‘I love my midriff’: why flaunting your tummy with a croptop is so 2023

From the red carpet to the high street - as modelled by Gwyneth Paltrow and Marilyn Monroe - styles that reveal the bare stomach are everywhere

This summer might have been a washout, but that's not immediately obvious when walking down a typical UK high street. Along with sandals, sunglasses and shorts, any fashion-conscious observer might notice something else: the ubiquitous midriff.

Making a showcase of this part of the body is not so much a trend as a given for young consumers - so much so, in fact, that this year marks 10 years since the midriff became an established fashion statement.