The big reveal
Sex sells but is our current obsession with baring more skin a touch deeper than that? What if ‘The New Naked’ is less about sex and more about a desire to be seen? Covid-19 essentially forced us into hiding and the majority of 2020 was spent locked down at home. At its peak, leaving the house more than once a day was illegal and in an attempt to enforce this, new police powers were put into place - with catastrophic results. Whether you lived alone, with family, friends or your partner(s), over the course of the pandemic we all became a lot less visible.
Hundreds of articles from sexually frustrated and intimacy starved singles were published, think pieces dissecting the meaning of ‘self’ were circulated and the idea that perhaps we had all been performing this funny thing called ‘life’ percolated to the surface of our psyches. Because, who are we when we’re all alone? The external gaze is a powerful thing. Take it away, force us indoors with only our pyjamas for company and what are we left with? A whole lot of soul searching.
Fashion went into hiding too. As the industry (and the rest of the world) fell into chaos, real life runways were put on pause, production halted and designers went back to the drawing board. Without the glitz and glam of the catwalk, front row celeb spotting, street style hype and exclusive after parties, would Fashion Week retain it’s electric appeal? As Anders Christian Madsen wrote, ‘Funny thing about troubling times: they either make fashion fiercely forward-focused, or self-protective and inward-looking’ and in this case, designers opted for the insular latter. Inspiration comes from the world around us. Dramatically change that landscape for a prolonged period of time and designers’ inspirations are naturally going to change and, in turn, influence their collections. Loungewear turned luxe, everything doubled, no, tripled in size, craft techniques like crochet, patchwork and tie dye took over and, in an attempt to manifest a brighter future amongst the grey, rainbow colours burst back into popularity. It was comforting but painfully confined. A year and a major vaccine roll out later, we tentatively shed our protective cottage-core chrysalis to reveal, well, not very much at all underneath.
Freedom was immortalised in sheer fabrics, suggestive cut outs revealing snippets of skin, micro minis and to put it bluntly: a lot of tits and ass. More subtle than the Naked Dress of yore, this season nakedness didn’t equate to sex but to the self. The need to be seen, to be understood and accepted grew during our hibernation period and so for SS22, designers decided to strip us bare. Loewe spotlighted ‘the blank space’ with a line up of cut outs, exposed knees, midriffs on show and transparent breast plates. Sinead O’Dwyer played with fetish, dressing her models in more cut-out-than-not bodysuits, baby bloomer bottoms with surprising cheek slits and bondage inspired stockings revealing bare skin beneath. David Koma’s partywear was a riot of sheer fluorescent colour, exposed abs and peek-a-boo thigh moments that provoked intrigue. Models walked the runway dripping in sequins that almost (but not quite) concealed their naked bodies. Rejina Pyo and Christian Cowen revisited the 1991 Kate Moss Naked Dress, creating their own versions of the controversial piece that has once again infiltrated the Zeitgeist. With celebrities from Lizzo to Zoe Kravitz adopting the barely-there trend, the naked truth is this: less means a whole lot more post pandemic.
The clothes we wear (or don’t in this case) are a direct reaction to the times we’re living in. After months of feeling isolated, is it any wonder we want to feel as free as we possibly can? After 18 months of constriction, why would we wear clothes that feel the same? The rise and fall of the hemline has never been an innocent or isolated event. The length of our skirts is a constant cause and effect that evolves as we do with the world. Hemlines have risen, sleeves feel unnecessary and cut outs are commonplace. The power to decide how much (or little) of ourselves we reveal and the meaning we attach to that is monumental. Our bodies are our own and over lockdown, alone in our rooms, we learnt that the only gaze that matters is our own.
Feeling exposed? Good, that’s the point. The world has opened up once again and so have we. Lockdown forced us to go back to basics, stripped us of distractions and made us confront uncomfortable home truths and harsh realities we’d been avoiding. It was a time of reflection but now we’re ready to reintroduce ourselves to the world. The new naked is an invitation to be seen. A move away from the voyeur to an intimate and consensual look within. Whether you’re wearing less or keeping covered, none of us want to hide who we are anymore.