It appears the motto of this year’s Paris Fashion Week (PFW) is to let your bra go.
Women’s Spring/Summer PFW collections ran from Sept. 25 to Oct. 1 at the Palais de Tokyo, featuring celebrities dressed to impress. PFW showcases high fashion brands like Dior, Yves Saint Laurent (YSL), and Miu Miu in an attempt to highlight their individuality and artistic styles through clothing and accessories. Throughout 2024, the nipple has become a statement accessory piece d through PFW.
“Free the Nipple” is a feminist slogan born in the digital age, which advocates to de-stigmatize the nipple, removing double standards between nudity for men and women, and encouraging body positivity and gender expression. This ideology seems to have intrinsically tied itself into modern fashion trends.
Throughout history, women’s fashion argues for a modest and chaste form of expression, turning women’s bodies into something to be homogenized, covered up, and hidden away. However, the current Women’s Spring/Summer Collections embrace female nudity and symbolize a new form of sex positivity and gender expression within the fashion scene. This transition within fashion demonstrates changing gender norms and sexual expectations within society by inviting a focus on women’s sexual liberation.
The Fall/Winter PFW collections, which ran earlier this year from Feb. 26 to March 5, transformed the runway into a canvas where nipples took centre stage. Designers embraced sheer fabrics, with dresses and tops that flirted with transparency, inviting a bold celebration of the human form. This approach, while more mainstream these days, challenges traditional fashion norms and invites viewers to reconsider notions of modesty and sensuality.
Actresses and models such as Zoë Kravitz, Olivia Wilde, Nailea Devora, Ebony Riley, and Georgia May Jagger made bold statements by confidently embracing the “free the nipple” movement, both on and off the runway. This daring fashion choice transcended beyond those initial appearances and carried over into last week’s Paris Fashion Week, sparking discussions among fashion critics about the decline of traditional norms and challenging the boundaries of modesty in modern fashion.
Kravitz stunned the audience this past PFW in a completely transparent YSL sheer minidress, sporting black underwear underneath. Nina Ricci’s bold silhouette caricatures placed breasts at the front and centre. Victoria Beckham’s designs involved sheer, wrinkled, flowing tops that gave off the transparency of a wet piece of fabric. Luxury brand Vetements encouraged bare looks as well, and pushing the envelope further was pregnant model Carmen Kass who strutted the runway in a see-through bra and skirt.
Women being told to dress modestly and “cover up” is a tale as old as time. Almost every girl I know, including myself, has been dress-coded in one way or another during their school-aged years. Clearly, women around the world are tired of having their bodies and clothing policed. Inviting women’s nudity to the runway encourages open mindedness surrounding women’s bodies and fashion. Women reclaiming their breasts and bodies combats the sexualization of women’s bodies that’s all too common.
The baring of the nipple means liberating women’s bodies from the oppressive rules and structures that have been sewn throughout history. Sex-positive fashion is all abuzz currently, but there’s still a long way to go on the journey of reclaiming women’s bodies, as most women can’t free the nipple without breaking an indecency law or experiencing some sense of shame by their community.
Fashion is about trying new things, being creative, and expressing yourself. My hope is for fashion to one day encom personal freedom and individuality. Hopefully, freeing the nipple and sex positivity will continue trending amongst large designer names and in turn, encourage everyday fashion to become a more inclusive and accepting place for women of all backgrounds, shapes, and sizes.
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