Tyla Takes “Second Skin” Literally in Paris

Leave it to Tyla to deliver one of the most unexpected “tops” of Paris Fashion Week—without wearing a top at all.

Fresh off her lingerie-forward front row appearances, the singer stepped out in France last night with the heat turned up several notches. Instead of a top, Tyla sported a temporary tattoo on her torso and arms. The creation was courtesy of designer Simon Carle, whose work has attracted the attention of fashion’s cool girls like Charli xcx and Rosalía. Positioned like a barely-there jacket of sorts, the trompe l’oeil body art transformed her skin into a styling trick. For added drama, the back was without any ink whatsoever.

Tyla continued her love of Y2K aesthetics to round out the late-night moment. Her Rock Revival jeans, left unzipped and with their skin-tight fit, looked like they were painted on—albeit, differently than her “top”—while her DSquared Samurai heels in electric blue added a pop of color. She finished the look with patterned a mini bag with gold hardware.

Fashion has a long track record with body art. Most notably, there is Jean Paul Gaultier who debuted the trompe l’oeil design for his spring 1994 “Les Tatouages” collection. The tattoo motif would become a hallmark of the French house over the decades, reappearing on sheer mesh tops, second-skin dresses, and bodysuits that mimicked the look of inked skin. Carle has interpreted the legacy in a more literal sense, with temporary tattoos applied directly to the body rather than the mesh iterations that Gaultier (and now, Duran Lantink) have shown over the years.

Tyla has never backed down from a body-baring fashion statement. But her latest outing, provocation aside, might also be her most packing-friendly look of fashion month. After all, a temporary tattoo takes up far less room in a carry-on than a top.