Wearing a Sheer Dress May Just Be This Year’s Defining Fashion Trend
While your grandmother may avert her eyes at the latest fashion trends, we can't deny that a sheer dress over anything is the most risqué red-carpet trend we've seen in a while.
Around since the ’90s, these barely there dresses have gained a rush of popularity lately and ushered in an era of unparalleled sexiness and lingerie dressing. They dare our favorite stars to go a little shorter, a little more see-through, a little bolder. Tulle, organza, and mesh are the name of the game—and in a world that is quite literally catching on fire, who cares if you have a glamorous nip slip? Why cover up? You might as well have a little sheer dress as a treat.
A ton of our favorite celebrities (no, really, a lot of them) have embraced this year's biggest trend, but stylists have understood the power of the sheer dress for a while. From Kate Moss's iconic sheer slip dress to Rihanna's lingerie bump at Fashion Week, it's safe to say this trend is here to stay.
For your next lingerie run, we suggest leaning into the see-through dress trend, ASAP. Having trouble coming up with an eye-catching outfit that will make even your most fashionable friend proud? Browse 60 sheer-dress red-carpet moments, below. Party dresses (and your credit card) will never be the same.
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Florence Pugh at Valentino's Fall 2022 Couture Show
The Don't Worry Darling actor went viral after wearing a Barbiecore dress to Valentino's Alta Moda 2022 runway in Rome. The recently single Pugh admitted she knew what she was doing when wearing the tulle dress and that the outfit shed a light on how women's bodies are constantly scrutinized and up for public consumption.
“It isn’t the first time and certainly won’t be the last time a woman will hear what’s wrong with her body by a crowd of strangers, what’s worrying is just how vulgar some of you men can be,” she wrote on Instagram. “Grow up. Respect people. Respect bodies. Respect all women. Respect humans. Life will get a whole lot easier, I promise.”
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Keke Palmer at the Nope UK Premiere
Glamour's summer cover star wore a floral-print lace gown, courtesy of Valentino, with a feathered-waist accent to attend the red (blue?) carpet. Palmer also wore a sheer knit dress as part of her cover shoot—another nod to the ever-growing trend.
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Rihanna During Fall 2022 Paris Fashion Week
The mother-to-be wore a lingerie-esque gown to the Dior women's wear show.
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Kourtney Kardashian on a Date Night
The newly minted wifey wore a Rick Owens skintight miniskirt and mesh top during an outing with Travis Barker in New York City in October 2021.
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Zendaya at the 2021 BET Awards
Our favorite Euphoria girl stepped out in a vintage Versace gown once worn by Beyoncé.
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Lizzo at Cardi B’s 29th-Birthday Party
There's no such thing as a “sheer-dress body,” and honestly, Lizzo may rock this trend the best with her duo-tone purple Matthew Reisman Collection sheer mesh dress that she wore to Cardi B's dancehall-themed birthday bash.
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Megan Fox at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards
The Transformers star wore this nearly naked Mugler gown to the VMAs red carpet.
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Emily Ratajkowski Running Errands
If anyone can pull of a sheer midi dress served with a side of chunky ugly yet chic dad shoes, it's Emrata. The model wore a black ruched see-through maxidress while walking around New York. The label behind the dress, Coperni, is the same brand that made Doja Cat's see-through bag at the 2022 Grammy Awards.
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Issa Rae at the 2021 Emmy Awards
Issa Rae's custom Aliétte dress is anything but boring, with a cascading mesh of silver netting and crystals dominating the look (and red carpet!).
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Beyoncé at the 2014 Met Gala
When queen Bey makes an appearance on the Met Gala red carpet, you know it's serious. Who can forget the singer's 2014 appearance wearing a barely there Givenchy couture gown embellished with pink, yellow, and green stones?
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Doja Cat at the 2022 Grammy Awards
Wearing a Versace dress.
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Miley Cyrus at the 2020 MTV VMAS
As part of her new pop-punk resurgence, the singer bared all in this see-through Mugler gown.
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Kristen Stewart at the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscars After-Party
Spencer's leading lady wore a Chanel dress.
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Bella Hadid at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival
Hadid is the epitome of cool-girl style, and nothing displays it better than this red sheer ball gown courtesy of Dior.
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Dua Lipa at the 2021 Grammy Awards
The pop singer wore a multicolored Versace sheer dress resembling a butterfly for music's biggest night.
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Zendaya at the 2019 Emmy Awards
Zendaya (and her stylist, Law Roach) can do no wrong, and this emerald sheer corset number by Vera Wang is the prime example.
