Need help with someting

trying to teach myself how to do clothing textures...
There are no good chainmail things out there for M3
So I bought a chainmail merchant resource...it has some really nice ones
how do I make it where the gaps in the chain links are transparent where you can see the skin through it...but not make ALL the chain itself transparent? Are there any tutorials out there about this?
I am working on a vah shir toon...and would like to modify the chain tunic so that is looks realtively like the ones they wear ....which as a lot of you know has pretty cutouts n stuff and has some big open spots...I spent several hours futzing around with it today to try to see if I could figure it out on my own...am frustrated beyond belief now and have given up on it for the day...before I kick the puter....lol