Underwear trends for spring-summer 2023

Lingerie is reclaiming its place beyond the private sphere and becoming the star of our looks during the day too. Thongs are emerging from trousers, bras are becoming the new tops, culottes are peeking out from nude dresses, leotards are now a must-have, stockings are returning to dress up legs and slip dresses are coming back from the 1990s. Call it Boudoircore and get ready to flaunt underwear like never before by taking inspiration from the catwalks dedicated to SS23, but know that the trend will continue into the winter months. Dolce&Gabbana is the absolute reference with its riot of suspenders, culottes, bodysuits, corsets and bras, but Miu Miu, Burberry, Versace, Christopher Kane and many other brands could not resist the sensuality of lace, transparencies and babydolls are also following suit.

Here are the most important underwear trends that will define spring-summer 2023, but also the following months.

The triangle bra

Covered with glitter, sheer, transparent, lace, plain, flowered, leather, silk, ... it does not matter. The only thing that matters is that it's triangular. Let us say goodbye to the Wonderbra forever, put a triangle bra on our shopping list and learn how to wear it like on the SS23 catwalks, under sheer dresses to give power suits a twist or as a top paired with maxi skirts and loose-fitting trousers. Looking for inspiration? Just look at the images from the Tom Ford, Ester Manas, Sandy Liang, Laquan Smith and Ludovic de Saint Sernin collections.

Petticoats and babydolls

The minimalist aesthetic of the 1990s meets grandmother's classic nightgown. The result is sophisticated and pretty petticoats and babydolls. The important thing is that you flaunt them casually and confidently. If you want to minimise the boudoir effect, you can always combine them with simpler, more severe pieces. If you are looking for ideas on how to wear them, take a look at the SS23 collections from Sportmax, Versace, Burberry, Paco Rabanne, Coperni, Tibi and Prada.

The maxi pants

Maxi pants, preferably high-waisted, made eight appearances with sheer or stocking-only dresses, sans trousers, from No.21, Emilia Wickstead, Molly Goddard, Miu Miu, Jason Wu, Chanel, Max Mara and many other brands. The reason? They are the perfect alternative to the thong and convey a conscious, sensual but not ostentatious femininity. The mood to create is that of the 90s collections of Dolce&Gabbana and a little less Bridget Jones.

The opaque tights

First there was Kendall Jenner, walking the streets of Los Angeles in late December without pants, wearing a crew-neck jumper, culottes and opaque stockings, in an SS23 outfit by Bottega Veneta. Then it was Miu Miu's turn, who presented outfits for FW23 in which tights played the absolute leading role, so much so that they appeared over skirts. Indeed, it's been a while since this long-neglected garment for showing off bare legs has returned, in a variety of colors and overlays, from Louis Vuitton's lace tights to Valentino's logoed tights. However, we advise you to go for the simplest model, the black one we saw in the SS23 collections by Alaïa, Monot, Ferragamo and Patou.

Nipple covers and micro bras

Nipple covers and micro bras are definitely the most playful, irreverent, sexy and powerful trend of the coming months. That's right, bows, flowers, fruits, hearts and jewellery will not only adorn our breasts in the cold season, but unexpectedly in the winter months as well. How much we cover or reveal and with what style depends on our mood and outfit. Acne Studios goes for the Coquette aesthetic with pink bows; anthuriums and roses bloom at Loewe, David Koma and Puppets & Puppets; Vivetta, Ann Demeulemeester and AC9 choose the delicacy of hearts and feathers respectively, while Gucci and Moschino prefer the bling-bling effect.

The thong

In the wake of the return of the low waist, more and more outfits are allowing the slip and logo elastic to show off like an accessory. As such, the trend of letting the thong and G-string stand out from outfits is infecting celebrities like Bella Hadid and Dua Lipa, and the hashtag #whaletail is garnering views on TikTok. Although the most iconic model of all time remains the one Tom Ford wore on the runway for Gucci's spring 1998 collection, there are many brands offering it for 2023: from Jacquemus to KNWLS, from Nensi Dojaka to Supriya Lele, from Andreadamo to Giambattista Valli.

Stockings

Boudoircore is the keyword. Ultra-sexy outfits and exposed lingerie dominate the catwalks and halterneck dresses are the key accessory for this aesthetic, especially when they are in black and sheer, as we saw in the SS23 collections by Marco Rambaldi, Versace, Luar and Dilara Findikoglu.

Lace

Fashion has been falling in love with lace again for a few seasons now, choosing it for both dresses and lingerie, adding a touch of romance and sensuality to tights, bras, slips, leotards, catsuits and babydolls. It is often combined with satin or silk and declined in classic black and white, but also in pastel shades. It seems that no brand can resist the eternal allure of the sheer and has incorporated lace into its creations. A few examples? Prabal Gurung, Christopher Kane, Area, Dior and Burberry.