Exposed bras and unitards are becoming a growing trend in fashion, with underwear increasingly worn as outerwear, from crystal balconettes on the catwalk to mankinis at parkruns.
Catwalk trend: bra-as-top
In recent shows, Fendi had models striding the catwalk wearing skirts with matching bras, where the bras served as the tops. The bra-as-top has become an established trend, creeping up over time with glimpses of bra beneath unbuttoned shirts.
At Erdem's London fashion show, crystal bras were worn over the top of shirts. Various types of bras are being reimagined as outerwear, including tube bras, bandage bras, and bralettes.
Unitards for men
Meanwhile, unitards are becoming popular for men. The single-piece "speedsuit" favoured by some elite athletes has started to work its way down to the amateur runner.
While speedsuits may enhance performance to some degree at a professional level, they are not going to do much to improve a parkrun time. An amateur marathon runner told the Wall Street Journal: "You have to have some level of audacity to wear one. And I think I have that audacity."
Historical roots
The underwear as outerwear idea has been around for a while. Corsetry was a popular fashion trope in the 1990s, as were slip dresses. While superheroes like Superman wore their pants on the outside, there is no evidence it ever caught on with the wider public.
