What is a Peplum?

A peplum is a short section of fabric that extends down from the waist of a garment, creating a flared, gathered, pleated or ruffled shape over the upper hips. Peplums are commonly incorporated into tops, blouses, jackets and dresses to add shape, volume and visual interest around the waist.

What does a peplum look like?

A peplum looks a little like a short overskirt attached at the waist of another garment.

It usually begins at or around the natural waist and extends over the upper part of the hips. Depending on the design, it might project only slightly from the garment or create a much more dramatic flare.

The defining feature isn't a particular amount of fullness, it's the additional section extending from the waist and sitting over the hips.

How is a peplum made?

There are several ways to create a peplum, which is why garments described as peplum styles can look remarkably different.

A peplum may be:

• Flared – shaped fabric naturally becomes wider below the waist.
• Gathered – additional fabric is gathered into the waist to create fullness.
• Pleated – folds are incorporated to create more controlled volume.
• Ruffled – a fuller piece of fabric creates a softer, more decorative effect.
• Structured – firmer fabric and tailored construction create a sharper, architectural shape.

Some peplums extend around the entire waist, while others appear only at the front, back or sides of a garment.

Why are peplums used in clothing?

Peplums can be used to add shape, proportion, movement or decorative interest to an otherwise simple garment.

Because the fabric extends outwards below the waist, a peplum can visually emphasise the waist and introduce additional volume around the hips.

However, it isn't simply a technique for creating an "hourglass figure". Designers can alter the length, fullness, placement and structure of the peplum to create very different silhouettes.

A soft gathered peplum might create a relaxed, flowing appearance, while a sharply tailored peplum on a jacket can look structured and architectural.

What garments can have a peplum?

Peplums are particularly associated with women's clothing and can be incorporated into many different garments, including:

• tops and blouses
• jackets and blazers
• dresses
• skirts
• formalwear
• corporate clothing

A peplum top usually has a fitted or relatively close fitting upper section before flaring around the waist.

On a peplum dress, the additional fabric sits over the skirt section of the dress.

A peplum jacket incorporates the shape into the lower section of the jacket, often creating a more tailored silhouette.

Does a peplum have to be gathered?

No. While gathered peplums are common, the fullness can also be created through flared pattern pieces, pleats, panels, folds or tailored construction

In fact, some structured peplums have almost no gathering at all.

It's the shape and placement of the additional fabric around the waist that makes it a peplum, rather than the particular construction technique used to create it.

Peplum vs ruffle

A peplum and a ruffle can look similar, but they're not necessarily the same thing.

A peplum specifically refers to the section extending from around the waist of a garment.

A ruffle is a strip or section of fabric that has been gathered or shaped to create fullness and can appear almost anywhere, around a neckline, sleeve, cuff, hem or waist.

A peplum can therefore be constructed as a ruffle, but not every ruffle is a peplum.

Peplum vs flounce

There's also some overlap between peplums and flounces.

A flounce is generally a piece of fabric cut to create fullness and movement without necessarily using gathers. It can be added to many areas of a garment.

When a flared or flounced section is positioned specifically around the waist and extends over the hips, it can form a peplum.

Fashion terminology loves making simple things unnecessarily complicated. 😂

Where did the peplum come from?

The idea of adding fabric around the waist has appeared in different forms throughout fashion history.

The word peplum is related to the ancient Greek peplos, a type of draped garment. However, the modern peplum as we recognise it is much more closely associated with later Western fashion.

Peplum-like silhouettes appeared prominently in the 19th century and returned repeatedly during the 20th century.

One particularly famous revival occurred during the late 1940s, when highly structured jackets with narrow waists and fuller hips became an important part of post-war fashion.

Since then, the peplum has repeatedly moved in and out of fashion, appearing in everything from couture and eveningwear to everyday tops and corporate clothing.

Peplums in corporate clothing and uniforms

Peplums occasionally appear in women's corporate jackets, dresses and tailored tops, particularly where the designer wants to create a more shaped silhouette.

Compared with a straight jacket or blouse, a peplum can introduce additional shaping at the waist while allowing the lower section of the garment to sit more freely over the hips.

As with princess seams, darts and other tailoring techniques, it's another example of how garment construction can significantly change fit even when two garments appear quite similar on the hanger.

🛍️ Shop our range of Peplum Styles