Charli XCX Embraces Dramatic Opacity in Sheer Saint Laurent Dress at Variety Hitmakers Brunch

Charli XCX has put her stamp on the sheer trend, once again. The music star stepped out in a see-through ensemble to attend Variety’s Hitmaker Brunch in Los Angeles on Saturday, where she was being honored as Hitmaker of the Year.

The music star, whose most recently album “Brat” became a cultural phenomenon and aesthetic movement upon its release this past summer, opted to wear Saint Laurent for the occasion. Charli donned a jersey gown by creative director Anthony Vaccarello that featured sheer panels at the skirt and bust. She completed her look, which was curated by stylist Chris Horan, with Saint Laurent’s Vicky Miniaudiere purse in plexiglass and Saint Laurent’s Emmanuelle pumps in draped jersey.

At Variety’s Hitmaker Brunch, Charli was honored for her innovations in songwriting this year with “Brat.” Her catalogue also includes her 2013 debut album “True Romance,” 2014’s “Sucker,” her 2017 mixtapes “No. 1 Angel” and “Pop 2,” and hits she’s penned and appeared on like Icona Pop’s “I Love It” and Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy.” Charli’s contemporary Jack Antonoff was also honored at the event as Producer of the Decade.

Earlier this fall, Charli embraced the sheer trend alongside Lorde in a see-through look from Saint Laurent’s fall 2024 collection at a performance for Charli’s “Sweat” tour in New York. Charli wore the collection’s opening look, which consisted of a sheer tube dress made of hosiery. She topped it with a coat embroidered with feathers, giving the illusion that it was fur, and accessorized with rectangular sunglasses.

The sheer trend has been going strong for the past year as a staple on the runway for spring 2024 with see-through takes at Prada, Givenchy and other luxury brands. It was also dominant on the runway for spring 2025 in collections belonging to Khaite, Ralph Lauren, Jason Wu, Alaïa, Christian Siriano, LaQuan Smith, Grace Ling, Luar and Tory Burch. Not to mention, sheer styles have also been a popular choice this past year on the red carpet at awards shows, including the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, after reigning at this year’s Met Gala, ESPY Awards, Oscar parties, and the 2024 MTV VMAs.

The sheer trend can be traced back to the ’70s and ’80s when Yves Saint Laurent and Halston showed subtle sheer looks, as did Marc Bohan for Dior. In the 1990s, the sheer trend took on new life at the hands of Tom Ford in his role as creative director at Gucci, and the next decade, in the aughts, see-through pieces were rampant among collections belonging to Marc Jacobs, Versace, Alexander McQueen and Calvin Klein.