Today, it seems, you can’t even take a cursory scroll through Instagram without casting your eyes upon a naked dress. You might see a few hundred metres of illusion mesh, a thousand-or-so strategically-placed crystals and, very likely, a hipbone or two. Think Emily Ratajkowski in floor-length mesh. Julia Fox as a Valerievi Bond girl. Rita Ora in diaphanous Nensi Dojaka. Chloe Sevigny in Mugler. Even Taylor Swift, draped in diamanté chains at the VMAs. It’s the naked dress’ world, we’re just living in it.
Despite the look’s recent ubiquity, the naked dress has been around for a long time. We can chart its modern history back to the 50s, when French-American costumier Jean Louis developed his signature illusion dress, which made stars like Marlene Dietrich and Marilyn Monroe appear as though they were wearing sequins on bare skin. The look became a favourite of disco designer Bob Mackie and his muse Cher. Jane Birkin and Kate Moss made the look an It Girl staple and, today, it’s become the go-to for anyone and everyone looking to turn heads on the red carpet or rack up engagement on Instagram. Countless naked dresses have graced — and will continue to grace — the annals of fashion; only a few, however, have had the power to truly shift the zeitgeist, to still elicit a frisson decades after the fact. Here, we look back at some of the most iconic naked dresses of all time.
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Marilyn Monroe at JFK’s 45th birthday party, 1962
On May 19, 1962, Marilyn Monroe took to the stage at Madison Square Garden to deliver the most famous birthday ballad of all time. The occasion was, of course, the birthday of president John F. Kennedy. And, naturally, the iconic occasion called for what would become one of the most iconic dresses of all time. Taking to the podium at MSG, Marilyn dropped her ermine stole to the floor to reveal a sheer, skin-tight gown covered — where it mattered most — in 2500 rhinestones. The famous dress was designed by French-American costumier Jean Louis, one of his signature “illusion” dresses, feats of Hollywood magic which made Hollywood starlets like Marilyn or Marlene Dietrich appear as though they were wearing nothing but a smattering of crystals. Of course, Kim Kardashian would go on to wear the iconic garment to the Met Gala decades later.
Jane Birkin at the Slogan premiere, 1969
This photo of Jane Birkin, carrying her signature wicker basket and clad in a sheer, clingy knit, has become the image of nonchalant French girl chic. The photograph and the look have become so iconic that it’s almost impossible to believe that the dress pictured wasn’t even intended to be a naked dress, at all. The look was actually accidental: Jane showed up to the premiere of her 1969 rom-com Slogan in what she thought was an opaque outfit; it only turned into a naked dress under the flash of the paparazzi. Over 50 years later, Jane’s response to the incident speaks to the kind of insouciance she’s known for: “I didn’t realize [the dress] was so transparent. If I had known, I would not [have] put knickers!”
Cher at the Met Gala, 1974
In 1974, Cher stepped out onto the Met Gala red carpet wearing this stunning crystalline confection by Bob Mackie. The American designer became one of Cher’s most frequent collaborators, dressing Cher in a number of memorable naked dresses including Mackie’s signature “flame” dress and the crystal sarong in which she scooped her first Oscar.
Cher at the Academy Awards, 1988
Of course Cher has two entries on this list. After making naked dress history with her 1974 Met Gala look, the singer pulled up to the 1988 Academy Awards, where she scooped an award for her turn in Moonlight, with a more-than-worthy follow-up. Like her 1974 ensemble, Cher’s Oscars gown was designed by Bob Mackie, who described it as “a beautiful period dress—except there was no underwear”.
Kate Moss at an Elite Models party, 1993
In 1993, supermodel Kate Moss brought the naked dress into the 90s with — what else? — the slip dress. This silver bias gown, worn to an Elite Model Management party, was designed by New York designer Liza Bruce. Allegedly, Kate borrowed the dress from a stylists pull that had meant to be returned the day after the party. Like Jane’s iconic dress, Kate’s slip was also a “naked” accident. To Vogue, she recounts, “It was the first time I really got papped. I had no idea why everyone was so excited — in the darkness of Corinne [Day]’s Soho flat, the dress was not see-through!”
Sarah Jessica Parker at the VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards, 1997
This is it: the look that gave ‘the naked dress’ a name. In the sixth episode of Sex and the City, protagonist Carrie Bradshaw steps into the kitchen of her West Village apartment wearing a slinky, beige DKNY dress. Her tribunal of friends judge the date-night look. Of course, Samantha thinks it’s “fabulous.” Miranda calls it, “tits on toast.” And a shocked Charlotte: “the naked dress.” The fictional Carrie’s credited for naming the style, however, actress Sarah Jessica Parker actually wore it nearly a year before the iconic episode hit the airwaves. While shooting SATC’s debut season, SJP (presumably) borrowed the DKNY dress from the show’s wardrobe department to wear to the 1997 VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards. A sneak peek of not only Carrie’s zeitgeist-defining style, but of a naked dress that would irrevocably alter the fashion lexicon.
