There’s Been a Sexy Shift

The most natural explanation would be that the sexy vibes are here to counteract the apocalyptic vibes. At the most recent fashion week, models wore one-legged pants, cut-outs everywhere, sheer tulle dresses, belts as tops, and freaky tutus that showed a lot of skin. There was no sense of impending doom or looming dystopia, as there was back in 2016. That was the year we got “We Should All Be Feminists” shirts, pantsuit after pantsuit, and Handmaid’s Tale–themed runway shows. From fashion to music to our screen (large and small), it feels like the current M.O. is to dress and act for the unprecedented times we want, instead of the ones we’re living.

An all-sheer look with a cheekily placed floral embellishment at the Simone Rocha Spring/Summer 2025 show.

A cut-out accessorized with a dress on either side at the Alaïa Spring/Summer 2025 show.

There’s also just a lot less shame in general these days. We’re all so interconnected at any given time, oversharing on the internet on more platforms than ever before, that showing a little extra skin barely feels risque. People bare it all to millions of strangers on the internet everyday, detailing 52 part video series about a deceptive marriage and announcing abortions with utter nonchalance while filming Charli XCX on the Sweat tour. We are already all so vulnerable that the intimacy of a midriff or thigh peeking out feels barely provocative anymore. How could it be when instead of taking things to their grave, everyone seems to be taking it to TikTok?

And so yes, there has definitely been a sexy shift. There’s a palpable urge for more sexiness, at least the harmless, playful, fun-saturated kind. That doesn’t mean that the Victoria’s Secret fashion show elicits the same wonder it used to, or that Hervé Léger bandage dresses are about to be flying off the shelves. But it does feel light and funny in a way that we could all use, something that maybe could bring us all together for a good spicy laugh. Or as Sabrina Carpenter says, “Come right on me / I mean camaraderie.”

Tara Gonzalez is the Senior Fashion Editor at Harper’s Bazaar. Previously, she was the style writer at InStyle, founding commerce editor at Glamour, and fashion editor at Coveteur.