The fashion world is full of silly-sounding terms that are rarely used outside style columns: full-hipped jodhpurs, puffball hems, mini-shifts. But one such stitch of sartorial vocab made it mainstream this year. A peplum is a short skirt-like addition to a garment that flares from the waist. It became a theme in fashion reviews toward the end of last year and has kept popping up throughout 2012. “Spring’s hearty embrace of the peplum,” wrote the New York Times in February, “means full curves ahead.” The peplum made “must-have” lists in summer and fall, while style icons, including the all-important Kate Middleton, wore them in public. In November, designer Vera Wang said the accent was part of a romantic yet structured “revival of femininity” coming to the hoi polloi this spring. (So if you haven’t had a chance to casually compliment someone on their peplum, there’s still time.)