In the rain with transparent outerwear

This year, fashion has taken its passion for exhibitionism to the next level, first with the layering trend, then with transparent outerwear. During the latest Fashion Weeks, the runways were teeming with pristine white trench coats and raincoats, featuring glossy or matte finishes that revealed the outfits underneath, or even thin taffeta suits in pastel-colored palettes. The designers’ inspiration wasn’t so much the vintage look of Paddington Bear or the edgy style of Patrick Bateman—though both are noteworthy fits—but rather a whole new aesthetic. Rooted in 90s minimalism, it takes a stylistic direction that’s never been explored before. For summer rains—which, incidentally, are becoming increasingly intense in urban areas—fashion has devised jackets and trench coats that shield wearers from the cold and wet without compromising the effort put into crafting the outfit underneath. At Cecilie Bahnsen and Simone Rocha, for example, raincoats took on a romantic twist: the former, created in collaboration with The North Face, is all black and adorned with floral appliqués, while the latter is pure white with flowers “hidden” within the fabric itself.

Simon Rocha SS25

Cecilie Bahnsen x The North Face SS25

Rick Owens SS25

Dries Van Noten SS25

Anteprima SS25

Del Core SS25

Marie Adam Leenaerdt SS25

Mugler SS25

Denzil Patrick SS25

Hermés SS25

Issey Miyake SS25

Dries Van Noten SS25

Khaite SS25

In Paris, Dries Van Noten and Rick Owens explored a more utilitarian dimension of transparent fashion, with raincoats designed to be worn over colorful shirts for weather protection or thin layers layered over other semi-transparent fabrics for a ghostly vibe. See-through garments reappeared on the runway at Anteprima, Del Core, and Marie Adam-Leenaerdt, taking the form of pink veil jackets, sea-green tunics paired with matching trousers, or, in the case of the emerging Belgian designer, ultra-fitted nude-colored trench coats with high necks and ankle-grazing lengths. Like Khaite, Denzil Patrick also embraced pastel hues, with pastel blue materializing on cardigans, while Issey Miyake showcased a standout piece of transparent outerwear: a beige look crafted with thin layers evoking the silhouette of a beekeeper’s outfit. Transparent details even made their way to Hermés, where the house adapted the style into an ivory-white workwear jumpsuit for Spring Summer 2025. For clubbing, the New York-based brand Luar envisioned a see-through taffeta jacket adorned with a strip of black sequins around the collar, paired with over-the-knee cuissard boots. In short, next summer, brands want to see us colorful yet covered in a thin, transparent layer that protects us—and our precious outfits—from any weather.