Sheer / see through clothing fashion trend

Sometimes revealing but more often used as an alluring and highlighting accent, sheer has become something of an ever green fashion trend. That’s something of a achievement given that when we first featured the statement look on Fashionising.com the general response was that it was impractical and that most women wouldn’t dare to wear it. But times have changed, and sheer not only remains on-trend but is also one of the statements to make amongst autumn / fall 2011′s fashions and, we suspect, again in 2012′s fashions.
After the break we’ll take you through this key women’s trend, showing you how it’s being worn and giving you tips on how to wear it yourself, and highlighting who’s designing it and where you can buy it.

The sheer fashion trend now

5 years ago when sheer entered the scene as a risqué trend, it was largely confined to tops and blouses. Since then it’s extended to everything from pants (not very successfully) to dresses and skirts (to great success). At the start of the trend’s life it was all about sheer as a statement in of itself. In 2011 / 2012 several new themes have been introduced that make better use of the trend:

• Effortless: loose and flowing, relaxed sheer pieces that look as if they’ve been nonchalantly thrown-on. Often these are the likes of relaxed sheer shirts that are juxtaposed against masculine tailored pieces.
• Austere, structured pieces: 2011 introduced sheers that are almost fetishist in their austerity from stiff organza to clear plastic. Louis Vuitton and Givenchy were key players in this space for fall 2011.
• Highly feminine: fabrics like lace (though moving away from the stretch lace of past seasons, 2011 / 2012 is all about high quality structured lace), chiffon and netting, often with a softly 1960s or 1970s twist.

While not limited to those themes, they do highlight a major difference to the trend now as opposed to when it first arose: it’s no longer just about sheer for the sake of sheer, but also about using sheer in supporting and creating thematic trend-based looks.

How to wear it: the #1 rule

As a statement look for 2011 and 2012 the question really isn’t whether to wear sheer clothing or not, it’s how to wear it. Some will argue with that and it’s likely that such people will be imaging the breast-baring, sheer fashion of the catwalks – but remember that it doesn’t have to be worn that way. Thus the question arises as to how you want to wear it. And here’s the number one tip for doing just that:
Sheer fashion is about showing something off. Sometimes it’s a sheer fabric layered over a nice cloth, but more often then not sheer is about showing off skin. Like all things in fashion, that means when you’re wearing sheer don’t do it to shock but to flatter – wear sheer to show off a great asset.
If you’ve got great arms that could mean sheer sleeves. A great midriff? There’s sheer for that. From plunging necklines to backless dresses there’s a sheer interpretation of it, thus no reason not to be wearing the statement this year as long as you have something worth showing off. Once you’ve decided what to hide and what to reveal, you can theme your pieces accordingly.

Sheer fashion in autumn / fall 2011

3 interpretations of sheer clothing for autumn 2011 from ADAM (L), Louis Vuitton (M) and Emilio de la Morena (R)

• Unlike in the warmer months, sheer fabric is used in winter as an accent / embellishment – think sheer panels across the chest or midriff – or as a component for layering
• There are those who have bucked this style, however, for full sheer looks instead. Gucci are a big proponent, marrying it with a 70s fashion vibe
• Given dark colours lend themselves best to colder months, it should come as no surprise to find that black is the most common sheer colour in fall / winter 2011.
• Double the effect of the statement: clear plastic overcoats are in and you’ll find them available from the likes of Burberry Prorsum and Louis Vuitton

You can see more pictures of the sheer fashion trend as interpreted on the autumn /winter 2011 catwalks by clicking on the thumbnails above and browsing through the gallery.

Sheer fashion in spring / summer 2011

3 interpretations of sheer clothing for summer 2011 from Jaime Lee (M) and Alice McCall (L,R)

• Sheer is all about soft, light colours for spring / summer 2011, particularly white
• Summer clothing is often light enough, so if you’d like to avoid fully sheer clothing consider clever designs such as Alice McCall’s half hatching, white summer dress where the squares between the hatching are sheer. It’s pictured above
• Black sheer pieces have largely remained the domain of maxi dresses for summer

You can see more pictures of the sheer fashion trend as interpreted on the spring / summer 2011 catwalks by clicking on the thumbnails above and browsing through the gallery.

Related to sheer

So popular has the sheer fashion trend been that it has created its own sub-trend: the sheer maxi dress trend. In fashion in both spring / summer 2011 and autumn / winter 2011, you can find out more and look over styling inspiration photos by following the link.

Sheer / see through clothing styling inspiration

What follows is a list of links to photo shoots, catwalk reviews and street style photos designed to give you ideas for how to style the sheer clothing trend for yourself. The most recent examples of the fashion statement are at the top of the list.