Going nude

Josephine Baker, for one, was a natural. New York’s highest paid chorus girl in vaudeville became a hit in Paris where she wasn’t called Venus for nothing—embodying beauty, sex, and desire as she cavorted on the dancefloor in the 1920s, wearing barely-there costumes like a short skirt of artificial bananas paired with rows of beaded necklaces. It’s no wonder that Ernest Hemingway called her “the most sensational woman anyone ever saw.” In the same decade, Clara Bow may have had more fabric covering her body in the 1925 film My Lady of Whim, but she could very well have been naked, save for the strategically placed art deco patterns.

The term “naked dress” actually originated in the 1930s to describe a strapless dress which got its name because it looked so bare to people then. The bias cut, largely credited to Madeleine Vionnet, gave it a classy sheen when done in silk, as worn by Hollywood screen goddesses like Jean Harlow in the 1930s. Gracefully clinging to the figure, it suggested everything yet revealed nothing. This era was one of sophistication that imbued floor-length gowns with a flirtatious edge through diaphanous, body skimming-chiffon designed by MGM costume designer Adrian, a favorite of Joan Crawford. Mae West, however, chose to be more risqué, stunning audiences in a see-through gown with a smattering of floral appliques in her 1936 film Go West, Young Man. She would become a prominent sex symbol who played sexually confident characters who delivered witty lines and double entendres in a distinctive contralto voice. She was often associated with controversies over censorship, saying once, “I believe in censorship. I made a fortune out of it.”

By the middle of the century, cabaret performers and actresses pushed the boundaries further, the way Marlene Dietrich wore daring stage costumes that gave the illusion of nudity. This was when the look acquired a new name—the “illusion dress,” especially when Marilyn Monroe made it mainstream by wearing a 6,000 rhinestone-encrusted, skin-toned gown to sing “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy in 1962. The gown was so tight she supposedly couldn’t wear anything under it and her singing was so seductive that it sparked rumors that the two were having an affair. It certainly gave the illusion of nudity since the fabric appeared to vanish and the wearer seemed to just be wearing sequins on bare skin. It was also a guaranteed “look at me” dress since people had to look hard to figure exactly what was going on with it.

Jane Birkin, whom the famous Hermès bag is named after, also made her mark on the naked dress, looking cool and classy in a long-sleeved, see-through mini paired with Mary Janes and her signature wicker basket bag in 1969. Bob Mackie, who sketched Marilyn’s illusion dress, which was executed by Jean-Louis, would become famous for Cher’s 1974 feathered naked dress worn at the Met gala, as well as many others thereafter.

As the “it” girl of the ‘90s, Kate Moss was news whatever she wore, particularly when it was a metallic see-through slip, worn with a fag on one hand and a beer on the other, so nonchalant and minimalist to define the era. It was a new kind of sexiness that wasn’t about the dress at all but rather the body that the silhouette was designed to show off.

Rihanna’s naked dress by Adam Selman, worn as a recipient of the 2014 CFDA Fashion Icon Award, showed off her curves and just about everything else, setting a red carpet trend for the coming years when J.Lo, Beyoncé, and Lady Gaga all went the nude route.

The post-pandemic era revived the look when people got out of their homes and their sweats and slippers to wear “look at me” type of clothing again, exemplified by Dua Lipa’s chain mail Versace at the 2021 Grammys. Lyst reported a 45% increase in searches for “naked dresses” and with the ascent of body positivity championed by celebrities like Lizzo, more people of all shapes and sizes are adopting the trend. With boudoir dressing and sheer fabrics all over the spring 2025 runways, going nude looks like it will be around for some time.