Why celebs like Emma Stone & Zoe Saldana are going wild for the plunge dress this winter – and you don’t need big boobs
THERE was a time when a plunge dress required a voluptuous DD bust, plenty of boob tape and a curve-contouring bandage dress.
But in 2024, those rules no longer apply.
This season, daring and oh-so-sexy low-cut numbers have burst back onto the red carpet with a vengeance and anyone who’s anyone — from petite A cups to full-bodied E cups — is taking the, erm, ‘plunge’.
Whether you have a flatter chest that doesn’t require a bra, or a more bountiful bust, it really doesn’t matter.
As long as you’ve got a plunge on, you’re golden. It’s just up to you exactly what, and how much, you decide to show off.
Take the stars of the flatter-chested camp.
Oscar-winner Emma Stone, 36, shimmered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in a floor-sweeping burgundy gown with one of the deepest plunges the French Riviera had ever witnessed.
Putting the oh-la-la into La La Land, the star looked sensational in a low-cut Louis Vuitton design, which dipped almost to her navel.
And what was on display between the delicate strips of sequinned fabric?
A whole lot of skin and just the slight curve of Emma’s bust.
Fellow US actress Zoe Saldana also opted for a simply striking bellybutton-skimming number at the New York premier of her latest film, Emilia Pérez, last month.
The 46-year-old turned heads in a red sequin Ferragamo gown and, like Emma, showed that you don’t have to have boobs like Kim Kardashian to rock a cleavage-baring gown.
But plunge dresses haven’t always been quite so accessible, formerly favouring only bigger busted gals.
In the Noughties, it was all about gowns that squished cleavages together so tightly they could hold your eyeliner pencil in place
Think Victoria Beckham’s bright green and blue Roberto Cavalli dress that she wore to the Fashion Rocks for The Prince’s Trust event in 2005, or the WAGs’ iconic 2006 World Cup looks.
Across the pond, pin-ups of the day such as former Baywatch star Carmen Electra, Gossip Girl actress Blake Lively and singer Toni Braxton regularly grabbed headlines with their cleavage-baring gowns.
And if they weren’t bursting out of figure-hugging frocks, then they opted for light-as-a-feather chiffon numbers – like J Lo’s legendary Versace plunge dress – that seemed constantly at risk of causing a red carpet nip slip.
The look in fact dates back thousands of years, to the ancient Greeks and Egyptians.
Greeks wore their ‘peplos’, cloth wrapped around the body, in a sultry way, so as to demonstrate their status.
These would typically be tied at the waist with rope or leather depending how wealthy you were and showed off their decolletage to reveal their white skin, which meant they weren’t working in the sun and therefore rich.
While the Egyptians flaunted their status by decorating their plunges with jewellery. In doing so, they likely paved the way for celebrities of the future to show off their cleavages.
We are in the midst of a full-on plunge renaissance
From Fifties screen queen Marylin Monroe, to pop goddess Diana Ross in the Seventies and the stars of soaps such as Dallas and Dynasty in the Eighties, plunge dresses were prevalent.
But, like all trends, classic low necklines eventually fell from favour and in the late 2010s we moved on to more extreme versions, like the side- boob dress, gowns featuring endless cut outs, and eventually the naked dress.
Think the likes of Beyonce at the 2015 Met Gala in her sheer dress with only light embellishment covering her modesty, or Kim Kardashian pushing never ending boundaries in 2017 with a see-through dress with only knickers underneath.
Fast-forward to today and we are in the midst of a full-on plunge renaissance.
The thirst for retro looks has led to stars turning to previous decades for inspiration and, this time, it’s not all about dresses.
Kill Bill star Lucy Liu, 55, opted for an open tuxedo look for last week’s Council of Fashion Designers of America awards in New York, forgoing a traditional shirt in favour of a glittering black low-cut top.
But don’t worry, my fuller-busted gals — there’s still a wide gap open for you.
Take note from another CDFA attendee, curvy model Paloma Elsesser. The 32-year-old Victoria’s Secret star wowed in a black studded gown, which bared her cleavage.
And Love Islander Ekin-Su Cülcüloglu, 30, proudly posed for cameras at the recent Pride of Britain awards wearing a hooded dress that revealed the curve of her chest and most of her tum.
Yes, she’s had a boob job, but it doesn’t matter. Anything goes with the plunge trend right now.
Whoever you are, whatever you’ve got, and whatever your age — go for it.
My advice? Invest in some good boob tape to keep things neatly in place.
Hollywood Fashion Tape, available on Amazon for a fiver, is what I swear by.
It comes in a small oblong tin that’s the width of the palm of your hand and the perfect handbag-friendly shape.
It’s gentle enough that it doesn’t rip off a layer of your skin, but strong enough to hold the fabric in place as you party.
Because, after all, we’ve got to leave something to the imagination, haven’t we girls?