From ancient armor to contemporary sartorial statement, the juxtaposition of the breastplate’s innate masculinity melded with an exaggeration of the female form has captured the curiosity of fashion’s most prolific creatives. 

From Kim Kardashian&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CJPyW4OgBJ5/" target="_blank">Hulk-like Christmas ensemble</a>&nbsp;courtesy of Schiaparelli to <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/zendaya-most-glamorous-fashion-style-outfits-of-all-time" target="_blank">Zendaya&rsquo;s</a>&nbsp;Critics&rsquo; Choice Awards appearance last year in a fuschia metallic <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/tom-ford-subway-show-spring-2020#image-42823" target="_blank">Tom Ford bodice</a>, the breastplate never ceases to stir&nbsp;conversation. The molded fashion piece acts as a shell on the body, essentially wrapping around the torso like a sculpture. The breastplate made its&nbsp;most recent appearance in&nbsp;designer Daniel Roseberry&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/schiaparelli-spring-summer-2021-haute-couture" target="_blank">Schiaparelli Spring/Summer 2021 Haute Couture collection</a>, and while it brought an avant garde feel to the garment, it&#39;s a silhouette that&#39;s been explored throughout fashion history.

&nbsp;

Fashion History of Breastplate Kim Kardashian West.jpg

The breastplate&rsquo;s origin story begins in Ancient Greece. Created as protective armor and designed to mimic the ideal human physique, the breastplate was typically made from hammered bronze plate and boiled leather. Eventually becoming a commonplace military staple around the fourth and fifth centuries, the defensive outer layer has since become a conceptual interpretation in the fashion realm. In the era of <a href="https://www.lofficielsingapore.com/fashion/get-waist-ed-the-corset-makes-a-comeback" target="_blank">corsets</a>, magazines and style mavens touted what was known as the &ldquo;cuirasse bodice&rdquo; in the 1880s, comprised of a long-lined sheath bustier, which tightly hugged the hips before the silhouette protruded into the skirt, resembling combat-friendly garb.

Nearly a century later, the breastplate found its way onto high fashion runways. In 1969, esteemed designer Yves Saint Laurent called upon the talents of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/17/obituaries/claude-lalanne-dead.html">sculptor Claude Lalanne</a> to mould replicas of model Veruschka von Lehndorff&rsquo;s bust and torso for his Fall/Winter &ldquo;Empreintes&rdquo; collection.&nbsp;The pieces went on to be incorporated into two crepe voile cascading dresses for the house&rsquo;s Fall/Winter 2002 Haute Couture collection.

YSL.jpg

6a00e55290e7c488330240a4d0c95e200b-800wi.jpg

ysl-extras-slide-H62V-articleLarge.jpg

Yet another experimental provocateur of fashion, Japanese designer Issey Miyake showcased his subversive exploration and examination of the relationship between clothes and the body with his Fall/Winter 1980 collection. Adored by the likes of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVoiL8VAOfQ" target="_blank">legendary Grace Jones</a>, Miyake&rsquo;s futuristic metallic plastic bustier continues to be a benchmark in the history of body molds in fashion.&nbsp;

Issey Miyake Fall/Winter 1980 

Grace Jones in her beloved Issey Miyake breastplate

Issey Miyake Fall/Winter 1980

Similarly provacative, designers including <a href="https://www.lofficiel.co.uk/man/thierry-mugler-his-career-in-5-minutes" target="_blank">Thierry Mugler</a>, Hussein Chalayan, and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/jean-paul-gaultier-winnie-harlow-coco-rocha-documentary-loic-prigent" target="_blank">Jean Paul Gaultier</a>&nbsp;put their respective marks on the breastplate throughout the &#39;80s and &#39;90s. From futuristic cone bras to the famous Thierry Mugler motorcycle corset, there was a fascination with how the breastplate could turn the female form into something mechanical.&nbsp;

Jerry Hall in Thierry Mugler, 1979

Thierry Mugler Spring/Summer 1992

Hussein Chalayan Fall/Winter 1995

Thierry Mugler Fall/Winter 1995 Couture

Paco Rabanne Haute Couture Spring/Summer 1995

Jean Paul Gaultier Spring/Summer 1999 Haute Couture

Yves Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2001

Then, there was <a href="http://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/alexander-mcqueen-flagship-smiljan-radic" target="_blank">Alexander McQueen</a>. The designer was famous for his unexpected mutations and alterations of the female form to outrageous dimensions.&nbsp;Using materials like metal and leather, McQueen brought a more subversive impression to the breastplate. Exploring its armor-like quality, the British designer&rsquo;s various iterations simultaneously exuded power as well as a feeling of claustrophobic encasement, combining the beautiful with the uncanny like only McQueen knew how.

