Exposed Underwear Was Milan Fashion Week’s Biggest Street Style Trend

Milan Fashion Week is the wildest leg of Spring/Summer 2025. (So far, at least.) Runways were rife with exaggerated takes on “ugly” pieces (see: toe boots), impractical yet chic styles (floor-sweeping coats), and some new design concoctions altogether (pantaskirts). Front rows were equally jaw-dropping with the buzziest amalgamation of stars (two words for you: Bridgerton reunion). The Italian city raised the bar on what’s considered shocking.

The streets, however, practically rivaled the shows themselves when it came to wild, wild looks. In particular, Milan’s fashion savants had an affinity for Hollywood’s favorite trend: exposed underwear. They added their own OTT spin to the now-ubiquitous style, flaunting intimates in a myriad of fun and unexpected ways.

For instance, instead of merely trading pants for sheer tights, Italy’s finest went the maximalist route and added bold prints to the mix. Fashionistas also gave the cool-girl seal of approval to a new category of intimates: boxers. Ahead, all these and more ways in which style provocateurs bared their drawers.

Maximalist Undies

Future fashion historians will look back on this point in time and call it the tights-as-pants era. While completely bold, the pantsless MO has become so ubiquitous that no one bats an eyelash on the styling choice.

At MFW, however, trendsetters went full maximalist. Instead of plain undies, they donned printed or textured pairs with sheer tights. Even bolder stylistas went the print-on-print route for a remarkably extra look.

Y2K-Era Whale Tails

The fashion industry got bitten by the (sartorial) millennium bug with the continued chokehold of Y2K-era trends. The whale tail, in particular, is a spicy one A-listers can’t seem to keep in the past (looking at you, Katy Perry).

In Milan, street style stars also harkened to the look in fun ways. Some went the yassified route with hardware-bearing G-strings, while some merely mimicked the pelvic cutout effect with a bodysuit and low-rise bottoms.

Boxers, Too

Showing off one’s panties is nothing new. What is changing, however, are fashion stars’ coverage preferences. If cheeky thongs were all the rage last year, high-waist, booty-wrapping granny panties are starting to trickle into the wardrobes of A-list celebs. Per Milan’s streets, another even more covered pair of intimates is poised to be a hot commodity soon: boxers.

Since they’re practically shorts, one could go the “no-pants” route and wear them as bottoms. Naturally, the glitzier, the better (see the sequined pair above). Or, if boxers feel too “casual,” consider going the subtle peekaboo route and exposing just the waistband.

Unexpected Bras

Bra-baring has gotten a little... drab. Nearly every celebrity has pulled off the brassiere-forward look. In Milan, however, fashion aficionados gave the trend a much-needed refresh.

Some reached for bras in uncommon fabrics (i.e. ruched denim), while others leaned into unusual pairings. One MFW attendee, for instance, channeled NSFW corpcore and rocked a sheer bra with uber-high-waist pinstripe trousers.