Like It or Loathe It, the Peplum Top Is Back

Remember that flouncy, waist-cinching detail that once dominated both offices and your local Vodka Revolutions? Well, it’s back—the latest in a long line of Y2K styles we thought we’d seen the billowy back of (see also: the maxi boho skirt).

In 2025, the peplum top has shed its corp-core connotations and embraced a more versatile—and dare I say, fashion-forward—identity.

According to data analysts at the trend-forecasting site Lyst, searches for peplum pieces are up 37% month-on-month, with fashion insiders enthusiastically embracing the once-maligned silhouette.

Thanks to labels like Bottega Veneta, Magda Butrym, and Tove—who’ve quietly reworked the peplum—the reimagined silhouette is no longer stiff or overtly corporate. Instead, it’s soft, architectural, and just a little subversive. Think sculptural tops layered over column skirts, waist-cinching knits, and summer party dresses with just a whisper of flounce.

Celebrities are leaning in, too. Sydney Sweeney, Demi Moore, and Kim Kardashian have all been spotted sporting modern peplum looks. Kardashian even wore a structured version to court for the long-awaited trial of the “Grandpa Robbers,” who held her at gunpoint in 2016. Sartorially speaking, it was a powerful statement—especially paired with £5 million worth of diamonds.

But statement celebrity styling aside, the modern peplum is all about balance. Pair a peplum top with slim trousers or a pencil skirt to highlight the waist without overwhelming your frame. Or, for a more relaxed vibe, try a peplum blouse with wide-leg jeans or a maxi skirt.

On TikTok, the girls are calling it “stealth flirty.” Another user summed it as such: “I swore I’d never go back, and yet…”

Like low-rise jeans and wedge heels before it, the peplum proves that it’s impossible to keep a polarising trend down.

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