I Tried The Dakota Johnson-Approved Granny Panties Trend & Now I’m A Convert

In pop-culture canon, rom-coms often portrayed women who wore granny panties as spinsters (hello, Bridget Jones). It was a cautionary tale. If you wanted romance, trading your belly-hugging lingerie for slinky thongs was a must; Otherwise, you’d be deemed unsexy. Let’s deinfluence that.

Granny panties, especially if you get the right fit, can totally be un-grandma-like, despite their moniker. They’re also hella comfortable. They cover the right places, without you worrying about sucking anything in manually. It’s essentially shapewear, but minus the tight feeling.

Despite its many attributes, it’s a garment that savants rarely gravitated toward — until 2023, that is. The turning point came when a slew of former thong advocates started swapping the wedgy-inducing piece for the full-coverage underwear. That list includes Florence Pugh, Dakota Johnson, Emily Ratajkowski, and Elsa Hosk, aka fashion’s foremost trendsetters. Johnson, for example, rocked granny panties several times, including under a lace dress and a leather jacket for a cool-girl edge. Pugh, meanwhile, also rocked the lingerie multiple times in monochromatic looks.

As someone who covers their outfits for a living, I’ve long flirted with the idea of trying it for myself, waiting for the perfect moment to do so. Fortunately, one presented itself recently during New York Fashion Week.

My ’Fit Check

I decided that Sunday, Sept. 14, the fourth official day of NYFW’s Spring/Summer 2026 season, was the time. I had four shows to catch, and, thankfully, I didn’t need to go to the office between events, which was a big consideration. I couldn’t have possibly been this naked at work.

I wore my Intimissimi panties in black and built my outfit around it. Since the barely there look was already eye-catching, I toned it down by keeping everything else monochromatic. I chose a see-through lace dress from L’AGENCE. To balance out the skin of it all, I threw on a black moto leather jacket from Banana Republic to keep my top half covered and committed to the jacket despite the blaring afternoon sun.

As for the accessories, I kept it casual with the new Marc Jacobs Cristina bag (worn by the likes of Julia Fox), Miista knee-high boots I got on sale at Yoox, and men’s sunglasses.

NYFW Was A Booty-Baring Place

Unsurprisingly, so many other attendees had the same granny panties idea. In fact, I kept bumping into people wearing similar styles. I felt so comfortable inside the venues and walking to them that I forgot my dress was rather risqué.

It was the commuting and rushing between shows that gave me pause. Still, I thought I’d be more precious about not sitting with my behind out on the subway and the bus, but NYFW is frenetic, and in the midst of the crazy and the constant fear of catching the next show, you kind of just stop giving a f*ck. To all the commuters who weren’t part of the NYFW haze and had no idea why someone’s booty was exposed, I’m sorry. (Or, you’re welcome.)

The Verdict

Though I write a lot about the fashion industry and Hollywood normalizing naked dressing, I often wonder if it really feels that way in the wild. This experiment taught me it does. At least, enough for random passersby to avoid ogling. However, I probably won’t wear the style in broad daylight again, and, for safety reasons, will save it for when I’m riding in a car.

But granny panties? I’m so sold. Regardless of whether I end up flaunting them or not, I might just overhaul my lingerie drawer. Comfort is a luxury.