — even more importantly — immediately modernises a look which, for all its hourglass glory, can look a bit retro. And retro is not what we are about. We are not timid, and not cowed by the notion that a trend might not make us look our absolute thinnest. Peplums are the new normal. And that's brave.

— Guardian News & Media Ltd