Shoulder pads is a trend many will be horrified to learn is back but it is - and we love it
I saw this dress in H&M and thought of Saint Laurent. I would have bought it and worn it to our Best in Beautie even, actually, but when I went to buy it after trying it on a week before, they were sold out in my size.
Straight-cut mini dresses are my fave because they hide the hip-dips I'm now self-conscious about thanks to 'body positivity'. (JOKE: I do not care.) Straight-cut dresses are handy, though, because it doesn't matter what shape you are or what you may be trying to hide, we all look like ice-pops when we wear them.
This dress is inspired by the AW17 trend for disco and the AW17 trend for '80s. It's got sequins and, brilliantly, shoulder pads. The shoulder pad is a trend that I know a lot of people will be horrified to learn is back. Why would people accentuate their shoulders, you might ponder. Well, to distract from other body parts, I might say. Or to celebrate big shoulders, I definitely would say, because that's what I'm going to do.
I have wide shoulders, and I don't try to hide them. Let's make this the newest trend in 'body positivity' and make them a feature that people will be jealous they don't have. (Like hip dips! Haha.)
Anyway, here's the dress. It's €19.99, and it's looking very cool in the window display of H&M's flagship store on College Green.
H&M €19.99
The shoulder pads of the '80s were meant to symbolise power. For women, they were supposed to mimic the broad-shouldered masculine dominance. Wide shoulders equals patriarchy, don't you know? But obviously, we won't wear shoulder pads in the year 2017 to get ahead in the rat race. We'll wear them to channel strong, fabulous women like Grace Jones and Lady GaGa.
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Shoulder pads make a statement without showing skin. They add an interesting aspect to a simple silhouette - like the straight-cut dress. And they can be used as a weapon if you suddenly find the need to poke someone's eye out.
You don't have to go to the extreme, though. Visit any high street store right now, and you'll find a top, coat or jacket with sneaky shoulder pads. Don't fight it.
Topshop Power Shoulder T-Shirt by Boutique €38
Mango Double-breasted Structured Blazer €79.95
