Charli xcx and Billie Eilish are the latest celebrities to embrace the visible panty line (VPL) trend, wearing knicker or boxer waistbands above their trousers and skirts. The pop star Charli xcx posted an Instagram image showing not one but three visible boxer shorts waistbands, with commenters quickly identifying Billie Eilish as the wearer. Eilish has made a habit of the visible boxer band and recently released a remix with Charli xcx.
The trend extends beyond these two artists. Troye Sivan wore pink boxers peeping out of checked wool trousers at the Cannes film festival in May. Sydney Sweeney paired a Canadian tuxedo with a visible white boxer waistband in May. On a recent magazine cover, South African pop star Tyla showed a slither of yellow Marni knicker above her waistband. Blake Lively has been seen on set wearing patchwork boxers visible inches above patchwork trousers for the upcoming film It Ends With Us.
Costume designer Eric Daman, who worked on Sex and the City and Gossip Girl, described Lively's VPL as 'rebellious and subversive and self-possessed'. He sees the look as giving 'a subversive F*** you middle finger to societal norms'. The trend has been trickling down from catwalks for a few years, with Miu Miu featuring numerous visible waistbands in recent collections. Now, trousers from brands like Berschka and Zara come with a boxer-type waistband stitched in above the actual waistband.
The look is also retro. Iain R Webb, professor of fashion and design at Kingston School of Art, noted that the trend was kicked off in the 1980s by Calvin Klein, with Olympian Tomás Hintnaus posing in just his CK Y-fronts on a billboard above Times Square. Shaun Cole, associate professor of fashion at the University of Southampton, sees the visible waistband as coming out of hip-hop culture but notes that today there is less branding visible than in the 90s and 00s. He also highlights a greater gender fluidity in how the look is worn.
