This “Daring” Summer Shirt Trend Never Scared VIPs, So I Gave It a Go

My fellow A-List Edit stand-ins, style director Sara Holzman and interim senior fashion news editor Irina Grechko, set a high bar for me this month, after testing the babydoll dress and track shorts trends. But as Marie Claire’s resident celebrity style spotter, all summer I had my eye on the It top of VIP fashion girls: the sheer shirt. If it could turn heads on the street style circuit, what would it do in my midwestern neck of the woods?

If I’ve learned anything from professionally waxing poetic about naked red carpet dresses, it’s that A-listers stay loyal to the sheer trend all year long. For me, however, August felt like the best time to dip my toe into transparent tops, because the forecasts are simply too sweltering for opaque options. Luckily, I already had a moodboard of my favorite celebrity looks.

The Nearly-Naked Shirt Trend

See-through shirts have been on my fashion bucket list for years, right next to underwear-as-outerwear and peekaboo boxers. But I didn’t gather enough courage until now, after Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Lawrence, and Katie Holmes made the trend look as effortless as a white T-shirt. Getting a new tattoo on my waist also helped seal the deal. How else could I showcase the teeny-tiny horses inked beneath my bust (without testing the bra top trend, that is)?

Hathaway first put sheer shirts on my radar two years ago, when she wore a Simkhai tank top that was two-thirds transparent. By this summer’s The Odyssey press tour, the actor gave the trend a maternity makeover in another partially see-through mesh Stella McCartney T-shirt.

Meanwhile, Holmes styled a navy tulle button-down, one of her go-to silhouettes, at a Ferragamo event in the Hamptons. (In addition to gauzy layers being one of summer’s biggest trends, they’re also one of the most carry-on-friendly.) Her fringe skirt and patent leather pumps added even more texture to the semi-sheer summer look.

How I Style It

Inspired by Holmes, I figured my first take on the trend should feature my favorite everyday silhouette: the classic crewneck T-shirt. I’ve had Dissh, an Australian brand beloved by Lawrence and Meghan Markle, on my radar since Kendall Jenner wore its sheer swimsuit cover-up back in 2024. Out of the 10 transparent options currently available, I selected the Sian Silk Organza Tee. After a slow-and-steady ironing session (it’s 100 percent silk, people), I slipped the light-as-a-feather find over a black bralette from my college days. (This Gap style is cut from the same lacy cloth.)

The second I realized two of my tattoos shone through Dissh’s silk organza, I became my sexiest self. Sure, between the wide boatneck and the double-lined cuffs, it’s an otherwise simple silhouette I’m used to wearing. But just by embracing the black silk’s sheerness, I felt as flirty as I do in my failsafe LBD.

I could’ve worn it with basically anything in my summer closet, including Gap x Hailey Bieber jeans, Bermuda shorts, or even capris. (I also can’t wait to stack it over my Kylie Jenner-favorited tank top from Guizio.) Instead, I took a go-big-or-go-home approach by pairing it with Dissh’s matching skirt. The column style’s opaque mini slip did all the modesty work for me.

As much as I love an all-black look in the summer, slingback sandals weren’t the vibe for a Monday evening. So, I chose Madewell’s take on the mesh ballet flats trend (another A-List Edit-approved style), which featured the trendy peony pink.

Earlier this year, Lawrence’s ability to style a sheer shirt so effortlessly blew my mind. ICYMI, she layered a vintage silk Dolce & Gabbana robe over her tried-and-true $225 jeans from La Ligne. That outfit became my blueprint for a more relaxed take on the trend. I layered a boho-chic mesh cape from Leau over another label-less bralette and cuffed dark-wash Old Navy denim. The under-$70 cape provided more coverage than the T-shirt in the first look, making it a family-friendly but still elegant choice.

While Lawrence accessorized with the leopard-print pumps trend, I slipped on Hailey Bieber-approved heeled flip-flops instead. For an even more casual co-ord, I could see swapping my vintage Manolo Blahnik sandals with end-of-summer shoe trends like white sneakers, high-vamp flats, or—if you’re more maximalist than I am—jelly shoes.

Turns out, this daring trend isn’t just for VIPs. In my closet now, sheer shirts are as versatile (if not more) than my well-loved white tees.