Saint Laurent AW24: Sheer sensuality

If you were hoping the sheer trend would quietly go away, I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news: it's staying. The good news? You may just change your mind once you've seen Saint Laurent's Autumn/Winter '24 collection.

This season, Anthony Vaccarello made the most convincing case for naked dressing we've seen in a while. Otherwise prim pussybow blouses and pencil skirts were sexed up in see-through mesh – a nod to a 1966 blouse from the YSL archives.

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There were draped, halterneck dresses made out of the same fabric, the only element of opacity obscuring the waist and bum but exposing nipples and thighs. The palette was subdued – ochre, caramel, khaki and navy – but the sultriness was not. Elsewhere, traditional motifs of sexiness were hinted at; a cobalt-blue knitted dress with integrated suspenders held up over-the-knee stockings.

And the coats, oh the coats. There were power-shouldered pea styles with nothing underneath, with sleek headwraps highlighting deep V necklines and statement earrings.

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Leather jackets were so glossy they looked as though they had been made from some kind of rubberised, scuba fabric. Marabou jackets offered considerable coverage when worn and practically none when held – they looked equally chic, either way.