A common feeling when confronting the naked dress is “I don’t know where to look right now.” The season’s latest fashion is a sheer lingerie-inspired outfit aimed at the negative space. Essentially playing a game of show and tell with one’s body.
The delicate look is not meant to be provocative but to enhance that which God has given. From the Met Gala to the Grammys, the naked dress is everywhere, even on nights out.
Sabrina Carpenter’s red lace dress at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards and Kendall Jenner’s structured bodice at the 2026 Met Gala gave the naked dress a new life. Unlike Kim Kardashian’s earlier red carpet looks featuring the naked dress, its 2026 edition focuses not on the gaze but on the portrayal of the body. It is not catering to appeal; instead, it is simply presenting itself as appealing.
Earlier versions of the naked dress were enticing, provocative, with a hint of body positivity. But in the age of woeness, the dress itself underwent an identity change. The latest looks transformed to lacy numbers and sheer everything to structured Schiaparelli casts (eg, literally every other look at the Met this year). Inspired by marble statues, the naked dress essentially said if Greek gods can do it, so can we. From catwalks to red carpet to Instagram feeds, everyone wants a piece of the naked dress. In fact, there are several videos detailing how to naked dress (a sentence I never thought I’d type).
But… here comes the caper: these dresses are designed for the red carpet. Can you imagine a see-through dress at Dear Donna or worse, Summerhouse? The horror. Can you imagine naked dressing at work or a conference? Shudder, shudder. At a beach, sure. When Vogue featured these dresses, they forgot to include that small detail that maybe not every outfit can and should be copied for mass production.
Just because something is not meant to be provocative does not necessarily mean it is also appropriate. Case in point: Bianca Censori’s infamous Grammy 2025 look. Censori walked onto the red carpet in a black fur coat before taking it off to reveal, well, everything. A true naked dress, which left nothing to the imagination.
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To be or not to be…
Fashion has always been political. From corsets to bras, women’s clothes have always had a story to tell or a point to make. Perhaps that is what the designers of the naked dress initially intended.
There is a famous Instagram saying, “You can always tell if a designer loves women”, and the latest prime example of that is the naked dress.
It all depends on what the outfit is doing for you: Is it complimenting you or not? Sadly, the tyrants who run fast-fashion don’t care. They want the red carpet looks but not the thought behind it. Your outfit either has a vision board or a Kanye West behind it.
A recent Wall Street Journal article sums up the dilemma of the naked dress perfectly. For the wearer, it is liberating and empowering. Women have been told for centuries now what to wear and do with their bodies. However, on the other end of the spectrum lies the question of female objectification.
At what point does the outfit change its intent? Some might argue that it depends on the curation, others on the designer. But maybe that is a question for the wearer.
Views are personal.