Why celebs like Emma Stone and Zoe Saldana are going crazy for the plunging dress
THERE was a time when a plunging dress required a luscious DD bust, lots of boob tape and a curve-contouring bandage dress.
But in 2024, those rules no longer apply.
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This season, daring and oh-so-sexy low-cut numbers have returned to the red carpet with a vengeance, and everyone who is anyone – from tiny A cups to full E cups – is taking the, er, ‘dive’.
Whether you have a flatter chest that doesn’t require a bra, or a richer bust, it doesn’t really matter.
As long as you have a dip, you’re worth gold. It’s just up to you what, and how much, you decide to show off.
Take the stars of the camp with the flatter chests.
Oscar winner Emma Stone, 36, dazzled at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in a burgundy dress with one of the deepest plunges the French Riviera had ever seen.
Putting the oh-la-la in La La Land, the star looked sensational in a low-cut Louis Vuitton design, which reached almost to her navel.
And what could be seen between the delicate strips of sequined fabric?
Lots of skin and just the slight curve of Emma’s bust.
Fellow American actress Zoe Saldana also opted for a striking belly button number last month at the New York premiere of her latest film, Emilia Pérez.
The 46-year-old turned heads in a red sequined Ferragamo dress and, like Emma, showed that you don’t have to have boobs like Kim Kardashian to rock a dress with a plunging neckline.
But plunging dresses have not always been so accessible and in the past people preferred only larger dresses caught girls.
The ’90s were all about dresses that pressed necklines so tight they could hold your eyeliner pencil in place
Think of Victoria Beckham’s bright green and blue Roberto Cavalli dress she wore to the Fashion Rocks for The Prince’s Trust event in 2005, or the WAGs’ iconic World Cup looks from 2006.
Across the pond, pin-ups of the day like former Baywatch star Carmen Electra, Gossip Girl actress Blake Lively and singer Toni Braxton regularly made headlines with their plunging dresses.
And when they weren’t busting out in their figure-hugging dresses, they opted for light-as-a-feather chiffon numbers — like J Lo’s legendary Versace dress — that seemed to be in constant danger of slipping on the red carpet .
The look dates back thousands of years, to the ancient Greeks and Egyptians.
The Greeks wore their ‘peplos’, a cloth wrapped around the body, in a sultry manner to show their status.
These were usually tied around the waist with rope or leather depending on how rich you were, and showed their cleavage to reveal their white skin, which meant they didn’t work in the sun and were therefore rich.
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While the Egyptians showed off their status by adorning their splashes with jewelry. By doing this, they probably paved the way for world celebrities future to show their cleavage.
We are in the midst of a complete renaissance
From film queen Marylin Monroe of the 1950s, to pop goddess Diana Ross in the 1970s and the stars of soap operas such as Dallas and Dynasty in the 1980s: plunging dresses were common.
But like all trends, classic low necklines eventually fell out of favor and in the late 2010s we moved to more extreme versions, such as the side-boob dress, dresses with endless cutouts and finally the nude dress.
Think Beyonce at the 2015 Met Gala in her sheer dress with only light embellishments hiding her modesty, or Kim Kardashian pushing endless boundaries in 2017 with a sheer dress with only panties underneath.
Fast forward to today and we are in the midst of a full-blown renaissance.
The hunger for retro looks has led stars to turn to the past decades for inspiration, and this time it’s not just about dresses.
Kill Bill star Lucy Liu, 55, opted for an open tuxedo look at last week’s Council of Fashion Designers of America awards in New York, ditching a traditional shirt in favor of a glittering black low-cut top.
But don’t worry, my curvier girls – there’s still a big gap open for you.
Note from another CDFA visitor, curvy model Paloma Elsesser. The 32-year-old Victoria’s Secret star dazzled in a dress with black studs, which exposed her cleavage.
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And Love Islander Ekin-Su Cülcüloglu, 30, proudly posed for cameras during the recent Proud of Britain Awards in a hooded dress that showed off the curve of her chest and most of her stomach.
Yes, she got a boob job, but that doesn’t matter. Everything fits the diving trend at the moment.
Whoever you are, whatever you have and whatever your age: go for it.
My advice? Invest in good boob tape to keep everything 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 is as wide as the palm of your hand and has the perfect handbag-friendly shape.
It’s soft enough not to tear off a layer of your skin, but strong enough to keep the fabric in place during a party.
Because after all, we have to leave something to the imagination, right girls?
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