Rose McGowan at the VMAs, 1998
Two decades before the #MeToo movement, Rose McGowan attended the VMAs in a barely-there beaded dress that, the actress recounts, was a personal political statement, “a reclamation of [her] body after [her assault].” She told Jameela Jamil in 2019, “It was my first public appearance after being raped. And I thought, it was kind of like Russell Crowe and Gladiator when it comes out in the ring and he’s like, ‘Are you not entertained?’”
Jennifer Lopez at the Grammys, 2000
We often hear of naked dresses that “break the internet”. But what about those that help build the internet? Well, that was the case with Jennifer Lopez’s Y2K Grammys ensemble. Since its red carpet appearance over 20 years ago, J.Lo’s plunging Versace gown has gone down as a landmark moment in both fashion and internet history. That’s right: the influx of morning-after Google queries for J.Lo’s nearly-naked look prompted the search engine giant to launch its Image Search function. The rest is internet — and fashion — history.
Rihanna at the CFDA Awards, 2014
Rihanna pulled up to the 2014 CFDA Fashion Awards in what would become one of the most iconic naked dresses of the 21st century. In a modern homage to Marilyn’s Jean Louis, Rihanna took to the event’s red carpet (and the stage, to accept the Style Icon Award) wearing a mesh Adam Selman dress and matching durag, embellished with 200,000 Swarovski crystals. It was the dress that launched a thousand naked dresses, reigniting the zeitgeist’s interest in the shocking style for a new generation of fashion’s ‘it’ girls.
Bella Hadid at Cannes Film Festival, 2016
In 2016, Bella made Cannes red carpet history in this plunging, hip-high number by Alexandre Vauthier. According to the model’s stylist, Elizabeth Sulcer, “every aspect of the dress was planned”, from “built-in silk bodysuit” to “top-stick” tape. To this day, the red dress remains one of the trendsetter’s most memorable looks. However, in 2021, Bella revealed to Vogue that she has some less-than-fond memories of the ensemble. “I kind of get embarrassed of this moment still, even if the dress is gorgeous,” she recalls. “It just doesn’t feel so much like me. I think this was the start of the Bella persona that everyone sees in me. That’s my alter ego. That’s Belinda. I’m just so the opposite of her. She’s very va-va-voom. Bless her, love her. She was very nervous.”
Megan Fox at the MTV Video Music Awards, 2021
Following in the footsteps of Rose McGowan, Megan Fox made VMAs history in 2021 with a shimmering naked dress of her own. The ultra-sheer look was designed by Mugler’s Casey Cadwallader, and featured the house’s signature bodycon mesh, glittering optical patterns, and even a bedazzled thong. Of course, the look went instantly viral. And in the social media frenzy that followed, Megan clapped back at sexist commenters, captioning a now-deleted Instagram post of the look, “Just me out here ignoring and defying all of your puritanical emotionally repressed projections of what a woman should be.”
Ciara at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party, 2023
Earlier this year, Ciara sparked outrage online when she arrived at the Vanity Fair Oscars party in a crystal netted number by Norwegian designer Peter Dundas. Detractors of the nearly-naked look took to social media with the usual sexist comments. But Ciara, the wearer of many a daring look, didn’t take the hate to heart. In the days that followed, the singer poked fun at the comments on TikTok, donning a white bedsheet in a video captioned, “POV: How I’m pulling up to Vanity Fair next year 😂.”
Hunter Schafer at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party, 2023
Sometimes a naked dress isn’t a dress at all. Hunter Schafer’s 2023 Oscars afterparty look, for example, consisted of little more than a feather. The nearly-naked look in question was pulled by stylist Law Roach from Ludovic de Saint Sernin’s inaugural Ann Demeulemeester collection — just a week after it hit the runways.
Megan Thee Stallion at GQ Men of the Year Awards, 2023
With multiple 2023 entries on this list, it’s safe to say that we just lived through the year of the naked dress. Megan Thee Stallion closed out the historic 12 months with a banger: a nude, sheer number designed by Istanbul-based designer Salih Balta. When Vogue asked Megan about the look on the GQ Men of the Year red carpet, she responded, “This dress is a piece of paper, y’all!” A very glamorous one at that!