The Sheer Power of Transparent Clothing (2024)

Lately fashion has left little to the imagination.The sheer-dress trend, while varying in levels of (im)modesty, is inescapable, as barely concealed nipples, belly buttons, and thongs have graced every red carpet from theGrammysto theOscars. While celebrities including Rihanna, Kendall Jenner, and Beyoncé have all played a role the trend’s recent resurgence, translucent garments have been making jaws drop and eyes bulge for centuries.

The mysterious 18th-centuryPortrait of a Young Woman in Whiteby an unknown artist has enjoyed a renewed cultural interest as the cover ofMy Year of Rest and RelaxationbyOttessa Moshfegh.But the artwork, in which the subject’s breasts are visible through a sheer layer of fabric, is emblematic of the attire favored by French courtesans around the turn of the 19th century. The style, which writerLouis-Sébastien Mercierdubbed “à la sauvage,”“did not leave the beholder to divine, but perceive every secret charm,” Mercier wrote.

Sheer garments continued to scandalize after the French Revolution. In 1913 diaphanous so-called X-ray skirts and dresses caused such outrage thatthe mayor of Portland, Oregon, orderedwearers be arrested, whileThe Oregon Daily Journalreported, “X-Ray Skirts Break Up Home of Millionaire.” Regarding her fashion-related divorce, Bertha Hanscom, 30, said, “My husband is an old fossil…I’m built for the X-ray skirt, and I’m going to wear ‘em. He doesn’t like them, but I don’t care. Wait till I get my divorce, and I’ll make his eyes pop.” (Her scandalized husband, James, 60, told the paper, “Bertha wore not only diaphanous skirts but slit ones.”)

Silent film starlet Clara Bow secured her sex-symbol status with 1925’sMy Lady of Whimsthanks to a scandalously see-through dress. When Bow’s character, Prudence Severn, is invited to a costume ball with the theme “the less worn, the easiest mended,” she takes the message literally, wowing in a barely-there gown. The dress—which made it to the big screen before the entertainment industry adopted a set of self-censorship guidelines called the Hays Code—was so revealing that it would still shock by today’s standards.

In 1962, Marilyn Monroe’s famous “Happy birthday, Mr. President” dress catapulted sheerness back into the spotlight, and stars like Jane Birkin and Cher kept the controversial look alive in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. But the ‘90s ushered in a true renaissance. Sheerness, which paired well with the grunge ethos, was beloved by designers, withAlaïa,John Galliano,Jean Paul Gaultier,Prada, andAtelier Versacesending various takes on the trend down the runway. Although it became more normalized by the ‘90s, the bold look turns heads in any decade.

There is incredible power in choosing to reveal one’s body. In 1998, Rose McGowan wore a beaded, chainmail-esque dress over only a leopard-print thong to the VMAs; decades later she shared that it was her first red carpet since she was allegedly raped by Harvey Weinstein in 1997. “That was my first public appearance after being sexually assaulted,”she told Dr. Ozin 2018. “I was like, Is this what you want? That was a political statement.” The conversation around a revealing dress can change culture as well. Jennifer Lopez’s iconic green Versace gown at the 2000 Grammys—sheer with a plunging neckline—drove so many internet searches that it spurredthe invention of Google Images.

Pseudo-nudity had its moment in the sun in 2008, thanks to the likes ofChristian DiorandChloé. But the shock value of diaphaneity peaked in 2014 when Rihanna accepted the CFDA fashion icon of the year award in a completely transparent Adam Selman number, covered only by a nude thong and fur pashmina. With her trademark blend of confidence and cheek, Rihanna became the perfect ambassador for the trend, flouncing criticism and encouraging empowerment. Others soon followed suit:Beyoncérubber-stamped the naked dress at the 2015 Met Gala in a bejeweled Givenchy ensemble whileKendall JennerandBella Hadidtackled their own interpretations for the 2017 Met Gala.

Sheerness came back in full force in 2022 and has only grown more popular with every passing season.Among the fall 2024 collections, Chloé, Saint Laurent, Prada, Valentino, and Givenchy were all among labels that played with transparency in their collections.

The daring choice isn’t popular just on the runway—naked dressing is almost as de rigueur on the red carpet. Florence Pugh, Kendall Jenner, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone, Charli XCX, Ice Spice, and Charlize Theron all opted for sheer gowns at the2024 Vanity FairOscar partyalone. Some, includingKendallandKylie JennerandHailey Bieber, have turned the look on its head, opting to try tights as pants (which helped spawn the contentious pantless trend).

While increasingly popular, the look is still subject to much sensationalism and even vitriol. When Florence Pugh attended the 2022 Valentino Haute Couture show in a transparent hot pink gown, she was subject to much pearl clutching. But true to the fearless spirit of the sheer dress,Pugh fought back. “It has always been my mission in this industry to say ‘f*ck it and f*ck that’ whenever anyone expects my body to morph into an opinion of what’s hot or sexually attractive,” she wrote. Pugh has continued to rock the sheer trend since, wearing it to the 2024 Golden Globes and Oscars after-party, as well as during the Dune: Part Two press tour. “Anything sheer is so magical,” Pugh told Vogue in July 2023. “If you feel comfortable, and the clothing allows you to feel comfortable, it’s like a little present that you get to have. As well as the dress being on you, it’s also your body underneath.”

For the first time, we seem to be pushing more boundaries with sheerness. Labels have long sent models’ exposed breasts down the runway, but nowadays celebrities andregular peoplealike are more inclined to bare it all. Perhaps it’s an act of cultural pushback against the government’s puritanical restrictions on women’s bodies. Maybe it’s a sign that we shouldn’t be so concerned with our own nakedness. No matter how you wear it, sheer is sexy, subversive, and powerful. If you feel like kicking up a little intrigue,Voguehas rounded up some of the best moments in transparent fashion to help inspire you.