There are many ways to show skin: a short hemline, cutouts at the waist, an exposed back, but perhaps the most popular of late has been sheer fabric. This season’s runways provided head-to-toe transparent examples like a creamy white maxi dress at Alaïa and a collection of skin-tight nylon at Saint Laurent. Then, there was a parade of see-through separates: the layered sheer tops at Dries Van Noten, gauzy skirts at Fendi, and gossamer capes at Simone Rocha. Designers aren’t playing in subtlety; they want their customers to bear it all.
Despite the fashion world’s ongoing obsession with gauzy fabrics, what comes down the runway or appears at an award ceremony doesn’t directly correlate with what women actually wear.
Courtesy of Aemilia Madden
Outside the Proenza Schouler show NYFW F/W 24
Getty Images
I wholeheartedly support freeing the nipple; women have the right to show their bodies in whatever way they choose. And on the red carpet, naked dressing has become a mainstay styling choice. Celebrities from Dakota Johnson to Rihanna to Anne Hathaway have spent years posing on a step-and-repeat in nothing but a translucent outer layer and nude underwear. That’s not to say it’s without controversy. —though sometimes they may be in pursuit of just that. Entirely sheer looks may feel empowering for some, but from a practical standpoint, I’ve found I have some limits when it comes to barely-there fabrics.
My take on the sheer trend likely sits somewhere halfway between John Cena at the Oscars and a woman on the Oregon Trail. I’m not showing up to a wedding or a friend’s house party in a naked dress, even with the appropriate undergarments. And there’s no way a sheer top is making it to the office without something that at least covers up my breasts and belly button. But I do take the chance to wear something see-through here and there. When it comes to my personal style, I’d say it’s sheer contextualized—a hint of skin at an opportune moment.
Rihanna at Dior F/W 2023
Getty Images
Florence Pugh at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards
Getty Images
During fashion week, there were plenty of instances when almost invisible clothing made an appearance not just on the runway, but outside of the shows, too. Street style is considered the pinnacle of fashion inspiration. Women pose in designer outfits they’ve made it their profession to mix and match. (I’ve saved many of these images on my own Pinterest mood boards.) But again, not every outfit translates from aspirational to wearable. A dress that’s the equivalent of a fisherman’s net draped over the body works when posing for street style photographers, but for a normal day in NYC, likely not.
To adapt revealing pieces to real life takes a bit of creative license. I’m partial to using sheer clothing as a styling tool for layering and adding on a touch of texture. To attend the Proenza Schouler fashion show this past season, I wore a white Tibi skirt, sheer but emblazoned with a velvet burnout print, under a shorter dress as a way to embrace the trend without feeling fidgety or self-conscious.
Emily Ratajkowski walking for Tory Burch S/S 23
Getty Images
Bella Hadid walking for Vivienne Westwood F/W 21
Getty Images
A sheer dress can be styled with a blazer over it for more coverage, or a slip beneath, both of which still achieve the look while tempering the reveal. A top made in a gossamer fabric can also add a delicate touch to more traditionally casual options like jeans, balancing the practical with the ephemeral. Everyone will have a level of reveal that they’re comfortable with. My goal is to never feel like the clothes are wearing me, but rather that I’m harnessing a trend to fit in with my personal style, not in spite of it.
The runways glorify the audacity of wearing something see-through all on its own, breasts revealed, san under, or outerwear. For comfort’s sake, I don’t think I’ll be giving up on my bra anytime soon.
Kate Moss at Mathew Williamson F/W 2001
Getty Images
Guest outside Christopher Esber S/S 24
Getty Images