The 'naked dress' took over the Oscars 2025 red carpet

Clare Pennington
·2-min read
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The Academy Awards celebrate theatrical excellence, but it’s the outfits sported by the A-list attendees that capture our attention every year.

This year’s sartorial offerings married the vintage Hollywood glamour we’ve come to expect from the biggest red carpet event in the world with more scandalous modern touches, thanks to attendees like Julia Fox and Zoë Kravitz.

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Flashes of flesh were spotted alongside quirky, unexpected details as nominees paid due to the films that catapulted them onto the red carpet.

But there’s one trend that had our eyeballs popping out of our heads. Yes reader, the 'naked dress' is back and bigger than ever.

Keke Palmer at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party wearing a white two-piece dress with sheer mesh beaded front and long white flowing skirt
Keke Palmer at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party (Getty Images)

For the afterparties, layers were shed as guests took a slightly more scandalous approach to festivities.

Now, not just a generic flesh-flashing affair, the modern 'naked dress' is all cheeky details (forgive the pun), and is ever so playful, like a sartorial wink.

Zoe Kravitz at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party wearing a Saint Laurent black dress with sheer panel exposing the upper half of her bum
Zoe Kravitz at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party wearing Saint Laurent (Variety via Getty Images)

Actress Zoë Kravitz wore Saint Laurent, which from the front looked positively genteel. From the back, however, a sheer mesh beaded panel revealed her bottom. Formal at the front and saucy at the back - a sort of sexy mullet, if you will.

Emma Chamberlain at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party wearing dove grey strapless gown by Jean Paul Gaultier with cut out detailing from the hip to the floor, teamed with a matching leather choker.
Emma Chamberlain at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party (Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Emma Chamberlain’s Jean Paul Gaultier SS25 Couture leather gown featured lace-up cut-out detail that ventured daringly high. The scandalous nature of the gown’s cutouts was tempered by the genteel dove grey colour palette.

Julia Fox attends the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party wearing mesh and not much else
Julia Fox attends the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party wearing mesh and not much else (Getty Images)

Naked dress connoisseur Julia Fox plumped for solely sheer mesh and the addition of precisely placed mermaid-esque hair extensions, while Olivia Wilde looked positively bohemian in Chloé SS25 with fully visible knickers.

Teyana Taylor at the Oscars afterparty wearing bright red Laquan Smith, a sheer long sleeve mesh top with cut out detailing just above the hips and a full tiered tulle skirt
Teyana Taylor at the Oscars afterparty wearing Laquan Smith (WWD via Getty Images)

Teyana Taylor opted for a show-stopping red number by LaQuan Smith with a completely sheer front panel, while Keke Palmer showed off rock-hard abs in Atelier Versace FW98 Couture (she has loved a vintage moment this awards season.)

The 'naked dress' stood in contrast to the classic Hollywood glamour of the strapless gown that was preferred by attendees such as Elle Fanning (who wore the silhouette to the afterparty in stunning Valentino). Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldana both followed suit.

While we’ll always have a soft spot for classic beauty, the naughty side of us wants to get on board with naked dressing asap, just perhaps not for Sunday lunch with the folks…