Fashion Week
London Fashion Week’s Nippliest Moments Were The Most Romantic Yet
Bow-clad bubble dresses, ornately embellished gowns, and more looks from the Fall/Winter 2026 season.
The ubiquitous “naked dress” is officially the new face of romanticism, if London Fashion Week’s Fall/Winter 2026 runways are any indication.
Years of freeing the nipple on catwalks effectively turned the once-controversial style into something run-of-the-mill. One season after another, the diaphanous look has been continuously reinterpreted in different aesthetics, from minimalist takes to statement-making avant-garde pieces.
The F/W 2026 season is looking to be the most romantic take on the style yet. New York’s leg kicked it off with the same soft ethos, sending out bejeweled sheer sets, lots of lace, and decadent gilded gowns. The London shows, which ran from Feb. 19 through 23, upped the romance even more.
At Richard Quinn, decadent feathers blanketed a heavily embellished dress; while Erdem’s take featured a voluminous circle skirt crafted in luxe lace in a fiery red hue. Then there was Aadnevik, where models looked straight out of a fairy tale, wearing glistening, crystal-encrusted, flowy dresses as they sashayed down a runway that resembled a garden.
Below, all of these and more of London Fashion Week’s nippliest moments that prove the daring “naked dress” can also embody pure romance.
Richard Quinn
Decadent ballgowns were aplenty at Richard Quinn’s recent show, several of them masterclasses in contrasting textures. The epitome of glamour came in the form of a serpentine number, which featured a pearl-embellished ivory base and black feathers all over the skirt and wrists.
Erdem
You’d think that a cherry red lace dress with a circular skirt would be peak romance, but Erdem managed to up the ante with a massive black floral brooch.
Di Petsa
This season, designer Dimitri Petsa took inspiration from the legend of Medusa, the famed Greek gorgon with snakes for hair and a stare that turns men to stone. Even the flimsiest, sheerest fabrics got the mythological treatment. One flowy, oat-colored look featured a torso with a pattern of folds that mimicked snakeskin.
Natasha Zinko
Bows? Lace? Bubble skirts? Natasha Zinko knows there’s nothing dreamier than a permutation of all three — except maybe one crafted in soft pastels.
Conner Ives
Conner Ives delivered a wearable take on naked dressing with a regal LBD. It featured the subtlest fabric manipulations, including the cinched draping along the waist and a flowy semi-flared skirt.
Aadvenik
Aadvenik’s runway was a fairy tale come to life. Set against an arch of pink roses and more floral imagery, models sauntered down the catwalk in flimsy, rhinestone-encrusted gowns. One model’s sheer attire was cinched by a corset with a high-low, lace-encrusted peplum — and topped off with a huge bedazzled headpiece.
Sinead Gorey
A flowy peasant top with bell sleeves and a cinched corseted waist is ultra-feminine, sure. But Sinead Gorey paired one with loose jeans, a black leather belt, and chunky leather shoes for an edgy, cool-girl twist.