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Rihanna at the 2014 CFDA Awards
She's wearing Swarovski crystals—her words, not mine.
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Jennifer Lopez at the 2000 Grammy Awards
The green Versace sheer dress that was seen around the world: J.Lo's gown at the 42nd annual Grammys red carpet. Dubbed the jungle dress, this green sheer long-sleeve gown was empowering to put back on, according to Lopez. She told Vanity Fair: “Twenty years had gone by, and I think for women, knowing you can put on a dress 20 years later—it resonated. It was like, 'Yes, you know, life is not over at 20!’”
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Vanessa Hudgens at the 2022 Met Gala
The host with the most (sheer panels) embraced the see-through trend during Vogue's livestream of the “Gilded Glamour” Met Gala.
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Megan Fox at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards
Fox's ulta-sexy cutout Mugler gown is the definition of barely there dressing.
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Kendall Jenner at the 2021 Met Gala
Jenner wore an embellished sheer Givenchy gown, channeling Audrey Hepburn's character in My Fair Lady.
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Lizzo at the 2020 Grammy Awards
While all of Lizzo's outfits at the Grammys were impeccable, we have to give it up for this see-through Versace dress, making the “Truth Hurts” singer look like a glamorous Vegas showgirl.
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Zoë Kravitz at the 2021 Met Gala
Here, Zoë Kravitz attends the 2021 Met Gala in a see-through favorite.
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Rihanna at the 2011 Grammy Awards
The Anti singer is wearing the iconic Jean Paul Gaultier gown, which sparked a flurry of toilet-paper-related memes. T.P. or not, Rihanna ate.
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Kim Kardashian During Paris Fashion Week
Days after debuting her Draco Malfoy–esque do, the reality star stepped out in a Balmain bondage-reminiscent sheer body-con dress, leaving little to the imagination and looking flawless.
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Adut Akech at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards
The supermodel wore a stunning chain-mail-inspired sheer skirt and top set on the VMAs red carpet.
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Taylor Swift at the 2014 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show After-Party
After performing a medley of her hits on the runway, the “Blank Space” singer wore a Zuhair Murad Couture gown, complete with a sheer geometric top.
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Gemma Chan at the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscars After-Party
The Eternals star wore a sequined fringe Tom Ford sheer dress.
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Charli XCX at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards
Here Charli XCX proves the see-through trend works for short dresses too. The British pop star wore a custom Shawna Wu sheer minidress to the 2021 MTV VMAs.
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Paris Hilton at the 2021 Grammy Awards
Hilton's Dundas silver sheer dress? In her words, that's hot.
John Shearer31/60Anya Taylor-Joy at the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscars After-Party
Girly tulle elements are by far the best part about having a sheer dress, so when Taylor-Joy partook in the trend with her gothic Dior gown (along with a matching fascinator), we were instantly sold.
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Zendaya at the Dune After-Party
While 2021 LVMH Prize–winning designer Nensi Dojaka knows a thing or two about sheer dresses, this cocoa-colored strappy sheer masterpiece is a highlight on ’Daya.
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Sydney Sweeney at Teen Vogue’s New Hollywood Class of 2022 Dinner Party
Although Sweeney's character on Euphoria embraces over-the-top fashion and makeup looks, IRL, the actor is understated, opting for this beautiful black sheer dress and bodysuit courtesy of American designer Brandon Maxwell.
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Laverne Cox at the 2022 Grammy Awards
The Inventing Anna star wore a gothic yet sexy John Galliano sheer dress on the red carpet.
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Kendall Jenner at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival
The supermodel is wearing a Schiaparelli haute couture dress—and similarly to Rihanna's white gauze gown, Jenner is baring all. Free the nip!
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Hailey Bieber at the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscars After-Party
Who says you can't have two sexy Oscars style trends in one dress? High slits and sheer dresses go great together. Case in point: Hailey Bieber in this scandalous after-party look.
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Bella Hadid at the 2016 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
Naturally, the brunette bombshell wore a lingerie-inspired sheer dress after walking in her first Victoria's Secret runway in 2016.
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Lori Harvey at the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscars After-Party
Even though Harvey and beaux Michael B. Jordan stole the show at the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscars after-party with their red-carpet debut, let's be real: The dress is all we're talking about. Harvey's Tony Ward Couture sheer dress, complete with a bejeweled bodice and sculptural elements, was one of our favorites of the night.
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Kim Kardashian During Spring 2017 Paris Fashion Week
The business mogul supported her good friend Olivier Rousteing by wearing one of his sheer dresses at Balmain's spring-summer 2017 show.
