From Gwyneth Paltrow to Victoria Beckham, dramatic thigh-high leg slits are back in trend, but come with a high risk of an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction.
Favoured by stars on the red carpet in the late 1990s, gowns slashed to the thigh returned after the pandemic – and Gwyneth Paltrow is the undisputed queen of the look.
At the 98th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday night Gwyneth, 53, stunned onlookers when she donned a racy white Armani Prive gown with sheer slits on both sides that reached up towards her upper midriff and were covered with a sheer, shimmering nude overlay.
Meanwhile, when American actress and producer Demi Moore arrived at the SXSW premiere of ‘I Love Boosters’ on March 12, she stole the limelight by opting for a striking Saint Laurent purple dress fit with a sky-high slit from the hem to her hip.
The revived leg-slit phenomenon has also travelled across the pond – with Victoria Beckham braving a chic black dress with an extreme thigh-high split in Soho just last week.
Yet how exactly are these celebrities avoiding revealing too much in these barely-there gowns.
According to renowned stylist Lisa Talbot, there are numerous methods to prevent an accidental skin reveal – from careful shoe choices, deliberately hidden underwear and even a quick ‘movement test’ before you step out of the front door.
She told The Daily Mail: ‘The first thing I always say is that fit is everything. A slit should feel intentional, not risky. If the dress is pulling across the hips or riding up when you walk, the slit will naturally open further than planned.
‘The right fit ensures the fabric falls cleanly and the slit moves with you rather than against you.’
Ms Talbot added that stylists ‘absolutely’ use hidden underwear when dressing high-profile figures for the red carpet’.
She added that the use of ‘seamless, high-rise briefs, stick on underwear or discreet shaping shorts can give you confidence if the slit sits particularly high’.
‘They’re not about restriction, but about creating a smooth, secure base layer so you’re not worrying about what might be revealed when you move or sit down,’ said Ms Talbot.
For those perhaps not wanting to spend the money on hidden underwear, or indeed looking for extra precautionary measures when trying out a new and risky look, Ms Talbot has another key step in mind for avoiding a malfunction.
‘I’d also recommend doing a quick “movement test” before leaving the house,’ she advised.
‘Walk, sit, climb stairs and even turn slightly sideways in a mirror. If the slit opens dramatically during normal movement, it may need a small fashion tape fix or a rethink.’
While leg slits are certainly stylish and great for elongating certain features, Ms Talbot also noted that they only truly work if they ‘align with your personal style’.
She stressed that a ‘lower or side-angeled’ can provide greater movement while also meaning one isn’t forced to step out of their comfort zone.
Finally, a key feature to help prevent a wardrobe mishap is your footwear.
While a large statement heel may be tempting, Ms Talbot noted that they can increase the chance of accidental nudity and should therefore be avoided if possible.
She explained: ‘A sleek heel or pointed shoe elongates the leg and keeps the look sophisticated, while also helping the dress fall neatly as you walk.’
‘When styled well, a leg slit isn’t about risk, it’s about confidence, movement and knowing the outfit works for you, not against you.
In a now-viral clip shared on X, Gwyneth was seen hurriedly making her way through the Dolby Theatre for the Oscars and lifted the long hem of her outfit to avoid tripping.
However, in doing so, she flashed skin – including some of her backside – due to the long slits on either side of her ensemble.
Yet the 53-year-old actress was seemingly was unfazed by the near- wardrobe mishap as she was guided to another area inside the crowded venue, while fans later came to her defence on social media and declared: ‘I didn’t see anything’.
Previously, stylist Rochelle White explained that we are seeing a ‘rise in the high rise splits’ as celebrities were ‘looking to show off and dlash more flesh post lockdown’.
She added: ‘With so many people including celebrities living in loungewear, this is a way of expressing themselves and also owning their body confidence.
‘Not to mention that there has been a resurgence in not only 2000s fashion, but also short skirts and side splits.’
Meanwhile, brand expert and publicist Brenda Gabriel told the Daily Mail there could be a link between the all-out sexiness being flaunted on the red carpet and a rise of a ‘new wave of feminism’.
She explained: ‘Not dissimilar to what we see every decade. In the 90s we had the Spice Girls with in your face Girl Power. Women who weren’t afraid to go after what they wanted and weren’t afraid to be vocal about it.
‘By 2016 we had Kim K, Beyonce, Rihanna and leading the way for women to own their hotness regardless of what anyone else had to say. ged’ to men.
‘#Metoo wasn’t just an opportunity for pulling back the curtain on inequality, it provided an opportunity for women to take back female sexuality and be unapologetic about it.’
