Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, and Carrie Bradshaw All Know That, Sometimes, the Bra Is the Outfit

There was once a time when bras were treated as a secret—smooth, skin-toned padding meant to be hidden away under layers of clothing. Visible bra straps almost felt like a betrayal, an acknowledgment that something so taboo lies just beneath the surface.

Today, however, bras have never been more intentionally visible: Charli xcx’s Music, Fashion, Film era pairs satin and lace push-ups and balconettes with tough leather and distressed denim, while up-and-comer Adéla offered an unsubtle flash of neon pink lace under a sheer toffee bodysuit. Anya Taylor-Joy, meanwhile, paired a vibrant purple bra with an unbuttoned pea-green cardigan, and Sabrina Carpenter stopped into a Paris restaurant, her oversized button-up left partially open to reveal a white lace balconette.

“I think part of it is this constant recycling to your youth culture,” says stylist Kat Typaldos, who cites Courtney Love, Gwen Stefani, and Madonna—all pioneers of lingerie dressing—as her early style inspirations. “And, of course, the Carrie Bradshaw of it all.” As the ’90s and early aughts remain steadfast sartorial reference points, it’s no surprise that the same people keep appearing on the moodboard. But, as Typaldos posits, “how are you updating it or modernizing it?”

Madonna in Jean Paul Gaultier at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival.

Now, the generation that went to No Doubt concerts and was hypnotized by Erin Brockovich’s cherry red bra straps is all grown up. “There’s a generation that grew up seeing lingerie integrated into fashion rather than hidden beneath it, and they approach it with much less hesitation,” says Jennifer Zuccarini, founder and CEO of lingerie company Fleur Du Mal.

But, like with all recycled trends, the celebrity set leading the charge is taking things a step further. Now, the bra is the outfit. “The most interesting thing about the way artists like Charli xcx wear lingerie isn’t that it’s revealing, it’s that it feels completely unprecious,” Zuccarini says. “She’ll pair a silk, embroidered bra with baggy jeans, leather, or an oversized jacket, and suddenly it feels effortless rather than overtly sexy.”

Typaldos agrees. In her work with actor Meg Stalter, a bra is regularly a key component of the outfit—but not merely for its supportive qualities. “I don’t think we’ve ever used a bra for functionality—more for fashion,” she says. “I think there’s something really just naughty and cheeky to show what lies beneath and just putting it out there as just another element of texture, pattern, or not-giving-a-fuck-ness,” she says. Indeed, the carefree attitude is what unites the bra-barers past and present.

As celebrities have upped the ante from visible bra strap to visible bra, one wonders where everyone else fits in. Liana Satenstein, who chronicled her recent bra strap evangelization on her Substack Neverworns, suggests our diminished cultural shock value allows everyone—even the non-pop-stars among us—to embrace the bawdy trend. “I think it’s a wink to what you’re wearing beneath but not the full platter,” she says. “We’ve seen everything these days from cleavage to nipple out in the open so nothing is really shocking.” But for those who may not be ready to go full bra top, Typaldos suggests borrowing from Sabrina Carpenter’s book and wearing an eye-catching bra with an office-like button-up, opened to the wearer’s comfort level.

Meg Stalter at the Las Culturistas Culture Awards.

While we may not all be able to rock a pink satin balconette like Charli or a sheer lace bra under a latex leotard like Rosalìa, the exposed bra trend is more about attitude. “I actually think the bra is becoming what the white T-shirt once was: a wardrobe staple,” Zuccarini says. “Instead of reaching for a basic camisole under a blazer or an open button-down, women are choosing a beautiful bra and letting it become part of the look.”

Or, as Typaldos puts it: “Historically badass women show their bras—or they burn them.”