You may see through it but never really get to excavate what actually lies beneath its flimsy surface. Partially transparent because of its gauzy, meshy, netted, lacy, crocheted, woven textures, the “sheer fashion” is a super spring-summer friendly option for all style-czarinas to slip into and breeze through the fashion vistas this sultry weather. It’s light and airy for sure. And the sexquotient? Dear, do you still doubt it! Well it oozes oodles of oomph only if you smartly handle it, lest it might be mistaken for a wardrobe malfunction.

Popular American fashion model and TV personality Kendall Jenner dared to bare all at last year’s Cannes Film Festival in a glamorous sheer Cavalli Couture gown to attend a movie premiere. The complicatedly crafted long blackTshirt dress was designed by creative director Peter Dundas who had interestingly entangled black velvet and gold lurex snakes on silk tulle. It is therefore rightly said that dressmakers may let their imagination run riot when it comes to sheer clothes. Ideas in fashion are always meant to throw restraint out of gear and push conventional limits to engender innovative sartorial stories.

Call it a naked dress or what you will, the sheer intensifies with its puckish play on peek-a-boo trends and punctured, perforated fabrics. From sheer panels to floaty feminine party dresses in organza to subtle inserts, the items come in a wide variety. Clingy slinky materials to layered pieces to soft silky melodies, sheer is clearly charming the awestruck gazers with its magical aura. Today it’s a hip diktat to flaunt your inners and wear it like an external garment. So be not over-conscious or show no reserve when you finely expose your lacy bralette under a translucent sheer top. Heighten your passion and romance further with the right kind of accessories to compliment your sheer styles to the hilt. Delicate jewellery and a clutch in neutral hues would enhance the whole get-up.

As stated earlier, innerwear is no longer the inside segment but an outward fad now. Hence it’s important for any sheer dress diva to don the apt fashionable lingerie and conceal her assets, yet at the same time, highlight the body contours gracefully. Designer Jebin Johny volunteers that “nude second skin works best for sheer clothing if you want to show what you have and be sexy. Or you may simply go for white or black tops, skirts or a jersey dress underneath the sheer outfit”. No doubt, maintaining a svelte chiseled figure is essential to wear a sheer silhouette with unshakeable confidence. Johny acquiesces in this point, “Yes figure here is an imperative factor. I would precisely prefer long-legged slim-body types like that of Katrina Kaif and Sonam Kapoor. Also a body like Sunny Leone’s would be a ‘million bucks’ dream to attain but an ideal one to put on sheer”.

Another style icon with a “flair for sheer” would be glam-goddess Sushmita Sen, who Johny says has already set a benchmark, strutting down in a black sheer dress. “The doughty lady raised many eyebrows on her way but took the plunge with effortless élan,” he lauds. “She is a bold human being in literal sense of the word and that reflects through her attire selection as well,” he acknowledges. Kalki Koechlin is the only other actor-fashionista who follows next on his pet-favourite list with the extra edge of an exotic feel.

In the menswear department, Johny settles down for sheer shirts and Tshirts. Bollywood’s Greek god Hrithik Roshan is unambiguously his top choice in the area. For an offbeat pick, he thinks a sheer blazer would rightly blend in with any given clothing piece. Lace and georgette materials would best suit another kind of fabric if sewn or combined with it.

Draper Ritu Seksaria jots down sheer Lucknow is and sheer jackets with light embellishments for men to throw on with ease. To dazzle in sheer Indian outfits, she okays saris and blouses, lehengas and capes plus jacket dresses for the job. To use design-patterns and motifs in sheer costumes, she chips in with “lightweight embellishments, surface-ornamentation and aesthetic prints”. Even combo colours can be cleverly employed to go really well. “You may further tickle your fantasy by exploring and procuring your own prints to get them printed on the fabrics,” she helps.

Apart from mesh, fishnet and crochet, materials like chiffon and organza can come under sheer clothing. One may also obtain sheer items studded with lightweight sequins, stones, mirror-work and thread-embroidery. Accessories are no less important in sheer clothing. Designers lend out tips on what should one carry to match sheer apparels. “As the outfit is light, heavy accessories such as a stone-studded necklace or a pair of long earrings can bring in some parity,” volunteers Seksaria, who also specifies stone-adorned pieces on the jewellery front to tone up the fine sheer.

Nodding for “embroidery as a perfect choice for sheer, particularly beads and sequins”, Johny clarifies that “if the dress is overly decked up with too much embroidery, then jewellery won’t of course fit the bill. But if it’s a plain-n-simple outfit, then heavy jewellery definitely plays up well”.

Raghani puts forward light accessories like just a clutch or a smart good neckpiece to balance the burdening embroidery. Proposing mesh or transparent vests for the male-bastion, she confirms hot-bods like Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor as the men of her choice on her wish-list to design sheer clothes for. “Sheer in chiffon and nets can be digitally printed and silhouettes made without lining also create a sheer effect,” she informs ahead.

According to designer Dimple Raghani, it’s difficult to tackle the extreme cold seasons in sheer, so it is perfect for hot and humid days to lounge in one. Good news is thatsheer can be stitched or seamlessly integrated with other types of fabric. “Georgette, chiffon and lacy fabrics mix well with sheer,” exemplifies Raghani. Incidentally, embroidered beadwork, sequins and thread work can be used advantageously to cover up the vital parts of modesty. Moreover, a G-string with studded diamonds or embroidery would look absolutely great if roped in as underwear for sheer. Putting her money on a sexy, lithe body-shape to carry sheer with all vigour, Raghani bats for laces, flimsy fabrics, georgettes, chiffons and nets as only other alternative choices for sheer dressing where elegance speaks the last word. Next time, don’t mull too hard on wearing the skin-sticking sheer. Just go for it gal. Bet you’d appear gorgeous!