Body language knowledgeable Judi James exposes fact behind A-list ‘naked dress’ pattern
The ‘naked dress’ trend is getting bigger every day– and it’s not that we’re complaining. But how come the biggest stars in Hollywood are suddenly flashing so much flesh?
Clothes were designed to cover our nakedness – but the current fashion for ‘nude dressing’ positively promotes it. You’re nobody in Hollywood right now if your nipples haven’t been pixilated by the press.
Nude dressing ticks all the right red-carpet boxes. It’s daring enough to imply a superior level of confidence and sass; it’s shocking enough to guarantee headlines, but it’s also cool and classy enough to avoid compromising status.
Posing on the red carpet topless or in your undies would shriek ‘desperate Z-lister’. But throwing a transparent, wispy ‘veil’ over the bare body is suddenly A-list in terms of a classy, sensual tease.
It’s a controlled sexual signal that demands maximum attention – and it has historic precedent. Society girls of Jane Austen’s day would wear muslin dresses to balls, that were then dampened to become daringly transparent. Some of Monroe’s most sensual pics were taken when she threw a chiffon scarf over her bare breasts to create a sense of burlesque-style teasing.
An important part of the narrative is confusion. Are they really baring all or is it some kind of optical illusion, created with ‘invisible’ and very strategically-placed underwear? It’s hard not to stare and that is exactly the response it’s designed for.
Breast and bum cleavage-baring is now considered old-school – but throw a piece of black lace or sheer chiffon over them and you have a story that is current.
CHLOE KELLY
This warrior pose fits well with the sheer chain-mail sheath dress with its strategically-placed applique. Chloe’s head is raised in her hood in a gesture of defiance and there’s an exaggerated partial splay of one elbow to suggest a hint of ‘don’t mess with me’.
The side-boob signals confidence, daring and a ton of tit-tape, while the splayed knees reflect the idea of a challenging rather than a cheesecake look.
DAKOTA JOHNSON
This is a ‘naughty-but-nice’ look from Dakota who is sending out mixed messages. The very visible black bra and pants encased in sexy, sheer black lace should create a look of gothic daring, but her body language is demure and rather sweet.
Those hands on her thighs suggest a desire to hide rather than reveal and her head tilt is a gesture that reflects a desire to be liked rather than lusted after.
EMILY RATAJKOWSKI
This pose is as fluid and languid as the dress itself, oozing runway confidence and a model’s ability to be one with their outfit. Her shoulders are angled to suggest a very relaxed approach to the quite daring body reveal.
Emily is the consummate professional when it comes to nearly baring all on the red carpet but making it classy and elegant at the same time.
MARGOT ROBBIE
This is a very carefully curated and cultivated look that Margot has combined with a perfect, elegant pose that could be nothing less than A-list. Her elegance de-bones the look in terms of anything raunchy or lacking in class, so even the side-boob has something regal-looking about it.
Her relaxed stare shows how she owns this look and the pose rather than allowing it to own her.
MILLIE BOBBY BROWN
There’s an expression of almost terror on Millie’s face here. She stares into the camera with her arms straight at her sides suggesting that, although the dress might be expensive and elegant-looking, the combo of sheer-looking fabric and that deepest of cleavage-baring necklines might just have been too much to carry off in one go.
The dress only seems to give the impression of being see-through, but the smarter choice is to avoid combining ‘nude dressing’ with any overt displays of actual bare flesh.
JENNA ORTEGA
Less is more with ‘nude dressing,’ but Jenna doesn’t seem to have got the memo. Her ‘raid the jewellery box then apply it with a splatter gun’ top contains too much drama to be enjoyably revealing and her body language suggests some awkwardness at carrying it off.
This looks like a ‘dress v wearer’ struggle and her frown, the flattened hand on her waistband, plus the way her leg is trying to work the split without any sexual flourish suggests she’s more of a natural girl who might be happier in jeans.
LILY ALLEN
The long white skirt covering Lily’s lower half looks demure, innocent and almost bridal. But then her boobs are rolled up into a semi-transparent baguette of sheer fabric, with a daring glimpse of nipple suggesting Lily’s lack of fear and enjoyment of shocking.
The narrative seems to be that she is cool and ironic in terms of any sexual signals and not really wanting to pander to any stereotypes, despite still wanting to stay in the game in terms of winning the headlines.
SYDNEY SWEENEY
This dress is full retro goddess mode with a pose to match. This seems to be the most effortful look with that hourglass waistline and upwardly hiked and defined boobs encased in the sheer fabric. The swirling, flowing fabric has made Sydney a winner in terms of getting media attention.
She looks like she’s come from another planet or another time here with this ultimate blend of 50’s glamour with modern daring.
