A model walked the Schiaparelli runway during the fall/winter 2026 show in an oatmeal cable-knit sweater split down the middle by a sheer mesh panel, and it set the tone for where knitwear was headed next. By the time spring/summer 2027 arrived, Tom Ford had pushed the idea even further with a sheer knit bodysuit and see-through paneled tops. The chunky, oversized cardigan era is quietly giving way to something lighter, more sculpted, and far more exposed.
A trend with roots a few years back
Designers across the board are rethinking what a knit can look like. Labels like Diotima, Emily Dawn Long, and Eckhaus Latta have built followings around quirky, lightweight sweaters, sheer crochet dresses, and exaggerated V-necks, while Zimmermann and Prada both sent deep-V sweaters down their fall/winter 2026 runways. The shift has been building for a while. Khaite's cashmere Eda bra top went viral back in 2019 after Katie Holmes was photographed wearing one to hail a cab in New York.
Schiaparelli's take on contradiction
For Schiaparelli, creative director Daniel Roseberry framed the piece as a continuation of ideas tied to the brand's current retrospective at London's V&A Museum. He described the collection as built around deliberate contradiction, pairing traditional Aran cable knits with illusion tulle panels to create something heavy that appears to float on the body, a concept he called impossible knitwear.
A quieter, less body-first version
Not every designer is chasing the same kind of exposure. Kiko Kostandinov's womenswear line takes a more sculptural approach, shaping knits into forms distinct enough that they barely read as traditional sweaters anymore, closer to a quiet sensuality than overt sex appeal. Designer Deanna Fanning, who runs the label with her twin sister, told ELLE ahead of their spring/summer 2027 show that the collection was about exploring transparency through silhouette rather than through obvious reveal, pulling references that range from medieval dress to retro-futurism.
Between the two approaches, knitwear has effectively become this year's answer to the sheer dress: a way into the broader undone, more sensual mood in fashion, just executed in a fabric that used to read as the coziest thing in anyone's closet.
