Thanks to Rihanna‘s nipple-related Instagram eviction and Scout Willis‘s important #FreeTheNipple campaign, boobs seem to be having a pop culture moment.
But are nipple-related style statements really so new? In the 16th century and beyond, nipples were the height of fashion in aristocratic societies; in the 1800s, Napoleon’s sister, Pauline Bonaparte, was notorious for her breast-baring diaphanous dresses, which revealed her cosmetically rouged nipples.
Closer to our own time, Madonna made a headline-grabbing appearance on the runway at Jean Paul Gaultier in 1992, wearing a bizarre bandage boob harness. A decade later, Alexander McQueen elevated the fashion nipple from sheer provocation (pun intended) to art.
Breast-baring designs continued to trickle down the runways for years, but no one was prepared for what happened last September, when an actual nipple trend came into effect at the Spring 2014 shows. Directional designers like Haider Ackermann, Balmain, Ann Demeulemeester and Christian Dior all showed sheer tops galore. It was a nipple extravaganza.
By the time Kendall Jenner made her now-infamous breast-revealing NYFW debut on the catwalk at Marc Jacobs for Fall 2014, runway boobs were here to stay.
Below, you can review some important moments in the history of fashion nipples:
nipples
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1992: Madonna for Jean Paul Gaultier
Image: Getty
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Spring 2000: Pam Hogg
Image: Getty
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Spring 2001: Alexander McQueen
Also see his worm dress.
Image: Getty
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Spring 2013: Giambattista Valli
Image: IMAXtree
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Fall 2013: Lily McMenamy for Marc Jacobs
Image: IMAXtree
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Spring 2014: Jeremy Scott
Image: IMAXtree
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Spring 2014: A.F. Vendervorst
Image: IMAXtree
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Spring 2014: Haider Ackermann
Image: IMAXtree
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Spring 2014: Balmain
Image: IMAXtree
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Spring 2014: Blumarine
Image: IMAXtree
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Spring 2014: Ann Demeulemeester
Image: IMAXtree
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Spring 2014: Christian Dior
Image: IMAXtree
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Spring 2014: Gucci
Image: IMAXtree
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Fall 2014: Marc Jacobs
Image: IMAXtree
