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Once in a while, a trend comes around that makes you wonder: “Should I go there, or shouldn’t I?” This question rears its head with a greater cultural conversation, which sparks apprehension in some and a knowing sparkle in others. Right now, this trend is the sheer delight of skin-baring looks that provoke a dare-to-bare attitude. Designers are pulling out the style stops, catapulting all things sheer — in the form of tulle, organza, and mesh — into our line of vision for 2023. So, will you dare to bare?
While risqué dressing is in style, it’s nothing new to fashion. Its history dates back to the ‘20s when women discarded corsets in favor of new brassieres. As this way of dressing progressed, it made way for the birth of bikinis in the ‘40s and mod, thigh-baring mini skirts in the ‘60s. However, it wasn’t until the ‘80 and ‘90s that sheer materials were worn in the form of cocktail dresses and knit tops, and not just by models on a runway, but by the fashion-forward few IRL. For example, when supermodel Kate Moss made a statement in a metallic slip dress in 1993 at an Elite Model Agency party in London. Meanwhile, in entertainment television, Carrie Bradshaw donned a skin-colored DKNY frock on a date with Mr. Big in season one in 1998, and society familiarized itself with the term “naked dressing.” The iconic Sex and the City dress wasn’t fully transparent, but it was a progressive style move that one could only see on an HBO show. Additionally, when Alber Elbaz showed his fall 1999 collection for Yves Saint Laurent’s Rive Gauche at Saks Fifth Avenue, which consisted of a sheer top sans bra, a natural progression of women showing more skin became clear.
