Peplum Jackets: How to Wear the Shape Now, 12 Designer Picks

A peplum jacket is a fitted jacket with a short flared panel below the waist seam, and the way to wear it now is with something narrow underneath: a midi skirt, slim trousers, a simple slip dress. The jacket does the shaping, so everything below it should stay clean.

Luxury Handbags carries 12 peplum jackets and coats across six houses, priced from $880 to $10,710, plus seven peplum tops from $350 to $1,540. The new Huishan Zhang Mara Jacket in Light Blue Jacquard leads the edit. Below: who the shape suits, what to wear it with, and the full list with fabrics and prices.

The Huishan Zhang Mara Jacket

The Mara is the Huishan Zhang take on the peplum. The new Resort 2027 version is a light blue floral jacquard woven with a fine metallic thread (82% cotton, 10% polyamide, 8% metallic fibre), so the surface picks up light without looking like evening wear in daylight. Pearl-effect buttons run down a fitted, peplum-shaped body, and the jacket is fully lined in pure silk. It is in stock, not pre-order.

• Mara Jacket in Light Blue Jacquard, $3,460
• Mara Jacket in Navy Tailoring, $3,080

The navy version is the same Mara style cut in the house’s navy tailoring cloth. It is the one to buy if the jacket will be worn to work more often than to weddings. Huishan Zhang trained in pattern cutting at Central Saint Martins and worked in the Dior haute couture atelier before launching his London label, and a peplum depends on exactly that skill, because the shape only works when the waist seam lands in the right place. For more on the house’s tailoring, see our guide to Huishan Zhang coats and jackets.

Who the peplum flatters, and why

The peplum works by contrast. The bodice is fitted, the waist seam pulls in, and the flared panel below it adds volume over the top of the hip. The eye reads a narrow waist between two wider points. That is why the shape suits a straight figure that wants more definition at the middle: it creates a waist where the body does not insist on one.

It also suits an hourglass figure, which already has the waist and simply gets it framed. The adjustment is the length of the flare. A short, crisp peplum that stops high on the hip keeps the line neat. A longer, softer flare that falls past the widest point of the hip can add bulk where you may not want it.

Two rules help every body. The waist seam has to sit at your natural waist, so check the house’s measurements before ordering; Huishan Zhang cuts UK 6 to UK 18 and states that its sizing is true to size, and our Huishan Zhang sizing guide covers conversions. And the jacket should close easily over what you wear underneath. A peplum strained across the bust loses its shape in an instant.

What to wear with a peplum jacket

Keep the lower half slim. The peplum is already adding volume at the hip, so a full skirt underneath doubles it and the waist disappears.

Midi and pencil skirts. The classic pairing and the one the house itself suggests. Huishan Zhang pairs the light blue Mara with the coordinating Vania Midi Skirt for occasions. The navy Mara sits naturally over a skirt in the same tailoring cloth.

• Vania Midi Skirt in Light Blue Jacquard, $1,780
• Vicky Midi Skirt in Navy Tailoring, $1,960
• Aubrette Skirt in Navy Tailoring, $1,960
• Vania Midi Skirt in Black Tailoring, $1,780

The light blue Mara with the Vania Midi Skirt comes to $5,240 as a suit. That is a wedding guest look on its own, and our guide to light blue wedding guest dresses shows where it fits in the wider colour story. For other two-piece options, see matching skirt sets.

Slim trousers. The everyday answer, and the house’s own suggestion for the Mara outside of occasions. A straight leg works; anything wide competes with the flare.

• Bree Trousers in Black Tailoring, $1,960
• Lucian Trousers in Grey Tailoring, $1,780

Over a slip dress. The most current way to wear the shape. A peplum jacket buttoned over a narrow, plain dress gives you a waist and a sleeve, then comes off for dinner. Choose a dress with no volume of its own. The new Huishan Zhang Eleni is a sleeveless black viscose crepe jersey sheath that drapes close to the body, and the Zimmermann Echo is a true slip.

• Eleni Midi Dress in Black Crepe Jersey, $1,960
• Echo Embroidered Slip Dress, $2,240, Zimmermann

Peplum jackets from other designers

Dice Kayek has the deepest peplum offer at Luxury Handbags this season, with five peplum jackets. Alexander McQueen and LOEWE bring the shape into sharper tailoring and outerwear, Magda Butrym puts it in leather, and Scanlan Theodore makes it the most accessible.

