Backstage at Miu Miu’s spring show last month, I did my best not to trip over aggressively thin models or whisper-yet-still-incredibly-pricey dresses as I pretended to blend into the scenery. My editor assigned me with the well-meaning directive of “get some good quotes!” and “see if you can casually confirm what will actually be trendy next season!” As if any sane designer is going to look at some random fashion writer holding a glass of complimentary prosecco and announce their thematic plans for the season unprompted. RelatedPost By Subcategory I was already bracing myself to hear things like “baby pinks” and “micro bags” when one too many outfits stopped me in my tracks.
Literally stopped me. Because they had way too much… nudity. Models rock underwear backstage, we get it.
It’s not like they’re changing into their full outfits at the crack of dawn before a show like we normal people would. But for several designers, sheer clothing and visible underwear weren’t afterthoughts — they were the point.
Visible bra straps were styled with deliberately bare shoulders.
Boxer shorts were peeking above low-rise jeans so you could see their bright-red or chartreuse waistbands. Chic office-approved blouses were so thin that they practically revealed whatever carefully curated undies you had on underneath. In some cases, real lingerie was being worn on top of clothing rather than under. “You don’t actually wear this… out, do you?” I hissed to another editor standing next to me, nodding toward a chiffon blouse that, suffice to say, did not cover much.
She shot me a look of pure agony without removing her eyes from her phone. “Visible underwear is everyWHERE this season. Keep up, Harper.” Between you and me, I pride myself on staying pretty on-trend when it comes to fashion. I’ve worn Crocs with platforms for “ironic” purposes.
I showed up to an entire work day-event wearing an old vintage nightgown I belted and pretended was a “slip dress.” In the throes of the low-rise jean apocalypse, I briefly talked myself into thinking cut-offs at your lululemon-tight waist weren’t trash (spoiler alert: they are trash, I was delusional). But deliberately wearing my underwear — not in the sweatpants-as-outwear sense, but ACTUAL underwear — in public has always been one trend I drew the line at. Thanks to an unfortunate incident involving fireworks and too much wind at a rooftop festival in 2017, I’ve been self-conscious about what someone may or may not see underneath my shirts ever since.
So, the idea of purposely wearing clothing that might reveal my undergarments was out of the question. HOWEVER. And this is a big however: It turns out I now live in a world where seeing people’s underwear on purpose is not only acceptable SCOTUS-holstered law in many places, it’s a legit trend happening IRL.
Street style snapshots of post-show models routinely feature these lookalikes wearing their stylish underpants on the outside. Online, fellow editors are flaunting outfits featuring totally-intentional visible underwear with pride. Hell, my banker friend Megan who I remember telling me once she considered her style “professionally boring” texted me a photo of herself in her crop-top-appreciating bathroom mirror last week as proof of her new sheer blouse, which allowed for zero barrier between her shirt and her bra with the caption “Too much? ?” (Too much for work it was, thankfully but still good for her to try!) Visible underwear, as a trend, isn’t exactly brand-new.
Some of you might remember Madonna and Jean Paul Gautier’s infamous cone bra; I did too, when it premiered in 1990 and I was two years old. But what’s felt different about seeing the trend translate from fantastical fashion week dreams to understandable wardrobe choices I could actually copy is context. These aren’t pieces designed to shock or catch someone off guard as they round the corner.
They’re styled intentionally, they’re about layering, and they flip the standard idea of what we consider underwear versus outerwear on its head. If you’ve paid attention to fashion at all over the past few years, you’ve likely seen the trend building slowly but surely. Visible bra straps were socially acceptable, then we got to the point where purposely wearing a decorative bra with zero effort to hide its straps became normal.
Crop tops and barely-there tubesirts popularized rocking your sports bra as a “top.” Low-rise jeans made seeing the top edge of your boxers sexy AF (yet again.) What’s happening now is giving those concepts a nice conclusion by actually wearing your underwear in public… and by underwear, I mean a variety of interpretations. Let’s start with the easiest, more-obvious-than-ever trend adaptation: the visible bra strap. Years ago sporting a visible bra strap was a tried-and-true fashion faux pas.
The straps had to be tight enough that they couldn’t possibly slip down on accident, but thin and neutral enough that someone seeing them wouldn’t even NOTICE they were there. Now not only is it cool to wear your bra straps out, but rocking intricately detailed bras with thick straps in unique colors or materials is 2024 trend tennis. My coworker Taylor recently showed me her collection of bralettes that sit comfortably under blouses but are meant to be seen.
