Taylor Swift’s choice of dress at last night’s VMAs got everyone talking.
One person even went as far as to call the dress “outlandishly revealing…”
Keep scrolling to see what everyone’s so up-in-arms about!
Say what you want about celebs — they sure know how to get everyone talking.
Well, through the magic of fashion, of course. When it comes to breaking the internet through their sartorial choices, there seems to be one clear route for celebrities to go down. The best method to garner maximum attention? By getting (almost) naked, of course!
Whether they’re flashing some flesh, wearing clothes that look more like an optical illusion, bending rules of gender, or freeing the nips…
We’ve selected sixty of the most shocking celebrity dresses of all time — including the one Taylor Swift wore last night at the VMAs which got quite the reaction…
Bella Hadid…
At the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show After Party in 2018, Bella wasn’t afraid to go for a chain mail “cover-up.”
Ming Xi…
The Victoria’s Secret After Party was obviously a rich source of nearly-naked vibes, as this supermodel proves.
Kim Kardashian…
No nude-illusion list would be complete without Kim — and this optical illusion look that she wore to the E! People’s Choice Awards in 2018 is pretty special.
Kendall Jenner…
In the first of a few appearances on our list, here, Kendall rocks an almost totally sheer gold gown to the 2018 British Fashion Awards.
Jonathan Van Ness…
Proving that they can do a “naked dress” too, the Queer Eye star looked fabulous at the 2018 Emmy Awards.
Deepika Padukon…
Proving you can look naked and classy is the Indian actress, at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
Kendall Jenner…
In her second appearance, Kendall appears even more butt-naked, also at Cannes.
Ciara…
The singer looks every inch of ’00s R&B star, draped in diamantes at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards.
Tiffany Haddish…
The comedian, actress, and author went for a semi-sheer vibe at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards.
Rita Ora…
The British singer went for an incredibly revealing look at the same event.
Kendall Jenner…
At the same Cannes Film Festival in 2018, Kendall again flashed her nipples — albeit in a slightly more luxurious gown.
SZA…
Rather than being “nearly naked” through a sheer finish, the singer instead went for a shredded effect.
Elsa Hosk…
At the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, Hosk managed to cover up the essential areas — but basically nothing else.
Zoë Kravitz…
The Met Gala is an opportunity for celebs to truly think outside the box — and at the 2019 ceremony, Zoë certainly didn’t disappoint.
Hailey Bieber…
Mrs. Bieber wore a nude illusion embellished with jewels at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018.
Jennifer Lawrence…
At the Venice Film Festival in 2017, Jennifer chose to cover her modesty using only flower petals.
Demi Lovato…
At the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards, Demi wore a surprisingly modest pair of baggy harem trousers — but contrasted them with a totally see-through top.
Halle Berry…
At the NAACP Image Awards in January 2018, Halle’s look was rather… crotch-centric.
Laverne Cox…
And those red carpets were no stranger to celebrity nudity, as Laverne opted for a similarly revealing look at the same event.
Jaimie Alexander…
In an early entry, the star wore a dress that was just about decent to the premiere of Thor: The Dark World in 2013.
Chrissy Teigen…
The model (and Mrs. John Legend) had to be careful not to move too much at the American Music Awards in 2016.
Jennifer Lawrence…
Jennifer makes the list again, this time at the 2017 London premiere of Mother!, where she appeared to wear jewelry instead of clothes.
Kendall Jenner (again, again, again)…
At the 2017 Met Gala, Kendall went backless in almost every sense of the word.
Bella Hadid…
At the 2017 Cannes Festival, Bella managed to somehow be naked and in an incredibly complicated outfit at the same time.
Rihanna…
Here’s another classic, and arguably the pioneer for the resurgence of the naked dress. Rihanna rocked pretty much only Swarovski crystals to the 2014 CFDA Awards.
Irina Shayk…
You may know her for her tumultuous relationship with Bradley Cooper, but back in 2015, the model went nearly nude to the Vanity Fair Oscars party.
Angela Sarafyan…
The actress, best known for her appearance on West World, wore this jaw-dropping… dress (?) to the Vanity Fair and L’Oreal Paris Toast to Young Hollywood in 2017.
Amber Rose…
Never one to shy away from showing off her (incredible) bod, Amber left nothing to the imagination at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards.
Miley Cyrus…
In perhaps the most naked entry on our list, here’s Miley performing on stage at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, concealed only by a few plastic spheres.
Miley Cyrus (again)…
Unbelievably, this photo is from the very same event. Clearly, Miley was on form, fashion-wise, that night.
