At the SS09 shows at New York Fashion Week, sheer was evident as far as the eye could see, which was pretty far. A full breast (albeit an accidental one) even made an appearance on Jill Stuart’s runway. Meanwhile, in London last week, nip shots were inescapable -- "from the transparent tops at Ossie Clark to the near-naked dress at Osman Yousefzada. And let’s not forget the entirely topless look at Vivienne Westwood Red Label.” After the jump, PG-13 examples.

Back in Milan, Miuccia kept her Prada models a bit more conventionally covered with exposed bras (and one particularly short, knit crop-top). Is there more chest exposure in store? You’ll have to wait and see. Given the evidence thus far, I’d have to echo New York mag in attributing the sheer aesthetic to a fashionable reaction to a faltering economy (since that's driving every trend piece in print right now).