An unusual ‘melting top’ is set to be the raciest trend in festival fashion this year – after a pair of influencers went viral wearing the unusual pieces.
US stars Lele Pons and Hannah Stocking, who have 70million followers between them, stunned Coachella festivalgoers this week in their ‘melted’ breastplates.
The fashion influencers donned the trendy $500 (£400) Drip Breastplate by American brand Jacque Label for the first and second day of the event in California.
And they weren’t alone – fellow festivalgoer Michaela, who uses the username @ohheyymichaela, opted for the same breast plate at the festival in California.
A number of stars have stepped out in breastplates, which have long been worn as a sign of female empowerment, over the last few months, including singer Ellie Goulding and actress Zendaya.
Stylist Rochelle White told FEMAIL: ‘Coachella is a place to be free and creative with fashion and looks, so it makes sense that the melting breast place is very popular there.’
Metallic breast plates are set to be the raciest trend in festival fashion this year after a pair of influencers went viral wearing a set (pictured, US influencers Lele Pons and Hannah Stocking)
Fellow festivalgoer Michaela, who uses the username @ohheyymichaela, opted for a black breastplate for the event (left), while on the second day, Hannah wore the black version (right)
Meanwhile she predicted the piece is likely to boom in popularity across the world.
She revealed: ‘I think that with the UK Summer festival season coming soon, we will be seeing more of this fashion.’
Originally a form of functional body armour, breast plates have always carried surprisingly erotic undertones, going one step further than corsets by creating a shape that exposes the figure.
It was the Ancient Greeks who ‘sexed up’ the breastplate by turning a practical shield into an idealised version of the — originally male — human body.
Depictions of the Amazons — a tribe of warrior women — in Greek mythology feature similar chest coverings. The Greeks were terrified and titillated in equal measure by these women, who appropriated not only male attire but masculine privilege.
No wonder designers — from Yves Saint Laurent to Alexander McQueen and Schiaparelli — have continued to explore the allure of this daring silhouette.
Yves Saint Laurent employed the sculptor Claude Lalanne to cast the breasts and torso of supermodel Veruschka into gowns for his 1969 haute couture collection.
Meanwhile a whole host of stars have worn breastplates in recent months, including singer Ellie, who donned a figure-hugging black outfit at the Brit Awards this year.
The leather-like design by Cameron Hancock, featuring an exaggerated breast outline and belly button, saw her co-presenter Tom Grennan remark: ‘I love what you’re doing — they’re your real boobs?’
He later apologised for the remark, which sparked a furore online.
The style is believed to have been inspired by a Tom Ford breastplate, which Zendaya wowed fans by wearing in 2020
But other stars like Ellie Goulding (left) and Sydney Sweeney (right) have also taken to wearing breast plates on red carpets in recent months
A host of stars have opted for breast plates in recent years, with Gigi Hadid wearing a purple version of the garment on a 2019 runway
Meanwhile popstar Normani wowed fans at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards in a silver breastplate
Another star who used a breastplate to make a statement this year was singer Rihanna.
Performing at the Super Bowl, her cropped red breastplate by Loewe revealed she is pregnant with her second child.
Other well-known figures to favour a breastplate include actress Olivia Wilde and reality star Kim Kardashian.
Meanwhile Sydney Sweeney looked incredible as she walked the red carpet wearing one at the GQ Men of the Year Awards last November.
But perhaps most memorable was the sculpted pink Tom Ford breastplate worn by Spiderman star Zendaya for the Critics Choice Awards in 2020.
All were bold yet playful riffs on a garment that has walked the line between teasing and transgressive for millennia.
Jacque’s made-to-order creations have been dubbed the ‘best look of the festival’ – despite being rolled out on day one.
Historically the ‘best looks’ at the influencer-heavy party, held in the desert about two and a half hours from LA, have gone on to dominate the global party scene.
It’s not the first year the melting breast plate has cropped up at Coachella – with Enna Nutschell previously pairing the piece to the festival last year
Meanwhile other influencers have opted to wear the melting garment for other events throughout the year (left and right)
This year, influencer Hannah paired her melting breastplate with a pair of denim hot pants and knee high boots
Punters have predicted the breast plate trend will take off. Hannah and Lele chose gold and silver melting tops for their Coachella debut and paired them with tiny denim shorts.
They wore their hair up and pulled back tight from their face and sported metallic boots.
The outfits caused a huge stir online with many people demanding to know how they were made.
They look like melted wax and appeared to be molded perfectly to the young women’s bodies.
The designer claims they are all made to order and asks for colour preferences and specific sizing before getting started.
Jacque Label also left a comment thanking the woman for ‘wearing his creations’.
‘It has got to be illegal to be this attractive,’ one man wrote.
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