Do you dare to slip the nip?

In most queer spaces on a Saturday night, the number of people freeing the nipple often outweighs those who cover up, and evidence from the catwalk suggests the trend will spill out into the mainstream.

In Milan, the British-Caribbean designer Saul Nash – best known for creating technical ready-to-wear clothes – sent models down the runway in Henley shirts with an asymmetric unbuttoned front detail that exposed one nipple against a perfectly sculpted pectoral. Sheer knitwear and shirting had us standing to attention at Hermès and Valentino, and the necklines of vest tops at Wooyoungmi were so scandalously low they grazed the models’ areolas.

Does this mean it’s time for a peekaboo over a pint at the local boozer? Raspberry ripple for dessert on date night?

The look, if you dare to explore it, is more about subtle, sensual provocation than shock value. Yes, a flash of nipple can be interpreted sexually, but it should always be on the wearer’s own terms. Start with a piece that gives you the option as and when you feel comfortable, but which can be fastened up or covered with a jacket or a second layer if there’s a sudden strong breeze.

Otherwise, if you’re in an appropriate, safe setting – a party, a festival, the comfort of your own home – and the desire takes you, reveal them however you choose to. Much like gender fluidity in 2026, freeing the nipple is a shrugging-off of conformity and tradition – and, for some, underwear.

Main image by Maxime de Sadeleer for Saul Nash