Easy to wear, cool (in every sense of the word) and eye-catching: transparent fashion is all of these. This versatility is the key to its renewed popularity right now, with leading designers such as Valentino, Balenciaga, Chanel and Calvin Klein making see-through the centrepiece of their 2016 collections.

If you're aiming for a style that takes its inspiration from the 1980s, choosing sheer pieces is one very effective way to achieve it. Remember, there's nothing necessarily lewd about lace or mesh: the look is more demure than downright daring, showing just a little flesh but not too much.

Key figures to think of from the 1980s are Demi Moore and especially the movie 'Striptease'. The global television soap stars of 'Dynasty' and 'Dallas' wore sheer pieces in bold cuts. The key idea now is to create a glamorous "peek-a-boo" look with a sheer piece and then to dress it up your own way.

All transparent pieces - particularly in this season's monochromes - lend themselves to bold accessorising with neon hi-tops, bold ‘60s-style plastic bangles or long necklaces. The first rule of transparent fashion is: there are no rules. Go your own way, the bolder the better.

You might choose a seductive lace dress in baby blue and kick it with some black patent-leather pumps for a look that's bound to catch the attention on a night out. Nylon is big this season as sportswear makes its play for the fashion high ground and see-through nylon, so reminiscent of the Swinging Sixties and London's Carnaby Street, is right there too.

Layer a see-through nylon top with a vest underneath and team with a sheer lace skirt for maximum effect. There's more or less, depending on how you look at it.

Bold red tights worn under a short skirt, lace sleeves for those who want the look without revealing too much flesh - the choice is yours. Why is transparency so hot and happening right now? There are those who say we live in times where transparency - whether in everyday life or in high politics - is the watchword. We wouldn't know about that. What we do know is that transparency in fashion is here to stay and we couldn't be more delighted.