Fashion Moments: Cut-outs

Inspiration:  the fierce Debbie Harry of Blondie in this shot from the '70's

via msn

Formal:

Kate Hudson in crisp Rachel Roy

Brian Bedder/Getty

How many people can wear a dress that's held together by a teeny string?  You probably have to be a 7 foot tall, slinky drink of water, like Karolina Kurkova, here in Pucci

Venturelli/wireimage

 Cocktail:

 Nicole Scherzinger in an artistic Jean-Pierre Braganza

Fed Duval/Filmmagic

With leather:

 Krysten Ritter in Alexander McQueen

FameFlynet

Leighton Meester in chic full-length Michael Kors

Getty/Wireimage

 With sheer panels:

Charlize Theron in Dion Lee

Apega/WENN

Kate Moss in a teeny Stella McCartney

via Harper's Bazaar

Renee Zellweger in an amazing Pucci gown at the Met Costume Gala

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Rooney Mara in a quirky Prabal Gurung

Larry Busacca/Getty

Leighton Meester in a super racy Emilio De La Morena (sitting is not an option in this dress!) - love the purple Brian Atwood booties

Pizello/AP

And here's Gwen Stefani in a peplum jumpsuit from the same Stella McCartney collection as Kate Moss's dress above

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

The trend continues to swimwear:

2013 Chanel Resort Collection

Yannis Vlamos

I think these Hervé Léger by Max Azria suits are timeless and totally groovy

Marcio Madeira

Aisde from the suits above, my personal favorites:

The sharp shoulder, and the cut-out on the leg that's more of a slash than a slit (love that!), are what make Charlize Theron's simple Lanvin feel so fresh and modern

John Shearer/Getty

A half leather Isabel Marant dress on Kate Bosworth perfectly toes the line between classy & edgy (but I'd prefer it worn sans hosiery)

Getty/Wireimage

I dig Rooney Mara's very architectural leather iteration by Dion Lee

via celebsshow.com

 The pretty cut-outs on Lucy Liu's plunging J.Mendel remind me of bamboo leaves

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and criss-cross Jimmy Choos which we've seen before here

via Polyvore

I love their graphic quality, but despite these stunning examples, the cut-out trend can be difficult to do well.  I prefer it in matte black (with minimal jewellery) to keep it simple and elegant - even colour feels too busy -   otherwise it can easily veer into trashy territory.  Wouldn't be too hard to wind up resembling some sort of Las Vegas or  Ice Capades Dancer.  ...Um, right, Brooke Hogan?

Jason Merritt