Claire's Picks

Peplum Tops Worth Having in Your Wardrobe

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The peplum top does something very specific and does it better than almost anything else: it creates shape at the waist without requiring you to actually have a particularly defined waist. That is the whole point of it and it is genuinely clever. The flare of fabric just below the hip creates the illusion of a waist whether one is naturally there or not. We think peplum tops get unfairly dismissed as a trend that had its moment, when actually they are one of the more quietly intelligent silhouettes in a wardrobe. Worn with tailored trousers they look properly put together. Worn with a pencil skirt they are almost architectural. The key is finding ones where the peplum sits at the right point and has enough structure to flare rather than droop. Fabric matters enormously here. A limp peplum defeats the entire purpose. We have been pulling together the versions that actually deliver on the silhouette, across prints, plains, and occasion wear, because this is a style that rewards getting right. A well made peplum top flatters more body shapes than almost anything else we could name.

Claire's Top Picks

Peplum Tops You'll Live In OXYGEN_CLOTHING Pearl Top Jump to section ↓

£15.75 OXYGEN_CLOTHING

Peplum Tops You'll Live In

The peplum is doing something structurally clever that most tops simply aren't. That small flare at the hip skims over the waist, creates shape without clinging, and flatters a genuinely wide range of body types without making a fuss about it. It earns its place on fit alone. What we love about the styles we've gathered here is that they don't lean into the fussier end of the peplum world. No excessive volume, no stiff fabric that holds itself away from the body in strange ways. These are the relaxed, wearable versions. The ones that work tucked into trousers for the office or worn loose over jeans at the weekend without either feeling like a stretch. We've been through a lot of peplum tops to get to this edit. The ones with a flutter that actually moves properly. The ones cut well enough that they don't bunch or pull. Some are elevated enough for evenings. Some are so easy they become the top you reach for without thinking. That combination of flattery and ease is rarer than it should be, and these have both.

OXYGEN_CLOTHING Pearl Top £15.75 OXYGEN_CLOTHING