The side cleavage: a new trend is born

Just three months after Angelina's right leg stormed the red carpet at the Oscars, there is a new area of flesh to flash: the "side cleavage". To be clear, that's the area that extends from armpit to mid rib and takes in a small semi-circle of bare breast, sometimes more. The side boob, the side tit, call it what you will, becomes the main event. If you're in doubt, look up Tuesday's Daily Mail which indulged in a whole spread of them.

The most successful side cleavages are otherwise discreet. Take Gwyneth Paltrow in her ice-blue Prada minidress at the Met Ball in New York in May. Her halter-neckline was so high, not even a scooped-out clavicle was in evidence. The macrobiotic-diet message was semaphored instead by the faint ripple of a ribcage. Ditto Nicole Scherzinger at the Grand Prix in a side-cleavage playsuit whose black trim clearly marked out the zone.

Dresses that display both front and side cleavage have missed the point. Gabriele Hackworthy, fashion director at Harper's Bazaar, a glossy title that regularly features upmarket stars on its boob-tastic covers, agrees. "A halterneck is the safest way to wear it. Then at least you are covered at the front." She advises a C-cup limit for elegance. "It's the biggest size to do it gracefully because you have to have really amazing pert breasts to carry off the look in a chic way."The look is unlikely to fade fast, with Yves Saint Laurent and Roberto Cavalli both pushing the silhouette next season. For those looking for a side cleavage fix at high-street level, American Apparel can oblige with its classic extra-scoopy jersey vests.It's likely that a classic case of upping the ante is driving the trend. After all, surgery can bestow a generous front cleavage, gym dedication can help with flashing a right leg, but to show off some side flesh unaided? Now that's really tricky. Not even toupee tape helps.

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