#MiniMakeoverMondays: Backless VS. Cleavage

Welcome to Mini Makeover Monday! In this weekly column, Bianca Teixeira, our new makeover maven, will find, test and report back on an assortment of small changes that can be made to your daily beauty and style routine that can dramatically change your look. Let us know if you try any of her suggestions and what kind of effect they had on you!

This week we’re talking about how going backless vs. showing cleavage can help amp up our style. When exactly did women decide that copious displays of cleavage were the best way to look sexiest? For me, the first time I realized that space between our breasts has infinite power was when Jennifer Lopez wore that green Versace dress cut down to ‘there’ and everyone talked about it for days!

I’ll admit that every now and then I’ll pump up a bra and put the ladies on show to make an outfit look even more… shall we say… eye popping, but I’ve found that you can put a different feature on display and get more pleasantly surprised stares than ever.

Any outfit that highlights your back is one that you have to break out immediately. It doesn’t take much to send an outfit with cleavage into Trashville, but there will never be a thing as too much back – as long as you’re not crossing over into butt crack territory.

A backless dress is the epitome of sexy elegance. The curvature of a woman’s back is subliminally sensual and you’ll never have to worry about an accidental nip-slip happening to you.

I have one of Travis Taddeo’s black jersey backless dresses. It reminds me of Hilary Swank’s Guy Laroche dress she wore to the 2005 Academy Awards. The Taddeo dress has a high neckline, short sleeves, and a panel of backlessness that goes from the nape of my neck to my lower back. Insanely sexy. I’ve even had to field offers from women who want to borrow it.

The beauty of a backless garment is that it will subconsciously get you to sit, stand and even dance with a straight back. It will make sure that you keep everyone’s eyes on you even as you walk away. Wear a jacket over top (simply to take it off once you arrive at your destination) and make everyone think your outfit is demure and simple while harbouring a surprise element.

The best accessories to a backless garment are a high neckline and a big statement necklace. Take a page out of Jennifer Lawrence’s own Oscar stylebook and wear a long necklace draped backwards over your bare back.

An open-back garment is a super simple way to really switch up your nighttime look and add a bit of charm and elegance to your usual sexy style.

Do you prefer to amp up your ensembles by going backless or by showing off a little cleavage? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @ViewTheVibe.