15 times Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra and other Bollywood stars proved their love for the naked dress

By Garima Gupta12 May 2020

From couture gowns to cocktail dresses, here’s how Indian stars have embraced the daring look over the years

It was Carrie Bradshaw’s flesh-toned mini dress that coined the term ‘naked dress’ in the modern-day fashion lexicon. But before her, icons Marilyn Monroe, Cher and Kate Moss had dressed in barely-there layers of tulle, sequins and feathers snowballing the tease trend. The bold silhouette is characterised by layers of sheer fabric, mesh panels, tricky embellishment placements and body tape that put together an effective illusion of going bare without having to shed layers. Now, fashion’s most influential powerhouses step out in modern renditions everywhere, from the runway, red carpet to streets. While Kim Kardashian West recreated Moss’s iconic ’90s metallic sheer slip, Jennifer Lopez’s Versace jungle print dress(es) became milestone moments in the house’s history. Rihanna, Beyoncé, Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber frequent global award nights in dresses that don’t leave much to the imagination. Entering 2020, Zendaya refined the look in the most avant-garde version yet in a fuchsia breastplate and skirt by Tom Ford.

How Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja and more have worn their versions of the naked dress

When it comes to the “less is more” approach, Bollywood celebrities too have picked their own versions that play on the visual thread between bare-skinned and barely dressed. Typically, red carpet platforms like the Cannes Film Festival are where the stars up the ante and show up in most OTT outfits. Deepika Padukone picked a sheer Zuhair Murad cape gown with white appliquéd embroidery to debut at the celebrated event. Similarly, Priyanka Chopra wore a see-through gown by the Lebanese designer in the same palette two years before for her first outing at the Oscars in 2016.

Kuwaiti couturier Yousef Aljasmi to the stars a popular choice among Indian actors when it comes to visually stimulating creations. Playing with long lengths of skin-coloured embellished fabrics draped over the body, the designer has dressed Kareena Kapoor Khan, Malaika Arora, Jacqueline Fernandez and Kriti Sanon, among others.

Even off the ceremonial carpet, Priyanka Chopra has favoured a risqué LBD unlike most. The body-skimming silhouette by Kukhareva featured a completely sheer lower half, save for strategically placed appliquéd floral panels.

Janhvi Kapoor, too made her debut Koffee With Karan appearance in a blush pink Chantilly lace dress with cold shoulders from Nedo by Nedret Taciroglu. While nudes is the expected palette, Alia Bhatt, Anushka Sharma and Alaya F have picked all-black, white and shades of lilac for their daring silhouettes.