Sheer Abandon

I'm a New York girl by birth, but London Fashion Week is one of my favorites-- I love to check out wicked British style. Plenty of wearable looks were exhibited last week, but one trend in particular caught my eye. The Fug girls blogged about a trend seen on a few runways in New York that jumped the pond to London-- and the Brits took it and ran wild. Nearly every designer sent out totally sheer creations. While some New York designs revealed models' underthings, most Brits left nothing to the imagination. Vivienne Westwood even threw all caution to the proverbial wind and sent a model out topless!

Now I'm all for innovative fashion, but I don't know how many women are going to sport these transparent tops-- or if it's even legal in some places to do so! Fortunately, if you want to play a little peekaboo, some London designers crafted sweetly sheer looks that are a bit on the shy side. That way you can show a little skin, without going over (or without!) the top.

Jasper Conran showed a sheer dress that may work better as a tunic. This would be adorable over colored leggings or skinny jeans.

Thank goodness! Emma Cook's peekaboo grey frock is dark enough to hide the unmentionables.

Erdem unveiled a more straight-laced take on the trend: plenty of frilly ruffles to make see-through seem ladylike.But my favorite sheer look was this frothy confection by Jenny Packham: wisps of cotton candy fabric are ever-so-subtly sheer, but not enough to make you blush.

For more London Fashion Week coverage - and to see my eco-fashion versions of the trends - head over to Green Cotton!

*All photos courtesy of NYMag.com