FW24 Key Trend: In and out of the boudoir

“What goes around comes around,” is the saying, and this was certainly one of the strongest messages of the Fall/Winter 2024 runway season. Designers harked back to the 1920s and 1930s, and more specifically, the garments found in a stylish woman’s boudoir, including corsets, satin and lace underwear, slips and other sheer layers, in a color palette that included shades of black, ochre, pale pink and nude, peach and ivory.

With populism on the rise again in the US and in Europe, and wars on two fronts that seem to have no endgame, it’s no mystery why reflecting on the turbulent period between the two world wars is in the zeitgeist.

Case in point: April 2024 will see another revival of ‘Cabaret’ on Broadway. Set in Berlin in the early 1930s, the musical focuses on the hedonistic nightlife at a cabaret club juxtaposed with the rise of the Nazis. Eddie Redmayne, Gayle Rankin and the rest of the Kit Kat club will undoubtedly be wardrobed in various states of deshabille. And the 2023 documentary, “Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate” used historical footage of the storied nightclub to provide a fascinating portrait of subversion in the face of growing fascism.

Below are some of the season’s ‘boudoir dressing’ highlights.

Sheer Layers

Using sheer layers to create a transparent look has become a major trend in recent seasons. Fashion critics have offered a number of reasons, including celebrity influence and the embracing of body positivity. On the other hand, some have mused that the increasing use of the drug Ozempic to lose weight has engendered a desire to show off a smaller frame.

The Saint Laurent designer, Antony Vaccarello, showed 48 looks, almost all of which included transparent garments.

Marco Capaldo of 16Arlington presented several sheer dresses and skirts. Look 25 was a standout, an ochre-colored full-length gown with a turtleneck, cutaway shoulders and gathering at the hips.

In what we now know was Pierpaolo Piccioli’s final collection for Valentino, the designer also included several versions of ‘naked dressing.’ Look 9 included a sheer black layer with a turtleneck over black lace undergarments.

Huishan Zang said he was inspired by ‘old Hollywood’ which was evident in his use of satin, silk, lace and ruffles. Look 33 was a peach-colored lace shift embellished with a diagonally placed trim.

Feathers and Fur

Erdem Moralioglu used his FW24 collection to pay tribute to the Greek operatic soprano, Maria Callas, and her wardrobe, both on and off-stage. Look 8 included a marabou feather stole in shades of pink, white and fuchsia, shown over a white bra and slip.

Michael Kors used photos of his grandparents in the 1930s as inspiration for his collection. Look 29 included a pale pink Mongolian fur cocoon coat over a satin dress with Fortuny pleating.

Corsetry

In the 1930s, corsetry was literally the foundation of any look.

Dilara Findikoglu’s FW24 collection was entitled ‘Femme Vortex’ and focused on the idea of “divine feminine power.” For look 14, she presented a boned lace-up front corset in a pale nude chiffon with a paneled skirt and long pink latex gloves.

Look 25 at Annie’s Ibiza, (designed by Annie Doble), was a peach-colored strapless silk/satin corset embroidered with flowers and matching knickers.

Lingerie

In recent seasons it has become de rigueur for designers to show lingerie items as an integral part of a look. FW24 was no exception.

Ermanno Scervino called his FW24 collection, ‘Fashion Atlas,’ which he said was a reference to a sort of map where the cardinal points were shapes of women’s bodies. For look 33, the designer paired a nude-colored vintage style bra with a peach midi skirt in pressed leather.

While most of the Saint Laurent collection was rendered in sheer fabrics, look 17 was an exception. A gold-colored satin blouse was given suspenders to hold up chocolate brown sparkling stockings.

Leopard Print

At times, the boudoir dressing trend falls in line with the ‘mob wives aesthetic’ Both focused on leopard as a major print.

Nicky Zimmermann showed a collection full of soft and billowing shapes. One such style was look 3, a diaphanous dress with a high/low hem, matching scarf and hose, all in a classic leopard print.

At Versace, look 33 was a body-conscious leotard and matching stirrup leggings in a mix of brown leopard and a gold scroll print.

Le Smoking

Women in tuxedos may seem the opposite of ‘boudoir dressing’ but as Yves Saint Laurent stated, “A woman wearing a suit is anything but masculine. A strict, clean cut accentuates her femininity, her seductiveness, her ambiguity.”

At Dolce & Gabbana, the duo focused most of their collection on the idea of the tuxedo, showing a variety of renditions over sexy lingerie items, including boxy and nipped-in-the-waist shapes.