2022 saw fashion's obsession with Y2K style reach ever higher heights, with the return of everything from UGG boots and ultra-mini skirts to pelvis-exposing low-rise jeans. But if you thought the revival of such niche Nineties and Noughties-inspired trends would stop there, get ready for the style set's most daring dress-code yet: the exposed thong.
As naked dressing has slowly become the norm on the red carpet and beyond, it was only a matter of time before this once-reviled trend came back with a vengeance – and with flashing no longer a novelty, showing you're wearing underwear at all can be a quasi-revolutionary act.
Don't believe us? Simply look to two of the hottest style stars of the moment: Dua Lipa and Hailey Bieber, both of whom chose to ring in 2023 in super-sultry, thong-exposing ensembles. Dua Lipa went full Y2K in a glittery chainmail dress hot off the Ludovic de Saint Sernin SS23 runway, featuring a backless design so low-cut that her plain white cotton thong became the star of the show.
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Bieber, meanwhile, wore a black dress with a high-rise thong detail built-in – and understandably, spent much of NYE with her back to the camera to show it off.
Of course, Gen-Z celebrities are well-known for their easy embrace of those trends that come with a side of serious shock factor – but we've seen increased examples of Noughties-style thong-exposing IRL too.
Kim Kardashian sent the internet into a frenzy when she released a Skims dress featuring a butt-cleavage cut-out (that promptly sold out); Gucci has re-released Tom Ford's iconic 1997 Gucci-logo g-string, but this time as a bikini; while cool girl-favourite boutique Koibird gifted editors with a silky thong featuring a statement metal 'K' on the rear for Christmas.
Thongs have been all over the runway in recent seasons, too. For SS23, Tom Ford offered own-label versions of his aforementioned Gucci g-strings, Ludovic de Saint Sernin showcased multiple iterations of Dua Lipa's NYE exposed style, and South London label KNWLS made the case for low-rise jeans and thong bodysuits – as well as dressing Lila Moss in a sheer black gown with matching, fully-visible thong for the recent Fashion Awards.
Just last month, meanwhile, Jacquemus sent model Vittoria Ceretti down the catwalk in a skirt so short it showed half of her underwear. As guest and ELLE contributing editor Camille Charrière so aptly commented: 'Le cheek c'est chic'.
The unlikely trend's dissipation is now but an inevitability. Just one question remains: will you dare to bare?
Clementina Jackson is Acting Site Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, working across news and features, trends, e-commerce and SEO. She was previously Fashion Editor at Cosmopolitan and Women’s Health, and Acting Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, where she was named as a PPA 30 Under 30 award winner for her work on size inclusivity. An experienced fashion, travel and luxury lifestyle journalist, Clementina has also written for Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Condé Nast Traveller, Tatler, Red and Italy Segreta.
