Trends come and go, but if there’s one fashion concept that has stood the test of time, it’s “naked dressing.” The phrase entered the pop-culture lexicon during Sex And The City, when Charlotte York famously called Carrie Bradshaw’s nude DKNY spaghetti-strap mini “the naked dress.” Bradshaw wore the sheer style on her first date with Mr. Big and again for a photo shoot promoting her fictional newspaper column, an image that would later loom large on a city bus in the show’s iconic opening credits. While the series may have cleverly given the phenomenon a name, the act of dressing to reveal the body long predates it.
Dating back to 1925, sheer gowns appeared on silent film and vaudeville stars like Clara Bow and Mae West, pushing boundaries well before the red carpet became a global spectacle. The look resurfaced with renewed shock value in the 1960s, most notably when Marilyn Monroe serenaded President John F. Kennedy in a crystal-embellished, body-skimming gown that blurred the line between clothing and illusion. (It was most recently reworn by Kim Kardashian.) Decades later, figures like Jane Birkin, Cher, Madonna, and Kate Moss continued to test the limits of transparency, often courting controversy in the process. They walked so today’s celebs could run.
In 2025, naked dressing reached new heights. Some celebrities, including Dakota Johnson and Julia Fox, leaned fully into the look. Others, like Margot Robbie and Justine Lupe, experimented with sheer silhouettes for the first time. Even the fashion establishment took note. Anna Wintour and leaders at the Metropolitan Museum of Art recently announced a forthcoming Costume Institute exhibition centered on the relationship between the body and fashion, signaling a broader institutional embrace of transparency and exposure.
Before diving headfirst into another year of barely-there looks, it’s worth pausing to reflect. Ahead, a look back at the 31 most unforgettable naked dressing moments from 2025.
Greta LeeMonica Schipper/GA/The Hollywood Reporter/Getty Images
In custom Dior.
Dakota JohnsonTaylor Hill/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
In Gucci.
Margot Robbie
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Joe Maher/Getty Images
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Joe Maher/Getty Images
In Armani Privé.
Hailey BieberMaya Dehlin Spach/WireImage/Getty Images
In Gucci.
Kendall Jenner
In Schiaparelli.
Doja CatNeilson Barnard/Getty Images
In custom Balmain.
Sabrina CarpenterNoam Galai/Getty Images
In Valentino.
Leslie BibbAmy Sussman/Getty Images
In Fendi couture.
Miley CyrusPatricia Schlein/Star Max/GC Images/Getty Images
In Ludovic de Saint Sernin.
Paris HiltonAmy Sussman/Getty Images
In Gucci.
Sydney SweeneyMichael Buckner/Variety/Getty Images
In Christian Cowan.
Demi MooreTaylor Hill/FilmMagic/Getty Images
In Gucci.
Jenna OrtegaAmy Sussman/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
In Givenchy.
Zoë Kravitz Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images
In Saint Laurent.
Grace Van PattenTaylor Hill/FilmMagic/Getty Images
In Maison Margiela.
LisaJamie McCarthy/Getty Images
In Louis Vuitton.
Megan Thee StallionOlivia Wong/WireImage/Getty Images
In custom Quine Li.
RihannaArnold Jerocki/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
In Chanel.
Anya Taylor-JoyFrazer Harrison/WireImage/Getty Images
In Maison Margiela.
Justine LupeAmy Sussman/Getty Images
In Carolina Herrera.
Naomi WattsEdward Berthelot/WireImage/Getty Images
In Valentino couture.
Kylie JennerDave Benett/VF25/WireImage/Getty Images
In custom Ashi Studio.
Teyana TaylorTaylor Hill/WireImage/Getty Images
In Tom Ford.
Dua LipaTheStewartofNY/FilmMagic/Getty Images
In Schiaparelli.
Mia GothMonica Schipper/WireImage/Getty Images
In Dior.
Emily RatajkowskiNeilson Barnard/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
In Ludovic de Saint Sernin.
Julia FoxKarwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images
In Dilara Findikoglu.
Charli XCXNeil Mockford/FilmMagic/Getty Images
In Dilara Findikoglu.
Olivia WildeKarwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images
In Chloé.
Halle BerryUdo Salters/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images
In LaQuan Smith.
Sienna MillerNeil Mockford/FilmMagic/Getty Images
In Givenchy.
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