The wellness impresario Gwyneth Paltrow is no stranger to sparking trends, and her latest magazine cover is the latest example. In the new issue of Harper’s Bazaar she wears a glossy, fuchsia Tom Ford bustier, which costs $15,000 (£11,500) and is described as an “anatomical breastplate”.

Part Barbarella, part Joan of Arc, part cyborg, the futuristic piece is one of a series of moulded plastic busts by Ford, created in shades inspired by Jeff Koons’s Balloon Dogs. Also seen on actor Zoe Kravitz in the latest issue of Elle magazine,the sci-fi Boudicca style has inspired New York magazine to describe it as “boob armour”.

The February 2020 issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

Bustiers and other breastplate-like tops have been popping up elsewhere. Cate Blanchett wore a yellow dress with huge pleated power sleeves and a metal harness bralet by Greek designer Mary Karatranzou to the Golden Globes on Sunday night. There were heavy-duty sculpted leather corsets on the Alexander McQueen and Givenchy spring/summer 2020 catwalks. At Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood there were tops that looked like chainmail. JW Anderson, too, drew attention to the bust in an unexpected way in his spring collection, creating crystal-encrusted bras worn over, not under, dresses.

The breastplate – or “muscle cuirass” – has been used to craft an idealised version of the body since Greco-Roman times, protecting the torso while creating the illusion of muscles. Its much-later incarnation in fashion serves a similar purpose.

The breastplate is a superhero favourite, a signifier of battle-ready ferocity. In the 2017 film Wonder Woman, breastplates were the most recognisable part of the costume. Gal Gadot’s look was created with references to periods predating the ancient Greeks, to“places where there had been societies run by women: queens and warriors,” according to costume designer Lindy Hemming. The costume was “trying to tread a line where you didn’t over-sexualise people, but you still were proud of their bodies and proud of how fit they were,” she said.

After several seasons in which high-necked “modest” fashion has been style’s dominant silhouette, the breastplate gives the impression of protection in a more aggressive yet more revealing way. With its suggestion that the wearer is more than human – whether augmented by science or a literal cape-wearing superhero – the appeal to Paltrow seems obvious.