Satire's Wearing: Braving Bralets

Bralets.  Even hearing the word alone can drive many a young girl into vomit anxiety or irrational hysteria. Like marmite, they are a summer top you are either going to obsessively lust over or indeed hate with a passionate vengeance.  

On the surface, these tops are pretty, modern and edgy and I have had my beady little eye on them ever since they were thrust into the fashion radar spotlight last summer. I gazed in wonder at various girls channeling them in rock and roll festivals and  feeling pangs of jealousy at the insanely beautiful Topshop/Urban Outfitters models who make this underwear-as-outwear trend look like a deliciously darling piece of cake. However when it comes to the bralet though the downside is that cake itself must not enter the equation whatsoever.  If you want to rock a bralet this summer successfully then you are going to have to make a few saddening victoria sponge sacrifices. Obviously I'm not saying morbidly obese people from Texas can't wear bralets (after all it is a free fashionable country!) but if you are about 245924 pounds with about 4 double chins, then you aren't really doing the look justice, are you?!

So suffice to say I generally do have quite the love/hate relationship with the bralet. I look at skinny girls wearing them oh so glamorously. Then I want to wear them. I then suddenly get paranoid I will never be able to pull anything as cool as this off because I'm not 5'10 with a envious size 6 waist. I cry. The realisation is just too awful. I eat more cake and rich tea biscuits in despair then realise that I will definitely never be able to pull the look off now due to 3 hours of excessive comfort eating. And what's more because I'm quite chesty I'm afraid also that I may look too provocative (like Katie Price level or something) and that will really detract from the elegant and classy style aura I always want to convey. So you still think Lady Gaga was singing about a man when she sung Bad Romance? No no no. She was blatantly singing about the self inflicting agony of wanting to wear a bralet. 

However my friend recently bought a bralet from New Look and despite her too being quite a lovely (and realistic) busty babe, it actually did not make her look sleazy or provocative whatsoever. What's more she looked oh so cute and her bralet really flattered her figure. So within a few days of lusting after hers, I ventured into New Look on my lunch break and decided that it was about time I, Gemma S caved and took the relationship plunge with a lonely hearts bralet. 

Aztec Bralet - £19.99, New Look. 

Out of all the bars, in all the land this bralet had to walk into mine. New Look at the moment do have quite an array of beauty bralets ranging from neon colours, to florals and vintage prints. But being a sucker for classic dark colouring (neon just isn't my cup of UV tea people) I chose this little bolshy number. Aztec print is literally everywhere these days and even though I'm not one for buying prints or patterns in clothing, I think I can make an exception for the good old Aztec South American lovelies. The print has a real youthful and modern-day sensation about it and think will be a very appealing aesthetic for this summer as you know digital prints are all the range...just ask the wonderful digital print making queen that is Mary Katrantzou! 

Metallic cuffs, £3.99, New Look. 

Also relevant to add an extra impact to this contemporary look are these spike cuffed lovelies! £3.99 buy one get one free from New Look I almost fainted with overpowering happiness. I am most definatley a distinct cuff wearer as oppose to a dainty bracelet one...and if it is large, imposing and kind of mannish then by all means, place it immediately on that bony wrist of mine.

Now to justify myself buying the bralet I use the good old fashion excuse of "I need it for my summer holiday!" Still after a slightly weird twenty minutes of me staring at the top on a hanger in my room in admiration after I got home from work, I couldn't resist getting it out and trying it on. And now here we are, you reading about me wearing it in a blog post.

The top once on was really flattering and not going to lie did give me a wee little bit of an ego boost. I mean I don't want to sound conceited or anything here but I don't think I look too bad, like say... the morbidly obese cat who ate too much cream or anything. The chest coverage is perfectly adequate and not akin to that of a streetwalking prostitute. To make the look more daytime though I tried to dress it down with some brogues and socks so I was still in-keeping with my ladylike androgynous flair. Even though I do love the "grunge" look there was no way I was ever going to emulate an effortless Edie Campbell vibe. So I thought to do what I know best; look ever so slightly Victorian and boyish.

Bralet and Cuffs: New Look
Leather Skirt: Monki

Necklace: Urban Outfitters

This look then would be very desirable on a chilled and summery day perhaps? Showing the right amount of skin without shaming my modesty too much. I love my skirt from Monki, all the fun and flirtiness of a short skirt without it being too tight like a bodycon.  However if too much skin exposure makes you want to bite all the hangnails off your polished fingers then don't despair, you can always team this look up with a jacket. But I decided to go with a long shirt just to add a quirky little edge as all my blazers are currently hibernating for AW12 and need their tailored rest. 

Shirt: Topshop 

Brogues: River Island
Socks: Topshop 

Now I don't think I am some sort of Paul McKenna life coach or anything but let's be honest...if I can wear a bralet and not want to kill myself in self conscious self loathing then so can you! Really it is just about shopping around properly (not buying the first bralet you see for instance and DEFINITELY not doing online shopping to get one...unpredictable online shop sizes and not knowing if you are a S, M or L, just a glutton for punishment) and asking others who have one for recommendations. I mean, if it wasn't for one of my besties buying one, looking lovely and allowing me see the hopeful summer light then I would probably still be in my room, crying over the bralet beauties on Tumblr and Lookbook with a tub...no make that a bucket of Ben and Jerry's on standby. Alas for now I will have to put the bralet to holiday bed at the moment as it is really supposed to be for my jollies at the start of July. But hey...if the sun just so happens to get its hat on in the next few weeks and does generate a haven of a heat wave then native bralet wearing Aztecs might just have to descend.

GS x