A Brief History of a “Transparent” Trend
This unexpected, clear, plastic has always been associated with cheap, undesirable products. But over the last little while it has been having a moment and has evolved into an “ever so chic” and highly desirable material. From edgy streetwear to the highest fashion elite, this transparent fabric has come a long way and it looks as though it is finally getting its shining moment.
Let’s go back to 2015 when Kanye gave this unimaginative, transparent fabric a seriously unexpected, edgy revival when he first used it as the straps to his Yeezy 2015 lucite heels. Of course those shoes were then worn by every single Kardashian (and everyone in between) but little did we know that would be the delicate start to a modern, chic aesthetic that even the fashion elite would succumb to, ie Chanel (yes, that happened)
Last February when Raf Simons debuted his first show since becoming chief creative officer of the “sprawling yet stagnant $8.4B Calvin Klein empire” he also gave a nod to the see-through fabric. He cleverly displayed the fabric as a layering piece to Calvin Klein’s Fall/Winter 2017 collection where he elegantly used it over multiple, cozy jackets to add a layer of water repellant practicality without compromising the chic aesthetic of the fabrics underneath.
Fast forward to Chanel’s Resort 2018 collection that was shown at Couture week in Paris, Karl Lagerfeld went all out with the transparent plastic material. Essentially making it the focal point of his entire resort wear collection and thereby “taking posh rainwear to the extreme”. The fashion house even created a huge, working waterfall within the Grand Palais (where the runway show was being held) to act as the practical backdrop for the show and to simultaneously demonstrate the “haute rainwear”. This once thought of as “cheap” fabric was used on everything from OTK (over the knee) boots, to gloves, hats and clear bags.
Throughout fashion week runways, street style and as recently as last week’s All-Star NBA weekend, chic lucite accents have been popping up all over the fashion elite. Keep your eyes peeled for this budding new trend. Take a look at our favorite looks below
Why not ride the trendsetter train yourself by sporting the Cameliocase Crystal Box Clutch (without skins, aka naked)? If you are not comfortable with going fully bare, we also have some “partially clear” skins that allow you to keep your bag’s contents private #Heyoooo 🙌🏽