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Ciara at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards
Ciara's black lace sheer body-hugging gown is definitely going on our style mood board.
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Kylie Jenner at the 2019 Met Gala
While Jenner's over-the-top lavender plumes added a campy edge to her gown, the Versace sheer bottom half was a sexy touch.
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Rachel Zegler at the 2022 Grammy Awards
The West Side Story star rocked a tulle Dior gown on the red carpet in a somewhat modest fashion, opting to wearing a full-coverage top and bottom.
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Dakota Johnson at the 2021 Venice Film Festival
The actor turned heads in this beautiful Gucci gown for the premiere of The Lost Daughter.
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Kendall Jenner at the 2017 Met Gala
Slits aren't just for thighs anymore—they're also for the chest. In this stunning sheer dress Jenner wore to the 2017 Met Gala, she's proving that it's definitely more than acceptable to take risks on fashion's biggest red carpet.
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Kim Kardashian at the LACMA Film + Art Gala
Pregnancy doesn't have to tamper your ultra-sexy maternity style. Exhibit A: Kardashian, pregnant with North, in our favorite sheer-dress trend.
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Gigi Hadid at the 2016 American Music Awards
The model wore an off-the-shoulder white lace Roberto Cavalli sheer dress on the red carpet.
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Miley Cyrus at the 2013 Met Gala
Just as Miley was embracing her punker-chic roots at the 2013 Met Gala, the singer wore fishnet head-to-toe, opting for a Marc Jacobs sheer dress, complete with a nude slip underneath.
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Imaan Hammam at the 2021 Met Gala
The model wore a fashion-forward Versace gown, embracing a low-rise sheer mesh bodice and carefully placed star ornaments.
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Jennifer Lopez at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards
The illusion Charbel Zoe gown looks stunning on J.Lo, who's spoken previously about the lengths she goes to keep her body looking fabulous. Celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson told WWD that Lopez works hard for her body, and in a beaded sheer dress, you can definitely see that the hard work pays off!
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Kendall Jenner at the 2018 Fashion Awards
Honoring UK designers during the London show, Jenner wore a gold sheer gown designed by British designer Julien Macdonald.
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Bella Hadid at the 2017 AmFAR Cinema Against AIDS Gala
The Cannes Film Festival is sure the place to spice things up, and Hadid knows the best way to do it is with a jaw-dropping outfit. Look no further than her custom Ralph & Russo embellished sheer dress.
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Ashley Graham at the 2018 US Open Tennis Championships
The supermodel and mother of three wore a gorgeous sheer wrap V-neck dress in a polka-dot print with a pair of casual white tennis shoes, proving the sheer-dress trend doesn't have to be ultra luxe all the time.
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Simone Ashley at the Bridgerton Season-Two Premiere
The actor wore a vampy sheer two-piece set on the Bridgerton red carpet that featured a short sleeve white crop top.
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Ciara at the 2022 MTV VMAs
The singer's slashed-open look adds another layer of edginess to an already scandalous lace dress.
PEMA55/60Kesha Going Out to Dinner
Nothing says catching up with your mom over a meal like Kesha's totally transparent dress. The singer let her sheer maxidress do all the talking for her, keeping her accessories, makeup, and undergarments minimal.
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Maude Apatow at the 2022 Met Gala
The Euphoria actor channeled a timeless “Gilded Glamour” aesthetic with an off-the-shoulder sheer dress while attending the Met Gala. Her hair, makeup, and jewelry—most likely all nods to Old Hollywood—complemented the Miu Miu dress flawlessly.
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Keke Palmer at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Palmer chose to wear her Prada see-through maxi ress over a pair of black shorts and a classic white spaghetti-strap tank top for a conservative take on this summer dress trend.
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Jennifer Lopez Affleck at the Halftime Documentary Premiere
J.Lo has never been afraid to make a fashion statement with her formal dresses—case in point, the star's paneled dress with major sheer windows on her chest, hip, and leg areas.
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Cynthia Erivo at the 2022 Met Gala
The Wicked actor wore a cream sleeveless lace dress from Louis Vuitton on the steps of the Met museum on the first Monday in May. Erivo, who will be playing Elphaba in the movie adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical, has been a budding fashion darling for a while, wearing designers like Louis Vuitton, Giambattista Valli, and Thom Browne.
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Priyanka Chopra Jonas at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards
Chopra Jonas wore a custom Dolce & Gabbana to support her husband while attending the Billboard Music Awards.
