The underwear as the outerwear trend

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The underwear as the outerwear trend isn’t new, but the rate of adoption is now quite high particularly in the high fashion streets of the Milan, Paris, London. The celebrities keep on pushing it on the street as it is quite sultry in look and yet comfortable. This trend is still in its early stage, and we keep on noticing how the ace designers keep on inventing to make it work as the daily wear.

Kimono robe or a satin gown can be matched easily with jeans and tees as something casual, a chic item mixed into casual wear.

The camisole, bustier, slip dress are the known variation where the lace work as charm when combined with overcoat and Jeans on bottom- for making the design look sexy and yet wearable at the streets.

According to Sarah Shotton, creative director at lingerie retailer Agent Provocateur, says: “People increasingly want to subtly show off their lingerie and we are designing pieces to let them do that. But it’s not showing up for work in a pencil skirt and a bra; it’s about giving a hint of something.”

The bestselling bras at Agent Provocateur: Annoushka (£160), a halter-neck-style in delicate lace; the Jet (£110), which criss-crosses the décolletage; and the tulle and silk Demelza (£125). Prim and proper they are not, but each bra is designed to give just a hint of what lies beneath when fully clothed.

High-end fashion brands have been known to incorporate lingerie-like items and details into their collections, from Dolce & Gabbana's bodysuits and bustiers to A/W 2013 Louis Vuitton's slips, tap pants and dressing gowns, said Harrington, who also credits the popularity of burlesque and style icons like Dita von Teese with propelling the trend.

Some dedicated undergarment brands began flirting with outerwear out of necessity. When consumers started scaling back during the recession on luxury purchases like high-end lingerie, some designers began marketing intimates as crossover pieces.

Underwear as the outerwear ensemble ideas

  1. For night-time a black sheer blouse over a pretty bra top can be seductively elegant.
  2. Dresses and gowns that have a bustier or corset-style top create an elegant look for an evening event and add some glamour to the look.
  3. Bodysuits are easy to wear under a pencil skirt or pants for a modern look, it's a versatile piece that you can dress up or down.
  4. Lace and tulle tops add a boudoir touch and feel to any outfit and are very feminine.
  5. Corsets are timeless and a beautiful option to create definition. Invest in a made to measure corset to best fit your body type.

 

Lingerie’s as an outerwear category

underwear as outerwear trend
underwear as outerwear trend
Paris street - Lace blouse under silk robe

Lingerie as outerwear occupying the four main categories -

1-Basics of lingerie as outerwear, which are items like lace trimmed camisoles. They're versatile and functional and they look great on a variety of body types under a cardigan or blazer. Gold Hawk, Farr West, Honey Cooler Handmade and Natori all make beautiful, lacy camisoles.

2- Harnesses work great layered over tops and dresses, while bras with strappy details look great peeking out from under those same items. The go-to brands for this look include Marlies Dekkers, Playful Promises, Karolina Laskowska, Luxe Zaza and Hopeless Lingerie.

3- There are pieces like bustiers, longline bras, crop tops and corsets. Many of these pieces work just as well on their own as they do layered with something else. Fortnight and NOE Undergarments design beautiful longlines you don't have to be afraid to show off, while Angela Friedman and Dottie's Delights make some beautiful lace corsets that can double as outerwear.

4- Lace-trimmed slip under a dress or skirt. Some women even wear a sheer dress with a slip underneath, but if that's too adventurous

The Trends at Runways

The trend has many variations when intelligently mixed with silk, satin, lace, and tulle for the slip dresses, camisoles, bustier and bra top. The designer houses such as Rochas, No.21, Carven, Lanvin, Christian Dior at their SS17 runway shows explored the possibilities sensuous nature of humanity in their style.

The Persian Designers at Spring Summer 17 collections of Saint Laurent added lace top bra under sleeveless coat with trousers to create the style for the working women.

At the spring/summer 2014 collections shown in Paris in October, Stella McCartney mixed her crisp suiting with sensuous lace-trimmed slip dresses and camisoles. She wasn’t the only one to mix innerwear and outerwear.

There were bra-tops at Prada, Isabel Marant and Dolce & Gabbana, an endless parade of see-through lace at Burberry; fishnet body stockings worn by melancholy Vegas showgirls at Louis Vuitton; big underwear-revealing skirts at Giambattista Valli; and layers upon layers of sheer everywhere from Balenciaga to Calvin Klein Collection.

The trend has even crossed over to the high street. “Outerwear and lingerie will intertwine further next season,” says Soozie Jenkinson, head of lingerie design at Marks and Spencer. “Clothing trends on the catwalks for spring will demand a variety of lingerie solutions.” This, she says, ranges from “look at me” items such as longline bralets and camisoles to skin-tone pieces designed to do a disappearing act under sheer fabric.