Item of the week: the panties

What it is:

If there was one fashion garment that has really held its ground over the
last few seasons it was none other than the panty. Starting with a splash
in Miu Miu’s AW23 show, and later infiltrating the collections of other
designers for SS24, panties have been everywhere. And the styling
variations are surprisingly vast. The piece can be worn as a visible
underlayer for sheer clothing, peeking out over waistbands or as the sole
pant choice itself, with all options being entirely visible in the most
recent runway season.

Why you’ll want it:

The rise of the panty can be attributed to the ever-favoured
lingerie-as-outerwear trend that regularly sweeps the fashion world, and
has recently seen an evolution as designers and brands begin to steer
towards body positive designs that allow women to take control of their own
bodies. This has allowed panties to no longer be defined solely as items
that should be hidden away, and instead see them become a widely-accepted
wardrobe staple that bends to the wearer’s desires – allowing them to
reclaim their own femininity.

Where we’ve seen it:

As aforementioned, the panty could be seen on an array of runways for SS24.
In many cases, the garment was utilised under sheer overlays, including
lace dresses – as seen at Simone Rocha, Erdem and Carolina Herrera – or
chiffon-like materials – present at Patrick McDowell, Coperni and Givenchy.
In other collections, the panty was spotted as an added detail to statement
pants. While the piece was subtly visible behind Diesel’s highly popular,
leather logo belt, a similarly branded design peeked out of a pair of
heavily embellished jeans at Versace. Bottega Veneta, Acne Studios and
Luar, among many others, however, opted to let the panty speak for itself,
styling the piece as a standalone garment with tops that completed the look
in either a casual or elegant way.

How to style it:

As is now evident, the panty currently has a stronghold on fashion, seeing
its evolution steer it in a multitude of different styling directions.
Taking cues from designers, the piece is likely to be most popular among
consumers as an underlayer to a sheer dress. For this, a high-waisted
iteration of the design can bring a vintage-inspired element to the look,
with a matching bralet helping to tie the outfit together. Alternatively,
for those a little more daring in their approach, high waisted panties can
also be suitable alone, paired with oversized shirts or a flashy top for an
effortless nighttime look.

Panties are the unlikely hero to the SS24 wardrobe, coming in hot from the
previous season to only grow in popularity and status among the fashion
crowd. Straying far and wide from the days where undergarments were subject
to cover ups, now this lingerie piece is getting some fresh air, out in the
open for all those looking to reclaim their body.