Going Clear

From Chanel to Céline, transparency ruled the shows this season. Véronique Hyland submits, fashionably, to prying eyes, testing see-through items fresh offthe runway.

I’m a person given to discretion. The contents of my brain, bed, inbox and medicine cabinet are not up for public consumption. But the contents of my purse soon may be – at least, if designers have anything to say about it.

Fashion’s biggest players have fallen head-over-Lucite-heels for all things seethrough this season, albeit in their own signature ways. Chanel showed extreme over-the-knee boots and transparent totes (all the better to weather the show’s indoor waterfall), Valentino nestled smaller pouches inside clear Rockstud clutches and Céline presented a “plastic” bag – elevating it to must-have status.

The young-designer crowd got in on it, too. Shayne Oliver’s debut show for Helmut Lang featured an oversized acrylic briefcase emblazoned with the brand’s logo – making “transparency” more than a boardroom buzzword. Collaborator extraordinaire Virgil Abloh linked up with Jimmy Choo on “glass slippers” for his Princess Diana-inspired Off-White show, where models donned polybagged heels. It’s a daring look for sure. One that Rihanna has already endorsed, having braved the kerbs of New York in a pair.

But with the exception of protective coverings ripped off pieces moments before a runway show begins, clear plastic isn’t generally equated with high fashion. Its associations include cling film on leftovers, shower curtains and those rain bonnets women of a certain age wear after their biweekly salon visits. For sports fans, clear bags mean “stadium-approved”. Headed to an AFL game? Stash your belongings in a see-through carryall and you’ll breeze through security.