Always feminine, unexpectedly sexy: the visible petticoat, inspired by the one our grandmothers hid, is a trend in 2024 While we editors were analyzing the miniskirts and pencil skirts present on the catwalks, the street style fashion of these last fashion weeks (and of some celebrities like Victoria Beckham) drew attention to a garment that was usually worn hidden and that in the common imagination is considered “outdated.” I mean the petticoat. This light underskirt, in materials such as lace, cotton or silk, was traditionally worn under the skirt to add volume or avoid transparency. But the new thing, which is a trend in autumn-winter 2024, is to show it off.
Our grandmothers know this well: there was no chest of drawers that did not keep at least one, as a modest complement to an unlined skirt or to facilitate sliding, preventing the fabric from sticking too much to the legs when walking. It had its usefulness and even its elegant side. Considered today as an ‘outdated’ and ‘outdated’ garment, luxury fashion has rediscovered it twice: the petticoat becomes an extreme skirt, reduced to its essence – revealing what was previously hidden – or peeking out from under more tailored skirts, creating mischievous overlaps. The style gesture plays with surprise: a way to subvert the most classic skirts or to draw attention to the lace that peeks out from the hem. We saw it in Victoria Beckham’s latest look: a black lace petticoat protruded from her pinstripe midi skirt.
