The Naked Dress and its Sex Appeal from the 1920s to Now
With the rise of naked dresses once again, it obviously came from somewhere because this isn’t anything new. It takes guts to step out into a dress that bares all. We can thank the many fashion icons in fashion history for this beautiful trend that has been seen a lot on the red carpet nowadays. Whether at premieres, award shows, and other events, many have been wearing no more than a sheer piece of fabric, skin color dress, or see-through chainmail.
Naked dresses pushed the boundaries during pivotal times in history to support women and sex-positivity. For centuries this look has evolved into many different forms, however, it embraces a different kind of sexiness and elegance. Below are the transformations of the naked dress as we know it today.
Josephine Baker 1920s
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As New York’s “highest-paid chorus girl in vaudeville” she made a mark in Paris at La Revue Negre in the mid 1920s wearing her barely-there costume. Made entirely of feathers, gold embellishments, and a beaded cap, Josephine Baker was one of the first to embody desire, beauty, and sex.
Clara Bow in the 1920s
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Clara Bow, the “It Girl” of the flapper era. Bow was only 20 years old when she wore the sheer art deco dress for the 1925 silent movie, My Lady of Whim.
Jean Harlow 1930s
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The most sophisticated naked dress yet. The white bias-cut gown gracefully clings to Jean Harlow’s figure, yet reveals nothing.
Marilyn Monroe 1960s
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Of course, the iconic Marilyn Monroe “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress cannot be left out of the timeline. The Jean-Louis custom dress, once $1440, is now acquired by Ripley’s Believe It Or Not for $4.8 million. Its beautiful sheer, nude-colored fabric is sprinkled with crystals amongst the entire dress and is what we automatically think of when we hear any reference to the naked dress.
Jane Birkin 1960s
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Jane Birkin paved the way for future sheer looks. Straying away from the classic neutral naked dress, Birkin puts a cool twist on the naked dress at the Slogan movie premiere.
Cher 1974
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From her favorite designer, Bob Mackie, Cher set off a now infamous ensemble at the Met Gala in 1974. Cher’s sheer dress had sequins running through the fabric along with feathers trimming along the ends of the dress leaving an unforgettable mark in fashion history.
Kate Moss 1993
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Inspired by Jane Birkin, Kate Moss wears black underwear beneath a sheer metallic spaghetti strap dress at the Look of the Year Contest in 1993.
Sarah Jessica Parker 1997
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In the opening sequence of Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, is photographed for a bus ad in a DKNY nude-colored slip dress. She later wears the dress on a date with Mr.Big. The dress was so iconic, it was also worn to the VH1 Vogue Fashion Awards in 1997.
Rihanna 2014
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Rihanna stuns everyone in her Swarvorski crystal dress by Adam Selman at the CFDA Fashion Awards. Channeling Josephine Baker’s barely there look in the 1920s, Rihanna looks stunning with her fur shawl and beaded cap, and not to mention, naked dress.
Kim Kardashian 2019
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The eight month creation that pulled Mugler out of retirement for a short time was not only a naked dress, but also a wet dress. Kim Kardashian wore this look at the 2019 Met Gala while crystals hung down from every inch of the dress. The neutral colored latex dress that was almost see-through embodied the long-time trend of the naked dress as it clung to her body.
Kendall Jenner 2021
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While Kendall Jenner had multiple takes on the naked dress, we had to choose this one. Audrey Hepburn-inspired with a sheer twist was what Jenner had in mind for the Met Gala in 2021. With crystal-encrusted sheer fabric created by Givenchy, this is the most modern uptake we have ever seen of the naked dress.
Zendaya 2021
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The actress of the decade epitomized the naked dress at the Venice Film Festival for her new movie Dune wearing a Balmain leather dress. The dress was skin-color nude with a high leg slit. Zendaya has done it again.
Megan Fox 2021
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Another stunning Mugler (are we surprised?). Megan Fox dons the naked dress but with a different take with a more bodycon fit at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards. A tan bralette and skimpy underwear is worn underneath, however we are left with little to the imagination.
