Trend alert SS23: Peekaboo Bra

Exposed bras conquer Cannes. We are not talking about the bralettes that peek sensuously out from under blazers or that, as Irina Shayk demonstrated in Mowaolola, are a trick to make the naked dress easier to wear, but a pair of suspenders and a few inches of fabric peeking out over the neckline of the dress. Yes, the very thing that until recently we chalked up to wardrobe malfunction" is now becoming the trendiest detail of the moment on the Croisette. The first to wear the look was Sydney Sweeney, who was spotted leaving the Hôtel Martinez in a tight milk-coloured slip dress by Miu Miu, layered over a light blue satin bra. The neckline of the dress was so low that it exposed the top of the bra cups, creating a decidedly sensual layered effect. The styling idea was also picked up shortly afterwards by Scarlett Johansson, who attended the premiere of Asteroid City in a pretty pink Prada column dress that was strapless and held together at the waist by a thin tone-sur-tone belt from which a retro white look emerged. The result was somewhat reminiscent of the 1950s twist dresses Dolce & Gabbana offered in the 1990s. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Cindy Bruna's tops also followed this new trend. The former added a gold sequined bra to her Fendi from the SS23 haute couture collection, while the latter opted for a multicoloured Vivienne Westwood dress with an open corset. Elsa Hosk took it a step further, wearing a quirky and decidedly surreal Viktor & Rolf ball gown that revealed a nude bodysuit.

From Alexander McQueen's "bumster" jeans to the "whale tail" thongs that protrude from the trousers, as in Gucci by Tom Ford's SS97, Jean Paul Gaultier's conical bras in the 1990s and Kendall Jenner, who roamed the streets of Los Angeles in Bottega Veneta's no pants version, underwear worn as outerwear, mischievously revealing a glimpse of the body's curves and bare skin, is a trend that cyclically comes back into fashion. The peekaboo bra is also not a styling invention of the Cannes 2023 divas; Chanel recently proposed it for Resort 2024; Kim Jones for Fendi's SS23 haute couture (worn by Song Hye Kyo at the Met Gala and Zoe Saldana at the Oscars); while in previous seasons the peekaboo bra has been proposed by Bottega Veneta, Ludovic de Saint Sernin, Givenchy and Versace. The Medusa brand often brought it to the catwalk, as did Dolce & Gabbana, but the real heyday of the bra peeking mischievously out of dresses was the 1990s. In the decade of minimalism and grunge, it was a must-have in the collections of Blumarine, Narciso Rodriguez, Betsey Johnson, Isaac Mizrahi and many others.

Before Cannes, Lily had worn the exposed bra in a bright green dress by Miu Miu without garnering much positive criticism, but Bella Hadid and Khloé Kardashian had also done so. Among the biggest fans of this style detail who dared to flaunt it, even if it was considered "tasteless"," are certainly Monica Bellucci (in a series of Dolce & Gabbana looks, of course), Amy Winehouse, burlesque queen Dita Von Teese and Nicki Minaj.