The straps are cut in such a way that they create an interesting pattern across her back when exposed, in bright colors and bold materials. “I spend actual money on these bras,” she explained when I complimented her藏州纸楼husband brand. “Why shouldn’t I treat them like a piece of my outfit too?” Fair point. Many of her bras run over $100 apiece. To get your office-appropriate feet wet, I’ve been investing in super-slightly sheer blouses in darker color palettes that allow me to *hint* at my undergarments without giving away the full Monty.
Paired with high-waisted pants or skirts, these trickier-than-they-seem blouses let me show off a cool-edged bra or perfectly ripped denim leggings without fear of sexual harassment. And bonus: The chic, breezy nature of the shirts also lets me get away with wearing a bracolor different than my actual skin tone and no one questions it. Consider this a win-win!
I wore one of these blouses to lunch with my editor last week to test the theory, and instead of calling HR I got two compliments and a request for the name of my bra brand (“Negative Underwear” for those curious; they’re pricey but THE BEST). Boxer waistbands making a show-stopping appearance above the tops of your jeans or pants is another easy entry-point into the trend that’s been popular off-and-on since mom jeans were a thing in the ’90s. The key difference between running to TJ Maxx in your underwear now versus waking up to this look then is intention.
Showing a little skin isn’t the name of the game here, showing an expensive, high-quality pair of underwear is. Think silky boxers or boy shorts with thick, embellished waistbands that you’d normally attempt to hide. The looks I’ve seen that do this best are wearing cute, matching boxers or panties under slightly cropped sweater jackets or denim jackets.
The underwear essentially acts as another layer in your outfit, mixing in with the color story and adding unexpected texture. Fashion consultant Mia Chen is no stranger to this look, having dressed multiple celebrity clients in outfits featuring intentionally-visible underwear this season. She broke down her strategy for me in an email: “I love having my clients wear silk boxers as a layer under slightly cropped sweaters or jackets.
The underwear really acts as another layer to play with color and texture within the outfit.” Needless to say, this has been happening in the menswear world for years. Think about how many times you’ve seen a pair of Calvin Klein waistbands hanging out above someone’s jeans. But what’s trending now is more styled, more intentional pairings.
My neighbor Jake who works in graphic design for one of those trendy-but-also-quirky studios has started wearing vintage-inspired boxers with high-ish waistbands that are JUST tight enough to intentionally be seen with his pants and shorts. “The waistband is another place you can play with color or prints,” he explained to me without a hint of irony. The man is selling me. Opting for completely sheer clothing that reveals what’s underneath instead of covering it up is obviously the gateway drug of this trend.
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Sure, you’ll occasionally see someone doing this on the runway (last year’s Versace show had several examples) but unless you’re headed to a nightclub with a very… open-minded dress code or work in an office with hired security attorneys on staff, I’d recommend steering clear of literally wearing nothing but your underwear out in public. One of the more wearable iterations of this trend is opting for clothing that’s sheer in some places but not others. Or fabrics that play with transparency, such as a lighter crop top under a slightly-sheer button down.
Wearing a totally transparent top (over a bra, GOD FORBID) defeats the purpose and defeats you in workplace settings. But a sheer shirt allows you to peak at your bralette or cute crop top underneath, while a sheer skirt over a mini skirt or cute shorts gives the illusion of the same thing. I rocked this combo at an art gallery opening last month, pairing a black mesh long sleeve top with a black bralette underneath and my high-waisted trousers.
While definitely more “there” than I usually get for things like this, it was still covered enough to pass as trying hard instead of …well, not. My secret? The bralette I chose was wedge-shaped with wider straps and more coverage than your standard underwear offering.
It definitely read more like a crop top than a lingerie piece on its own, which helped round out the outfit. If sheer on sheer feels like too much (or toorevealing) for you, there’s always lingerie-inspired clothing to fill the gap. Essentially, these are cute little pieces that give the vibe of visible underwear without ACTUALLY being your underpants.
Think clothes that resemble lingerie, like silk camisoles or anything featuring lace trim. My favorite (and most versatile) piece in this department? The slip dress.
Slip dresses have been popular for YEARS and can be worn in plenty of trendy ways that feel very 2024 too, like under a thin turtleneck or tee, under an oversized blazer/cardigan, or with boyfriend jeans and booties to contrast the dress’s femininity. Pair with a denim jacket and skinny jeans for an edgy vibe, or with nude heels to dress it up. Bonus points if you layer with a black under slip dress, letting the outer layer’s straps peek through.
