BY DESIGN : Under Cover : For Barely There Clothes, You Need Underwear That Maintains the Illusion but Won’t Leave You Exposed

Many of the prettiest spring clothes shown on the runways of Milan, Paris and New York were barely there. They drifted into view, naked, nakeder, nakedest. Conjugating thinly veiled nudity might be a creative endeavor for a designer, but for any woman lacking a strong streak of exhibitionism, a challenge is posed. How to wear the feminine, sexy, transparent clothes of floaty chiffon, clingy jersey, see-through knit or peek-a-boo lace without looking simply sleazy?

The obvious answer would be to wear pretty underwear for the world to see. The obvious has been done. In the early ‘90s, Madonna was the patron saint of a defiant style that exposed garments formerly seen only at home. She redefined a bondage breast harness as street wear, then her disciples flaunted their very visible bras under filmy T-shirts and boldly let their jackets fall open over their bustiers.

But the blunt innerwear as outerwear look clashes with the soft, girlish mood of the coming season. Now, there is a new approach, based on subtle camouflage; the object is to maintain the illusion. Trompe l’oeil lingerie provides coverage but remains invisible, giving rise to tantalizing questions. (Is she wearing anything under that?)

Sometimes, layers of delicate underthings are needed to achieve the desired effect. A nude bra such as Calvin Klein’s smooth under-wire might hide secretly beneath Donna Karan’s more opaque camisole. A flesh-colored brief adds a bit more modesty under one of Olga’s bodysuits with built-in bra. Tiers of sheer build on each other to create the final result: a beautiful mystery.