From the runway: Clever cover-ups

The new season means creative ways to master layers that show as much as they hide

New York FASHION WEEK FEBRUARY 2018
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Transparency is a trend that never really goes away – and for autumn/winter, it is once more about showing off what hides beneath. Refreshingly, though, this is not about skin; in fact, quite the opposite. This autumn will be all about using an over layer to draw attention to what’s underneath.

Tory Burch offers a feminine slant, piling transparent volume over a simple shift dress. Actually, this dress is built as one, but cleverly gives the appearance of a well thought-out look. Elisabetta Franchi adds a dash of Italian glamour with a net dress deliberately slashed to the waist to show off bold mustard tights.

Bare skin would be contrived for this, but Franchi’s option of opening a dress to show off knee-high boots and opaque tights is fresh and modern. Givenchy, meanwhile, opts for a different approach altogether, using long silken fringing to partly cover the body. Worn over a simple shirt and trousers, the swaying filaments – that will hide or reveal with every step – create a stylish peek-a-boo effect.

Stella McCartney delivers a pretty layer over a long-sleeved stretchy underdress (covered in a bold print drawn from 1960s painting). Softened by the fluid nude tulle and lace, both the colour and the silhouette of the dress become pretty and feminine. Not surprisingly, it falls to Gucci to have the most ingenious approach, using a suit bag – complete with zip and brand tag – as a see-through cover, worn over a sparkly dress and faux fur coat. Wildly impractical, but guaranteed to turn heads.

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