Being transparent isn't for the faint of heart. In an emotional sense, it's tough to bear it all and expose yourself. When it comes to personal style, it's somewhat of the same—only instead of honest declarations and secrets revealed, see-through fabrics provide a literal glimpse at the real you.
But with 2024's sheer skirt trend, transparency doesn't have to be a nerve-wracking challenge that zaps all your courage. Think of it more like an endeavor in strategic styling and one that has actually been a part of the fashion zeitgeist for centuries.
Kate Moss's slinky slip in 1993 spawned an early naked dress movement, the effects of which are still visible today— like Miley Cyrus’ Grammys chain dress, Rihanna wearing a mere 230,000 Swarovski crystals and nothing else to the 2014 CFDA Awards and the inspiration list goes on.
Rewinding the fashion clock back even further, French women popularized the semi-transparent robe en chemise at the turn of the nineteenth century. Marie Antoinette, ever the incendiary figure, caused quite the stir with her gossamer gowns.
But this year's sheer trend differs from those of the '90s by focusing specifically on skirts (rather than dresses or tops) and making room for nuance, which isn't always the case with bare-it-all trends. There's room for interpretation and personal preference as seen on the runways.
Prada's Spring 2024 collection proposes "an absolute freedom of the body expressed in lightweight dresses in floaty fabrics," according to the show notes. What fabric there was included extraordinarily crafted chiffons also in airy pencil skirts and versions with crystallized swirls. Meanwhile, Givenchy's spring doubled as a celebration of the same chiffon fabrics, featuring translucent skirts in hand-painted floral prints and wrap-around sarong silhouettes, while London-based designer Erdem coupled peek-a-boo lace bottoms with colorful leather jackets.
As you can see, there is no styling rubric to abide by with a see-through skirt. "They’re almost like a blank canvas: there are endless ways to style a [see-through skirt], especially if you opt for something simpler," the celebrity styling duo Danielle O'Connell and Alix Gropper tell Marie Claire. This is a summer trend that encourages imagination.
Unsurprisingly, the A-list street style set has already mastered the liberated look. When there's a sultry-meets-sophisticated trend percolating, the one and only Bad Gal RiRi is obviously involved: Rihanna endorsed the sheer skirt trend earlier this spring in a gauzy black skirt from Dior's Spring 2003 archive, paired with a leather blazer and her signature unbothered attitude.
Dakota Johnson's see-through outfit, still warm from Gucci's Cruise 2025 runway show, displayed her canary yellow undergarments with no apologies, while Katie Holmes's lace skirt used an ornate floral pattern to make her sheer set look, well, less see-through.
But for the non-A-list crew, who perhaps don’t have the gumption to bare it all in a diaphanous designer skirt, the stylists have a tip to make the trend more wearable. "Something important to keep in mind when styling a sheer skirt is what you're putting underneath; the undergarments can be a seamless extension of the skirt and blend right in," O’Connell and Gropper say, shouting out Commando's Classic Control Thong as a go-to.
However, if you are feeling as daring as Johnson and want your cheeky briefs peeking out from below, go for it. Treat summer 2024 as the season to experiment.
To open your mind to a new way of naked dressing, find an assortment of sheer skirt outfits below and tips from O’Connell and Gropper on styling one of your own. Keep scrolling for a few suggestions on stepping out as your whole self, ranging from the full frontal to the subtly see-through.
Diaphanous Drama
Lightweight gauzy skirts were made popular in the Spring 2024 collections by Peter Do, Prada, Dior, Altuzarra, and Ermanno Scervino, to name a few, and as a front-running street style trend. O’Connell and Gropper view see-through skirts made from fine fabrics like chiffon and organza as a welcome breath of fresh air. "It’s exciting to have a new variation of bottoms trending and to have an option outside of just jeans and trousers," they say, recommending you style one with a chunky turtleneck or a basic button-down shirt and your best loafers.
See-Through Prints
If a fully transparent style is a bit too bold for you, a printed skirt made of lace or a breezy cotton anglaise provides more coverage. As for styling a printed see-through skirt, O’Connell and Gropper encourage a clash of grunge and girlish aesthetics: "We’d put an edgier spin on it to give a feminine-meets-masculine feel, starting with an oversized vintage tee and leather jacket, then paired with scrunched socks, and a pair of sneakers."
Bare It All—But Better
Double down on the translucent skirt's main character energy by adding some sparkle into the mix. O'Connell and Gropper admit they're partial to sequined skirts, shouting out Miu Miu's Crystal Low Waist Tube Skirt as "the epitome of 'cool girl'" styling.
Whether you get your hands on Miu Miu's or not, the styling duo advises pairing a high-shine skirt with more casual separates. "To give the skirt another life, we would also style it with a simple white tank top (pro tip: boys XL Hanes tanks!) and a black oversized blazer," says O'Connell.
Protective Panels
For those intrigued by transparency but perhaps not yet at the stage of a full nude illusion, a pre-layered option is a less risky choice. Sandy Liang offers a silhouette with a built-in mini on top, whereas Vince strategically layers one underneath an airy pencil skirt.
A pre-layered skirt does most of the outfit's heavy lifting, so O’Connell and Gropper advise you to keep the rest of your look relatively simple. A heel and a cropped cardigan or a boot and leather jacket are all they say you need.