What’s interesting to me about this trend from a psychological standpoint is how it challenges preconceived notions of what’s appropriate to show off vs. cover up in women’s clothing. For as long as I can remember, there have been far more “rules” about what men can and cannot wear compared to what women are allowed to wear. But even within women’s fashion there are very clear-cut guidelines about what’s acceptable to expose versus keep hidden.
Choosing to visibly wear your underwear — whether that’s under see-through clothing or somehow on top — turns that idea on its head. “It’s almost rebellious to wear your underwear on purpose,” fashion historian Dr. Leona Wriht told me over Zoom when we discussed the trend’s place in fashion history. “Underwear has always made statements about a person’s socioeconomic status, their relationship with their body, or their intentions towards whoever they’re wearing it for. Making it visible flips the script.” I’ll admit that showing your underwear in real life doesn’t come with the same creative liberties as showing your underwear on the runway does.
What might fly for weekend events in Brooklyn might not fly for your annual review at the office. What looks incredibly cutting edge on a twenty-something runway model may not have the same effect when you’re… well, not that. My coworker Zara, who ROCKS the twenty-something runway model look by the way, mentioned she’s loved showing her lace-trimmed camisole under blazers and cardigans recently. “I’m in my sixties, but I feel like women my age are expected to fade into the background dressing-wise,” the suddenly confident-in-her-age sixty-two-year-old said. “I’ll never wear something see-through, but showing a cute cami under a shirt says a lot about who I am without screaming ‘look at me!’” If you’re looking to dip your toe into the trend without sacrificing your entire wardrobe, here a a few slightly-seen options I’ve experimented with ranging from terrible to kinda-sorta wonderful: A bralette with embellished straps worn under an off-the-shoulder top or top with a wide neckline.
The goal is to show off the pretty straps as a feature of the top, rather than constantly worrying about them falling down or becoming visible. High-waisted jeans or trousers paired with cropped tops that give you occasional flashes of a silk camisole as you move throughout the day. It adds visual interest to your outfit since it’s slightly different tops and bottoms as you walk vs. stand still, without any actual scandal.
Slip dress worn over a fitted T-shirt or thin turtleneck. Another tried-and-true combo that gives you a “peek at my lingerie” vibe without technically showing your underwear. Jacket or cardigan with sheer cut-outs or sleeve panels that allow you to show off a favorite bra or underwear piece.
The tough construction of the layer on top helps balance out what you’re showing underneath. I’ll be the first to admit that my forays into incorporating underwear into my outfits hasn’t always been met with success. The aforementioned all-black, sheer shirt/top combo worked cute- and modest-enough for a night out but was a mass of awkwardly-flailing fabric when I tried it for brunch (I ended up having to layer a cardigan over top to feel semi-comfortable, and it was 85 degrees out).
I also bought a gorgeous silk camisole to wear under a sweater, only to spend all damn day readjusting it every time I sat down because it kept trying to escape from my pants. Looked great — until I moved. And then I felt like I was nude underwear-threateningly-parodying Christine from The Office.
There’s definitely an adjustment period when you start incorporating pieces designed to show off your underwear. That said: It can be done! I recently bought a slightly-sheer white button-up that ended up being more see-through than I realized when it arrived.
Instead of returning it like I would’ve in the past, I popped it over a nude-colored brami (yes, that’s bralette + camisole) with thick straps. The end result was an extremely subtle as-you-looked-underneath vibe without actually showing my underwear. And I’ve worn that combo to work TWO times since with zero judgements.
If there’s a moral to this increasingly-long tale of underwear, I think it goes back to the idea that “underwear” and “outerwear” aren’t set in stone.
They’re completely social constructs that we’ve developed based on dressing norms and they’ve changed drastically over the decades. After all, weren’t t-shirts once underwear?
Don’t bodysuits constantly move between being a shirt or a dress based on who’s wearing them and why? I think the visible underwear trend is less about trying to shock people with how little you’re wearing and more about playing with that idea. How comfortable are you with allowing people to see your underwear, even if you’re technically wearing something over it?
How comfortable are YOU with seeing other people’s underwear on purpose? As with any wild fashion trend, consider your audience, location, and occasion before diving headfirst into showing everyone your underwear. You don’t have to wear a totally sheer top with your bra hanging out to participate — there are lots of ways to let little bits of skin show that don’t involve actual skin.
Or you know, wear a totally sheer top with your bra hanging out. Do you, boo. Live your best underwear showing life.
Hi Mom, I’ll be home for dinner!