"I want people to be afraid of the women I dress." –Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 1996

Alexander McQueen for Givenchy Spring/Summer 1998

Alexander McQueen for Givenchy Fall Winter 1999

Shaun Leane's Coil Corset for Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 1999

Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 1999

Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2001

Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2005

Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 2007

Last year, the look of the season that reigned supreme was <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/tom-ford-movies-nocturnal-animals-director-netflix" target="_blank">Tom Ford&rsquo;s</a>&nbsp;plastic metallic breastplates straight off his <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/tom-ford-subway-show-spring-2020" target="_blank">Spring/Summer 2020 runway</a>, inspired by YSL&rsquo;s collaboration with French sculptor <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/artists/claude-lalanne" target="_blank">Claude Lalanne</a>. After appearing on the February 2020 cover of Harper&rsquo;s Bazaar worn by <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/wellness/gwyneth-paltrow-launches-goop-coffee" target="_blank">Gwyneth Paltrow</a>, pieces from the hit collection were swiftly included in numerous fashion editorials. Becoming a top pick among A-listers such as Kate Hudson, the breastplate had its star moment when Zendaya made an unforgettable appearance at the 2020 Critics Choice Awards, causing the chromed armor to be on everyone&rsquo;s mind.

According to Zendaya&rsquo;s stylist Law Roach, her armor was specifically molded to her individual form by way of a custom 3D scan of the actress&rsquo; body. Captivated by the bustier at first sight, Roach immediately drew reference to the designs of Saint Laurent and Issey Miyake.

tom-ford-rs20-1917.jpg

zendaya-critics-choice.jpg

Tom-Ford-Breastplate-4.jpg

Tom-Ford-Breastplate-Kate-Hudson.jpg

Even Roseberry&#39;s ab-accentuating Schiaparelli breastplates&nbsp;were influenced by the past, specifically in homage to the Surrealist founder of the Italian fashion house. Inspired by anatomically-precise mannequins <a href="https://www.schiaparelli.com/en/21-place-vendome/the-life-of-elsa/" target="_blank">Elsa Schiaparelli</a> kept in her work space, Roseberry recreated the silhouettes.&nbsp;Scattered throughout the boundary-pushing collection are eccentric variations of sculpted figures, including a golden Madonna and Child breastplate, leather molded six-pack torsos, and a matching chiseled abdomen bag.

To counteract the expectations of couture aligning with traditional and predictable notions of femininity, Roseberry said in an interview, &ldquo;I started thinking, is there something about couture that&rsquo;s sort of misogynistic, that demands or expects that a woman wants to look hyper-feminine and dainty and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/bridgerton-netflix-costume-designer-ellen-mirojnick-interview" target="_blank">Bridgerton adjacent</a>?&rdquo; He went on to explain, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not about being a man at all, it&rsquo;s about being a jacked woman.&rdquo;

Schiaparelli Spring/Summer 2021 Haute Couture

The sentiment sounds like Roseberry took&nbsp;a page from the book of Alexander McQueen, who once said, &ldquo;I design clothes because I don&rsquo;t want women to look all innocent and na&iuml;ve&hellip;I want women to look stronger&hellip;I don&rsquo;t like women to be taken advantage of&hellip;I don&rsquo;t like men whistling at women in the street. I think they deserve more respect. I like men to keep their distance from women, I like men to be stunned by an entrance. I&rsquo;ve seen a woman get nearly beaten to death by her husband. I know what misogyny is&hellip;I want people to be afraid of the women I dress.&rdquo;

Both for protection and battle, the breastplate then makes a symbolic fit for the modern woman. Today, the breastplate is an empowing piece. Sported by today&#39;s biggest celebrities and explored by fashion newcomers like <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sjodwyer/?hl=en" target="_blank">Sinead O&#39;Dwyer</a>, breastplates are perfect for making a statement,&nbsp;from expressing ideals of body positivity, to themes of fierce warrior women reclaiming their strength, protected by armor, ready for combat.&nbsp;

A History of the Breastplate in Fashion

Tags

Related Articles

Fashion Week

The Magic of Schiaparelli Enhances the Body in Spring/Summer 2021 Haute Couture Collection

Fashion

Praise-Worthy or Problematic? 7 Controversial Moments in Fashion History

Fashion Week

Tom Ford Goes Full New York for Spring 2020

Recommended posts for you

Fashion

Carolina Herrera's Resort 2025 Collection Captures the 'Intensity' of Mexico City

Beauty

Rhode's Cinnamon Roll Lip Tint Is Finally Here

Fashion

These Timeless Luxury Accessories Were Made to Cherish for a Lifetime

Beauty

The Evolution of Rocker Hair

Fashion

Louis Vuitton Re-Opens in NYC With Five-Floor Extravaganza

Music

Tate McRae Announces 2025 Tour, Drops New Single

Fashion

Dior's Lady Art Project Returns With Stunning Artist-Made Bags

Pop culture

20 Rare Photos of Young King Charles III: A Look at His Earlier Life