We're not going to tell you tunics are new. We're not even going to slap tunics with an avant-garde label or tie them up with an of-the-moment ribbon. Tunics have been around longer than we can remember (dating back to the days of togas), but we just can't stop lovin' them.
Recent Tunic History
After popping up in blocky prints in the 1960s, after hanging off the shoulders of long-haired hippies in the 1970s, and after getting tighter and brighter in the 1980s and 1990s, tunics came rolling in with the tireless boho chic, looking cuter and trendier than ever. At the heels of the dress-over-pants look, which was worshipped by some and pooh-poohed by many more, the thigh-skimming top had skeptics grinning everywhere. Flattering, adorable, chic and palatable, tunics had just the right mix of style and practicality to have the world of fashion jump on board.
We've seen airy light fabrics that dance delicately at the hips, we've seen gaping boatnecks that hang seductively over tanned shoulders, and we've seen flirty ruffles, coy little ties, and plunging necklines. The chameleon of apparel, the tunic can take you all over the style map, from schoolgirl cute to southern-sun sexpot.
Today's Tunic Style
For this round of tunic-mania, waistlines are bobbing from bust to hip and cuts are ebbing from swimmy to snug. First up, the tunic is embracing the babydoll. A welcome leftover from the warmer months, empire waists (or even higher!) give you a busty bosom that flares to perfection just at the hip. Not for those with a lot of lup up top, this look sprinkles you with innocence while revving up the sex appeal. Keep your eye out for banding or tie-back details, cap or palm-kissing sleeves, and full hemlines that sway and flow from your waist to your bottom. Lux's polkadot babydoll with sweet little patch pockets at the hip and gathered sleeves, available at Urban Outfitters, couldn't be anymore adorable.
Tunic Styling Tips
This brings us to rule number one when sporting a tunic: whatever you're wearing from the waist down better be fitted, curve-loving and nowhere near baggy (with a few exceptions). With all that movement up top, keep it sleek and slender below - no one likes looking dumpy, now do they?
Gathered Tunics
A spin on the loosey-goosey tunic swaps the gathering under your bustline for a band at the hip, bringing the flowing fabric to a silhouette enhancing accent right where you need it. Such cuts benefit from a rouched neckline in either a wide "V" or sexy scoop, and the sleeves - either short or long - should match the shirt's hem with either a band at the upper arm or a cinched cuff at the elbow or wrist. Think of this season's favorite tones - yummy chocolates, classy neutrals, or punches of reds, indigos and golds.
Knit Tunics
Fall's influx of knitwear has tied tunics all up in a knot, giving your long-waisted looks a cozy feel with sweaters that start hugging at your chin and finish right under your caboose. Thick, luxurious cable-knits buzz with cottagey cool, and jailhouse stripes with floppy necks are saturated in adorable academia. Looking chic while keeping cozy and warm has never been so easy.
What to Wear with a Tunic
When donned in a tunic, it can all go wrong if you don't piece together the right items. Keeping in mind our first and only tunic rule, choose skinny jeans, trouser-cut slacks or denim, or a sleek pencil skirt, always elongating your legs with lean looks and a higher heel. Buckle yourself in with a waist cinching or hip defining belt, giving a relatively curveless style a form-flattering finish. Or pick up a string of wooden beads and pile your wrists with bangles galore.
Far removed from the simple sheaths of ancient Rome, today's tunic has the versatility of your little black dress with the of-the-moment style factor of those worn-once tragically trendy pumps. And as these head-to-hip tops catapult full-throttle into yet another season, the tunic is showing no signs of slowing down.
