Jackets Have a New Job — and It's to Show Off Your Belly Button This Spring

Proenza Schouler and Altuzarra say so.

Fashion designers (and the stylists they employ) love to come up with new and unexpected ways to wear outerwear. We've seen blazers worn with nothing underneath; jackets layered over coats; coats draped cape-like over the shoulders, their sleeves purely decorative; cardigans tied across the torso or worn as scarves. This week, another jacket trend has emerged from the Spring 2023 New York runways, and it involves fastening only the top part of your outer layer and wearing nothing underneath.

The goal of this trend — which Team Fashionista is torn between calling Belly Button Windows or Belly Curtains — is to button a jacket in a way to reveal the midriff. At Proenza Schouler, the styling trick lent an air of downtown cool to otherwise conservative, office-ready suiting pieces. The next day at Altuzarra, the conscious unfastening felt more breezy and unplanned, reflecting the collection's adventurous energy.

Of course, this concept existed prior to September 2022, but what was in the air to make so many designers incorporate it into their runways? Maybe... Rihanna? I can't help but think back to six months ago, when she unveiled her baby bump for the first time between the unfastened buttons of a pink vintage Chanel jacket. In her case, the styling was necessary to accommodate the belly (and show off all that Christian Lacroix jewelry).

Tia Adeola seemingly took more direct inspiration from this trendsetting moment, putting one of her Spring 2023 jackets on an actual pregnant model.

See more examples in the gallery below.

View the 13 images of this gallery on the original article

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