Fashion Wednesday can see right through you
February 3rd, 2010
posted by Roisin Kiberd
The weather’s just that little bit warmer; time to swap heavy coats for natty cropped jackets, put aside your scarf and glove, brave a little more skin on show and … cast off clothes altogether? We at Fashion Wednesday would never advocate indecent exposure, but the Spring 2010 trend for sheer, transparent fabrics and underwear as outerwear continues to gather it’s followers. On the catwalks, Miuccia Prada sent out a succession of characteristically soft, feminine outfits with visibly displayed bras, while Christian Dior features a bolshy ‘here are my breasts’ kind of number, a transparent chiffon blouse in femme fatale-scarlet. Meanwhile, Jean Paul Gaultier couldn’t help but reference his own famous 80s designs for Madonna with a display of satin boudoir corsetry, paired with flapper-style stockings and suspenders. This, along with Victor and Rolf’s ill-advised satin pyjama suits, was at the unwearable end of the spectrum; on the other, Vera Wang sent chiffon dresses floating down her catwalk, a daywear-friendly take on sheer transparent dressing, while Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors created a dignified new ‘decent exposure’ look with superfine clingy knits and chiffon over monochrome tank tops.
The lingerie for everyday look comes with a celebrity pedigree, from Madonna’s cone bras right up to Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Kanye’s missus Amber Rose treading red carpets in little more than their underwear. Style darling Chloe Sevigney rocked a straight-from-the-catwalk look at the recent Prada book launch, a disconcertingly dignified shirt undone to the waist to reveal a designer bra. The trend translates to daywear with remarkable ease; muted colours and a balanced-out level of skin coverage (Sevigney wore a knee-length skirt and cardigan) brought the look miles away from nineties ‘whale-tail’ thongs and visible bra straps.
But how to take this look from red carpet to street level? Avoid the full-on flasher-chic seen at Dior and Henry Holland- lace bodysuits are wearable, but only paired with something more substantial on top. If your underwear is on show then you want it to look deliberate; now is the perfect time to splurge on some gorgeous designer underwear from Irish designer Caoimhe O’Dwyer (available at Kalu Naas), or check out the flirty, boudoir-chic offerings at Westbury Mall’s Susan Hunter boutique. Or you could go with saucy celeb favourites Agent Provocateur for something a bit more confrontational; their website is still advertising sale reductions, so the prices are almost reasonable.
If the thought of bodystockings and bras on show send you running for the hills, another option is to cover up a little under those translucent layers; go for a flirty, buttoned-up but see-through shirt (H&M always have adorable ones in their ‘Divided’ range), and pair with a simple tank top, a body or bustier top (those crop tops and all-in-ones that seemed pointless last season are perfect for this now- check the Topshop sale rail for leftovers). An even more bashful option is to go only partially see-though, with inserts and cut-outs in an otherwise ordinary piece. Sonia Rykiel’s prim red dress features transparent panelling, while Urban Outfitters have a long-sleeved animal-print blouse made coyly sexy with lace inserts around the neckline.
