Yes, curves can cut it in sheer
The catwalks are awash with sexy, diaphanous looks. Fashion editor Sophie Dearden was intrigued ‒ could this see-through style work on a real body, in real life?
Every so often a look comes along that shouldn’t be as popular as it is. Scrunchies. Barbie as a fashion icon. Neon. This season the tricky trend is sheer ‒ because who wants to embrace transparent clothing unless you’re a fashion model, right? Wrong. Find the right pieces and see-through styles can be deeply flattering on any figure. As the owner of a rather sizeable bottom, a very prominent bust and all the other bits that sit between, I understand that this last statement may take a while to digest. After all, for years us curvy women have been dressing following the principle that it’s best to disguise our biggest bits.
Well, I’m here to tell you to sack this way of thinking. Need convincing? OK, let’s take this season’s other go-to trend, 90s baggy, as proof. I bought a pair of white Good American jeans in The Outnet Christmas sale (sizing up in order to nail the slouchy jean cut) and wore them twice only to be told by both my mother and boyfriend
FOR THE OFFICE
I should be clear at this point that I come from a ‘naked’ household. That is to say, I am not shy about skin on show or being bold when it comes to wearing revealing clothing. However, there is something about waiting for lifts under harsh lighting that makes you want to wrap your arms around your body and hide. I knew the office would be the environment in which the sheer trend would prove the most challenging.
To begin with I experimented with a leopard-print shirt from Next but it was too thin. I’d promised myself that I would wear all my sheer pieces à la catwalk (with nothing underneath except underwear) but that was never going to work with this top – I may as well have been sitting at my desk in just my bra. I felt exposed and uncomfortable. As
I say, I’m not shy, so I don’t think many women would opt for this design without a camisole underneath.
I then tried on a snake-print blouse from River Island with a ruffle down the front – hoping the frill would give me extra cover. I also sized up, which I highly recommend because the folds and billows reduce the see-through factor. I paired the top with loose trousers (I can’t fully abandon my baggy obsession), which made the look feel less ‘evening-y’.
VERDICT: SHEER JOY
I felt incredibly comfortable in the River Island blouse – even in an open-plan office. The bold print, thick-ish fabric and ruffle detail all felt as though they protected my modesty enough for me to go about my day without traumatising the accounts department. that they looked deeply unflattering. I wouldn’t listen and donned them to a YOU magazine cover photo shoot (surrounded by mirrors all day) and it turns out my critics were right. The loose-fitting denim added pounds to my already bottom-heavy physique and ‒ together with the oversized knit I had picked to go with the jeans – the effect was less insouciant, more soufflé.
It was clearly time to give sexy another go. But could I pull off the diaphanous look in public without getting arrested for indecent exposure? Was the world ready for my 34DD boobs in barely there fabrics?
I took comfort from this season’s catwalks where gauzy clothing was showcased on bigger models. It’s a move we also saw last season when plus-size women took to the runways dressed in revealing cutouts, straps and mesh.
My challenge was to pick sheer outfits – for the office, a lunch with my parents, a girls’ night out and a wedding – that would neither scare the catering staff nor land me with a written warning from HR.
Here’s what I learned…
GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT
This time I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone so I tried on a beautiful flowing maxiskirt by Free People. It wasn’t a good look. The see-through material clung mercilessly to my thighs (my least favourite body part) while the pleated bottom (the skirt’s, not mine) directed attention to my sturdy quads. To balance out my silhouette I paired it with a short-sleeve jumper but the change of fabric at the waist only drew attention back to my legs.
I moved on to an Asos elasticated body teamed with black trousers. This felt less
TO A WEDDING
Rule number one is not to upstage the bride. So a see-through frock? I wasn’t sure.
I went for a long, printed purple dress from my go-to label Rat & Boa. A seamless nude thong was purchased as I decided invisible knickers would work better than big pants.
I felt fantastic: just the ideal amount of sexy. The dress skimmed in all the right places and was revealing without being transparent. The hitch (no pun intended) came during the revealing than my sheer office shirt, perhaps something to do with the ruching, which was sexy without being compromising. I opted for a semi-sheer bra as this somehow looked less obvious than a full-coverage style. For the record: I tried a fully sheer bra (they’re all the rage with Gen Z). Absolutely not! Full areola is where I draw the line.
VERDICT: SHEER HELL
If I had pencil-thin legs I would happily strut my stuff in the Free People skirt but it felt too much. I didn’t want to be self-conscious and the Asos body struck a better balance.
photos when my boyfriend Josh stood protectively in front of me, gesticulating strangely. I was mortified when I realised that the dress’s modesty patches had failed in the sunshine and friends and relatives could see my boobs and bottom in all their resplendent glory. I scuttled into the shade and avoided spotlights in the evening.
VERDICT: SHEER MADNESS
Love, love this dress, but failure to try out the effect in different lighting was a schoolgirl error.