Copenhagen Fashion Week spring summer 2027 may have just wrapped, but there’s one dress trend I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since leaving the Danish capital: sheer, slinky, barely there dresses. Across the runways, designers sent out body-skimming silhouettes and whisper-thin fabrics in shades of ivory, blush, and nude that felt romantic, a little undone, and undeniably sexy. Perhaps I have weddings on the brain given my own upcoming nuptials, but almost immediately, I started thinking about brides.
Wedding dressing has loosened up considerably over the past few years, particularly once the ceremony is over. If the main gown is the moment for drama—corsetry, structure, trains, yards and yards of fabric—the second look has increasingly become its fun, slightly mischievous younger sister. It’s shorter. It’s slinkier. It’s easier to dance in. And, increasingly, a lot sexier.
At By Malene Birger, returning to the Copenhagen Fashion Week schedule this season, that sensuality came with the kind of understated sophistication the label does so well: fluid fabrics, elongated silhouettes, and dresses that skimmed the body rather than sculpting it. One standout was a blush-toned metallic slip dress, a knowing homage to the famously sheer slip Kate Moss wore to a 1993 party in London.
Slinky Second Dresses On The Runway
Of course, sheer dressing isn’t exactly breaking news. For the past several seasons, designers have experimented with transparency in practically every form imaginable, from gauzy skirts worn over briefs to lace dresses and the now-ubiquitous naked dress. But Copenhagen offered something a little different. There was less shock value, less look-at-me nakedness. Pale blushes, creamy whites, and skin-adjacent nudes made even the most revealing looks feel delicate rather than overt, more romantic than red carpet.
The idea took on different forms elsewhere. Baum und Pferdgarten paired transparency with floral embellishments for a coquettish take, while Freya Dalsjø went in a more directional direction, sending a model down the runway in a deep-U-neck satin gown. OpéraSPORT played with flowing lace-trimmed dresses, while The Garment approached the idea through directional two-piece silhouettes. Collina Strada, the New York-based label who showed at Copenhagen Fashion Week as an international guest, sent sequined bias-cut gowns down the runway, complete detailed diamond accessories and floral accents. None of these looks were necessarily intended for a wedding, but that’s also sort of the point. Sometimes, the sexiest dress at the wedding isn’t technically a wedding dress at all.
It’s something style insiders have known for years: The best wedding dresses don’t necessarily come from a bridal salon. Some of the most interesting looks I’ve seen lately have come from ready-to-wear collections, as brides look beyond traditional labels for rehearsal dinners, welcome parties, receptions, and everything in between. In that sense, Copenhagen’s Spring Summer 2027 runways feel particularly well timed. A sheer ivory column or barely there slip might not have been designed with a bride in mind, but add satin heels, a veil, and perhaps a martini after midnight, and the proposition becomes pretty convincing.
Slinky Second Dresses On The Style Set
Traditional ball gowns and mantilla veils aren’t disappearing anytime soon, nor should they. But once the reception ends and the after-party begins, I have a feeling brides are ready to shed a few layers. Copenhagen’s barely there dresses may not have been intended for the aisle, but come 2027, don’t be surprised if you see them all over the dance floor.
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