This spring, going sheer doesn't mean dressing like a 1980s video vixen. Forget raunchy and think romantic -- ethereal chiffon floral dresses at Roberto Cavalli, sheer organza color-blocking at Jil Sander and Venetian brocades encased in sheer netting, as if in soft focus, at Dolce & Gabbana.
Yves Saint Laurent put sheer on the style map in 1968, when his collection of barely there chiffon blouses hit the runways at the height of the sexual revolution. In her 1984 "Like a Virgin" video, Madonna played peekaboo in a white lace and chiffon gown. The lingerie look took off then and surfaced again in the mid-'90s when the slip-dress was a trend.
Today's styles may be more conservative, but don't be fooled: They are no easier to wear.
"You really have to spend time playing with it to see what works on you," says Mary Alice Stephenson, a stylist who's know for creating polished, uptown looks for such celebrities as Drew Barrymore, Penelope Cruz and Gisele Bundchen.
Liquidy, light, feminine -- sheer is an important look in the stylist's spring repertoire. But sheer, Stephenson says, can be disastrous if done wrong: "It's about looking like a lady and not a slut."
Easier said than done.
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Is it really possible to look sophisticated in a see-through outfit?
Absolutely. But the truthful answer is that most women in America don't do it well. You can't wear sheer like you're on the cover of FHM. You have to pair the look with ladylike pieces that you already have in your wardrobe. Put a sheer top under a tuxedo jacket or a big, lightweight sweater. Belt a sheer little dress over a camisole and boy shorts. And you can double layer too. It's about wearing sheer pieces like you'd wear a piece of normal clothing, only more elegantly.
I do not exactly have the body of Kate Moss. How can I make sheer work with my curves?
I don't think there are rules for weight. No matter what, if you're going to wear sheer, you'd better wear it with confidence. It takes guts and a sense of personal style. Curvier women like support so I suggest wearing a corset, bra or fitted T-shirt underneath. Do it a la Dolce & Gabbana with a pencil skirt and sheer blouse over a bustier. The reality is it's very difficult to get away with sheer. It's easier if you incorporate it as a layering piece within an outfit.
Does sheer work on all ages too?