• Tailored Peplum Blazer Cotton Silk in Black, $3,120, Dice Kayek
• Tailored Peplum Blazer Satin Back in Black, $3,440, Dice Kayek
• Tailored Peplum Blazer in Blue, $3,120, Dice Kayek
• Tailored Peplum Jacket in Denim, $2,880, Dice Kayek
• Checked Sculptural Peplum Jacket in Brown, $3,600, Dice Kayek
• Peplum Single-breasted Jacket, $4,220, Alexander McQueen
• Peplum Short Coat in Wool and Cashmere, Black, $5,610, LOEWE
• Peplum Short Coat in Wool and Cashmere, Brown, $5,610, LOEWE
• Belted Peplum Leather Jacket in Dark Brown, $10,710, Magda Butrym
• Crepe Knit Tweed Peplum Jacket in Green, $880, Scanlan Theodore

The LOEWE short coat is the one to buy if you want the peplum as outerwear: a coat that stops short enough to show a midi skirt beneath it. The Magda Butrym adds a belt, which pulls the waist in further than seaming alone.

Peplum tops, for a softer version

A peplum top gives you the same waist without the structure of a jacket. Zimmermann has five this season, mostly shirts, which makes the shape easy to wear with jeans and a flat shoe.

• Clash Peplum Bustier Top, $1,540, Zimmermann
• Clash Poplin Peplum Shirt, $1,540, Zimmermann
• Clash Peplum Shirt, $1,060, Zimmermann
• Denim Peplum Shirt, $1,100, Zimmermann
• Clash Stripe Peplum Polo, $880, Zimmermann
• Polished Voile Peplum Top in Black, $400, Scanlan Theodore
• Tech Peplum Top in Pink, $350, Scanlan Theodore

Occasion versus day

Fabric decides it. Jacquard with a metallic thread, satin and anything embellished belong at weddings, christenings and evening events, worn as a suit with a matching skirt. Tailoring cloth, denim, poplin and knit tweed are for day: over trousers at the office, over a slip dress at lunch, with jeans at the weekend. The Huishan Zhang Mara covers both, which is unusual. The light blue is the occasion version and the navy is the working version of the same jacket.

Frequently asked questions

What is a peplum jacket?

A peplum jacket is a fitted jacket with a short flared panel attached below the waist seam. The fitted bodice and the flare together make the waist look narrower. The Huishan Zhang Mara Jacket in Light Blue Jacquard, $3,460, is a current example with a peplum-shaped body and pearl-effect buttons.

Who looks good in a peplum jacket?

The peplum suits most figures because it creates a waist by contrast. It is especially useful on a straight figure that wants more definition, and it frames an hourglass figure. The key is the waist seam sitting at your natural waist and a flare that stops high on the hip.

What do you wear with a peplum jacket?

Wear something slim underneath: a midi skirt, a pencil skirt, straight trousers, a plain slip dress. The flare already adds volume at the hip, so a full skirt below it hides the waist the jacket is trying to show. Huishan Zhang pairs the Mara Jacket with the Vania Midi Skirt for occasions and with tailored trousers for everyday.

Are peplum jackets in style in 2026?

Yes. Luxury Handbags currently carries 12 peplum jackets and coats from six houses, including Huishan Zhang, Dice Kayek, Alexander McQueen, LOEWE and Magda Butrym. The current way to wear one is over a narrow base, especially a slip dress, rather than as a stiff matched suit.

Can you wear a peplum jacket to a wedding?

Yes, in an occasion fabric. A peplum jacket in a cloth with some shine, such as a metallic jacquard, worn with a matching midi skirt is a complete wedding guest look. The Huishan Zhang Mara Jacket in Light Blue Jacquard with the Vania Midi Skirt in Light Blue Jacquard comes to $5,240.

How much does a designer peplum jacket cost?

At Luxury Shoes , peplum jackets and coats range from $880 for the Scanlan Theodore Crepe Knit Tweed Peplum Jacket to $10,710 for the Magda Butrym Belted Peplum Leather Jacket. Most of the tailored options, including Huishan Zhang and Dice Kayek, sit between $2,880 and $4,220.

Keep reading

• Huishan Zhang coats and jackets
• Huishan Zhang tweed jackets
• Huishan Zhang Resort 2027
• Matching skirt sets
• Light blue wedding guest dresses
• Shop the full Huishan Zhang collection at Luxury Shoes