I’ve Covered Red Carpet Fashion for Almost a Decade, and This Is the Trend That Will Finally Die Out in 2025

Naked dresses on the red carpet are nothing new. Many credit Marylin Monroe’s sparkling “nude” gown from her famous 1962 performance of “Happy Birthday” for JFK as the dress that launched a thousand body-baring copycats. And before that, her silver dress from Some Like It Hot left extremely little to the imagination (it even had a heart-shaped cutout on the bum.) Cher wore a stunning naked dress adorned with feathers for her 1975 cover of Time magazine that scandalized the nation. And Jennifer Lopez’s plunging, sheer Versace dress, worn to the 2000 Grammy Awards, has long been touted as the reason that Google Images exists.

The current obsession with naked dresses can almost definitely be traced back to Rihanna’s 2014 CFDA Fashion Awards Swarovski crystal gown—worn with a matching head scarf, gloves and thong, of course. But in the decade-plus since RiRi bared it all, the shock factor of seeing a barely-there dress has entirely worn off.

What started as a way to desexualize women’s bodies and “free the nipple” has now become just another red carpet trope. The naked dresses of the past few years have come and gone without much fanfare, and it’s been ages since I was truly surprised or delighted by one. There have been some exceptions—Elle Fanning’s faux-glass number at the 2024 Met Gala comes to mind, as does Florence Pugh’s hot pink Valentino in 2022. But it seems celebrities and their stylists may finally be catching on to the fact that baring it all in a sparkling sheer number is no longer a guaranteed way to ensure red carpet coverage.

So where are we headed next with regards to red carpet trends? I’ve seen plenty of folks re-wearing old gowns (some reworked in a new way, others repeated just as they are), and pulling vintage pieces from the archives of fashion houses appears to be a new indicator of fashion icon status. But in general, I think the biggest thing in red carpet fashion in 2025 and the years to come will be styles with attention-grabbing structural details, rather than crystal-covered sheer gauze.

John Galliano’s Maison Margiela 2024 Artisanal Collection runway show from early last year caused a huge stir within the industry, and featured greatly exaggerated shapes (yes, with lots of sheer as well). It was fashion with a capital F and fashion folk have all been chasing that high in the months since. I was also delighted to see Polly Pocket sleeves—shoulder straps that stand away from the body like the plastic pop-on clothes of Polly Pocket—emerging as a micro trend at numerous recent events. Add to that the rise of the themed press tour (Margot Robbie for Barbie, Zendaya for Challengers, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo for Wicked), and it becomes clear that celebrities are moving away from nudity as a way to grab your attention and more toward architectural details and even kitsch instead.

Do I think we’ve seen the last of naked dresses on the red carpet? Absolutely not. This trend has become so ubiquitous, it will never truly die out. But I feel confident we’re entering an era of sculptural innovation that will last for some time. Until one day when it will surely be unseated by a new naked gown that somehow manages to make the barely-there look feel fresh, modern and exciting once more. And I’ll place my bet now that that unique style moment will come at the hands of Rihanna…again.