Hailey Bieber…
At the 2017 Video Music Awards, she went for a bejeweled mesh bodysuit, paired (oddly) with some large, beige underpants.
Kim Kardashian…
At the 2015 Met Gala Kim left nothing to the imagination — but, hey, at least the carpet was covered up!
Beyoncé…
At the same 2015 Met Gala, Beyoncé was also concealed only by jewels — and she looked incredible.
Jennifer Lopez…
The multi-talented star went super daring at the China: Through The Looking Glass’ Costume Institute Benefit Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2015.
Bebe Rexha…
The singer went for a combination of nude illusion and jewel embellishments at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on August 27, 2017.
Olivia Munn…
At the 2017 MTV Music Awards, Olivia went for some daring cutouts, with only a wide fishnet panel covering her front.
Jennifer Lopez…
Proving that she’s definitely still got it, J-Lo went for another nude illusion at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards.
Kendall Jenner…
No stranger to our list, she rocked a no-pants look at the 2019 Oscars Vanity Fair party.
Emma Roberts…
At the same event, Emma Roberts appeared to deflect attention from her naked body by using the magic of glitter.
Jennifer Lopez…
In the dress that perhaps started it all (and reportedly the reason that Google Images was invented), J-Lo went uber-plunging at the 2000 Grammys.
Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian…
The 2 went for contrasting (though similarly revealing) dresses at the 2016 Angel Ball.
Kim Kardashian (again)…
At the front row of the Balmain show at Paris Fashion Week in 2016, Kim went for this very loosely fitted crochet dress.
Stefflon Don…
At the 2019 BET Awards, Stefflon Don went for an extremely high-thigh slit.
Alessandra Ambrosio…
At the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, Alessandra wore an incredibly floaty dress — and posed to excellent effect.
Kim Kardashian…
At the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, Kim rocked a sheer dress that almost looked as if it were about to fall off, completing the undone look with wet-look hair.
Emily Ratajkowski…
The “camp” theme at the 2019 Met Gala gave us a lot of strong (and revealing) looks — like this one, by model Emily Ratajkowski.
Adriana Lima…
The thigh slit is a classic in terms of daring celebrity dress, and Lima went for it at the Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party Celebrating EJAF.
Ngoc Trinh…
Ngoc made the bold choice of having her crotch as her outfit’s focal point at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.
Lorena Rae…
The model gave an almost full vertical slit in her outfit for the 2019 Cannes Film Festival Gala.
Kim Kardashian…
Putting a real shift in on our list, Kim looked almost surreal in this nude-effect dress at the 2019 Met Gala.
Lala Kent…
The 2019 MTV Movie and TV Awards saw the star rocking a pair of fishnet tights… over her entire body.
Justine Skye…
Can’t decide whether to go for a see-through gown or an eyepopping thigh slit? Skye showed you can do both at the 2019 BET Awards.
Heidi Klum…
The model’s look for the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards took nude illusion to the limit — it’s almost unbelievable that you can’t see anything.
Gemma Chan…
The actress appeared to hide her modesty by draping herself in tinsel at the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscars Party.
Hailey Bieber…
Hailey’s look at the 2019 Met Gala made a fashion faux pas (a visible g-string) into a surprisingly cute look.
Constance Wu…
Her plunging neckline and layers of tulle at the 2019 Met Gala made for an unexpectedly classy look.
Sharon Stone…
Not as overtly naked (or even naked at all, to be honest), Sharon Stone wore a Gap button-up to the Oscars in 1998. How confident do you have to be to wear an 11.99 off-the-rack shirt amongst people who have golden beads adhered to their blazers?
Lizzy Gardiner…
This had to be a statement dress, right? It feels like Lizzy Gardiner was telling everyone at the very same event as her that their dresses were just ways to prove they have money. It takes some real chutzpah to insult everyone around you the entire night.
Lady Gaga…
Listen, I don’t even like touching raw chicken. Gives me the shivers. The idea of wearing meat, like Lady Gaga did at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, is horrifying.
Janet Jackson…
After Justin Timberlake famously exposed Janet Jackson’s breast during Super Bowl XXXVIII, everyone claimed it was a “wardrobe malfunction.”
Mariah Carey…
At the 2014 BET Awards, Mariah Carey wore one of the deepest plunging necklines we’ve ever seen on a dress. Here’s hoping her body didn’t have any negative reactions to all the superglue she must have used to keep that thing up.
Amber Rose…
I think the key to finding out whether or not a dress is a dress or a grouping of material that may as well not exist is to run it through the squint test. For example, if you squint at this picture of Amber Rose at the 2014 VMAs, it looks like she’s naked. Not a dress.
