Angela Mollard: (Un)dress for less – unlike the new Mrs West

Hats off to Bianca Censori (Mrs Kanye West II) for showcasing a look we can all have a crack at, writes Angela Mollard.

How often does a celebrity wear something you’d love to copy if not for the cost?

Hats off then – and, er, most items of clothing it seems – to Bianca Censori (Mrs Kanye West II) for showcasing a look we can all have a crack at.

As my mate Jo pointed out after spotting Bianca in her nude undies out buying a Porsche with Kanye this week, she could buy nicer knickers from Kmart for $2. Sure enough, some, ahem, brief research reveals Bianca’s $986 Prada pants are a dead ringer for Kmart’s Everyday Cotton Blend Smoothing Brief at just $2 a pair. And if you can’t borrow a nude vest from your Nana, Kmart also has those, perhaps a little less sheer than Bianca’s, for $14 a pop.

Throw on a pair of heels and you’ve nailed the look for less than $20.

Notwithstanding concerns that Kanye is manipulating his Australian wife to wear ever more revealing outfits, underwear as outerwear has been a growing trend since Miu Miu sent models down the catwalk in big knickers at its Autumn-Winter show last year. Actor Emma Corrin, who played a young Princess Diana in The Crown, closed the show in a shimmering gold pair.

Kanye West and Bianca Censori at Milan Fashion Week. Picture: Alessandro Levati/Getty Images

In fact, not since Bridget Jones seduced Daniel Cleaver in a pair of big knickers, leading actor Hugh Grant to utter the memorable “Oh Mummy”, have big pants been so popular. During the pandemic, retailers reported the comfortable fuller brief was having a renaissance and we’ve been reluctant to give them up.

Is it a look that will catch on?

Prue Webb from The Wardrobe Edit says the nana knicker is “way more chic” than people give them credit.

“These undies are really comfy, you feel nice and secure and they don’t ride up,” she says, pointing out that we’re seeing a more subdued interpretation of the trend with sheer tulle skirts paired with high-waisted knickers. Nude, too, is very flattering, particularly when paired with this autumn’s burgundy and dark green.

As for copying Censori’s look, Webb says she’s all for encouraging women to express themselves through their clothes. And while the Prada “short” – a “generous” description, according to Webb, is unaffordable for most, she says the look can be made more wearable if paired with thick tights.

“I’m not sure I’d wear it,” she grimaces.

“But on the right person.”

Originally published as Angela Mollard: (Un)dress for less – unlike the new Mrs West