Going to the market for flowers or meeting friends in a fancy restaurant without pants is probably the assumption of many people’s worst nightmare. But thanks to the unwavering influence of the Jenner sisters and the luck of the TikTok trend cycle, forgoing pants in favor of see-through leggings is the latest trend to push the needle on the proverbial less is more.
So why are fashionable It girls like Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner ditching pants in favor of see-through leggings?
The look made headlines during Bottega Vennetta’s Spring 2023 ready-to-wear show in September. The runway model wore a knitted sweater, sheer black leggings and a pair of stiletto heels.
While sending models down the runway seemingly underdressed turned heads, model and 818 founder Kendall Jenner’s influence brought the look to For You (FYP) pages everywhere.
In November, Jenner was seen wearing the exact same look while leaving a shoot in Los Angeles.
Not to be outdone, her sister Kylie Jenner wore a similar version in September during Paris Fashion Week at the Loewe Spring/Summer 2023 fashion show.
The combination of the Jenner sisters’ penchant for virality and the insatiable pursuit of the next big thing on TikTok has led to a slew of users giving their own take on the no-pants trend.
“I first saw Kendall and I was like, ‘Wow,'” Stephanie Koutsoukos, a 27-year-old content creator and fan of the bare-body trend, tells Yahoo Life. “I thought, ‘Oh, this looks kind of cool.’ And so I thought, I’ll just try it out for my events tonight.”
Koutsoukos, who lives in New York and has almost 25,000 followers on TikTok, chose to pair the look with a Fendi swimsuit, an oversized blazer and chunky black heels. Her styling video for January has had over 4 million views and over 500,000 likes.
Risky looks of this caliber aren’t Koutsoukos’ typical style, but she hoped the daring ensemble would get her creative juices flowing again.
“I definitely prefer classic pieces, but I was in a bit of a bind so I decided to branch out and try this,” she says.
And since he works in the content creation space, bold looks are normal.
“People said it looked great, but [I was at] impact event. And I feel like in New York, at least, people come out in their clothes at these events,” she explains.
As expected, she received a few strange looks from people as she took photos before turning in for the night.
“When we were filming [photos] at Grand Central Station we got a few views. Nobody said anything, but people were definitely staring,” says Koutsoukos.
However, Koutsoukos plans to style the look differently.
“I’d probably do all black and then a really oversized dark brown blazer to balance it out, but I’d do it again,” she says. “I felt super confident.”
As the trend has taken off, others continue to try it and show it off on social media. Sandra Damian wanted to give her look a low-key outfit, but wasn’t sure if it would work on her body type.
“I haven’t seen anyone who’s tried it and had a curvier body like me,” Damian, a content creator based in California, tells Yahoo Life. “I thought, ‘OK, everyone I see wearing this trend has a very particular look, and I don’t really fit that look. So let’s see how it would work with someone who has a fuller, curvier figure.'”
Damian shared the look on TikTok, asking “Is it a fit or is she just skinny?”
While Damian ended up liking the trend with the right styling, in terms of wearability, she says it’s hard to pass up.
“Would I wear it again? Probably not. I understand why it appeals to some people because it’s different from all the baggy clothes people wear today. But is it practical? It’s not for me,” she says.
While it’s one thing for a trend to catch on on TikTok, the jury is still out on whether it will catch on with the general public.
Sierra Mayhew, fashion editor at Who What Wear, says it’s more likely to serve as a starting point for a similar but less risque look.
“Trends are a great way to get an overview of what people will be wearing,” Mayhew tells Yahoo Life. “I think people will wear short skirts and tights, and this trend is a more dramatic way to do that.”
However, he does not see that it will affect those outside the sphere of celebrities and influential people.
“When it comes to regular everyday consumers, it’s going to be more of something that inspires them to wear leggings and a micro mini or Daisy Duke shorts,” says Mayhew.
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