Katie Price…
I know, I know. This dress doesn’t reveal Katie Price’s body. But it absolutely reveals a lot more about her than her nipples ever could.
Christina Aguilera…
Showing up for the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards in 2002, it looks like Christina Aguilera took a dress and cut a bunch of slits out of it. Maybe it snagged on a protruding nail and caused one rip, and Christina had to cut a bunch more rips into it to make it look intentional?
Madonna…
So, when Madonna showed up for the 2015 Grammys, she just put her bare a** out there. Nothin’ subtle about it. Just “here’s my a**, America.” And what was anyone supposed to do about it? She wrote, “Like A Prayer.” Madonna can do whatever she wants.
Lil’ Kim…
Lil’ Kim rolled into the ’99 VMAs with a seashell sticker over her boob. The fact that there are seashells on her dress is the only evidence that Lil’ Kim wasn’t told by security at the event that she was not allowed to walk in with a fully-displayed boob.
Macy Gray…
How gutsy do you have to be to turn a red carpet walk into an advertisement? I mean, all red carpet walks are kind of advertisements, but back in 2001, Macy Gray decided to be overt about it.
P!nk
It looks as though Pink used the 2000 Video Music Awards as an opportunity to wear pants into which she had cut deep plunging… well, not necklines. Hiplines?
Björk
At the 2001 Oscars, Bjork famously wore a see-through dress covered with a swan. Now, this is a famous dress, and I’d seen it before, but in my head, I always pictured a real swan. Looking at it now, it looks like Björk won it from a carnival.
Cher…
Cher wore this dress to the 1986 Oscars, and boy did it ever turn some dang heads.
Gwyneth Paltrow…
Damn, Gwyneth Paltrow just straight up wore a see-through tank to the Oscars!
Rose McGowan…
My girl just straight up wore a thing to the MTV Video Music Awards. If Marilyn Manson were any sort of gentleman, he would’ve wrapped her up in his glossy leopard coat the second they stepped out of the limo.
Grace Jones…
Back in 1989, actress Grace Jones decided that clothes were a cage and went out semi-nude in this outfit, which… strongly resembles a cage.
Christina Aguilera…
Man, the “Xtina” period of Christina Aguilera’s career lead the singer to some wild outfits, including this one from 2002 where she seemingly just grabbed a sheer cloth and wrapped it around her chest real quick.
Lara Flynn Boyle…
If you don’t think Lara Flynn Boyle is daring to come right from a ballet lesson to the Golden Globes, you’ve never shown up to a fancy party in sweatpants because no one told you it was formal attire.
Miley Cyrus (again again)…
This 2014 Miley Cyrus ensemble is a prime example of a celebrity showing up to an event topless and using whatever they have available — in this case, electrical tape — to cover up so they’re allowed in.
Miley (once more)…
Listen, Miley Cyrus just clearly wants to go to events nude, and who are we to stop her? Let the girl live.
Caroll Baker…
In one of the first instances of a star using a semi-naked dress to turn heads, actress Caroll Baker wore this barely-there lil’ number to the 1964 premier of The Carpetbaggers.
Britney Spears…
Again, being in Hollywood is all about projecting an air of wealth and power. For Britney to show up to the 2001 American Music Awards in a dress made of denim — the workin’ man’s material — shows a ton of bravery (and maybe the first hints of the class solidarity we’re seeing from her today?).
Bai Ling…
Actress Bai Ling showed up to the 2015 International Fashion Film Awards wearing nothing more than… a cryptic message? I tried to decode what it could mean, and honestly y’all, I’m stumped.
Matt Stone and Trey Parker…
South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker donned Jennifer Lopez’s and Gwyneth Paltrow’s most famous dresses for the 2000 Oscars. And damn if they don’t pull them off.
Angelina Jolie…
This is it — the famous slit from the 2012 Oscars. Although, after some of the dresses we’ve seen here today, a single leg doesn’t seem so revealing. Why is this dress so famous? I wonder if Angelina was pushing boundaries here that we couldn’t see. Maybe she had a vial of Billy Bob Thorton’s blood tucked into her dress too.
Naomi Campbell…
Naomi Campbell modeled a dress at Paris Fashion Week that… maybe didn’t do anyone any good. Sure, the dress looks great with her nipples, but will it look great with yours?
Kate Beckinsale…
I can just picture Kate Beckinsale’s handlers at the last minute scouring for a safety pin to wrap her dress around her.
Rihanna…
I am positive this isn’t what’s happening in this picture, but it is very funny to me to think that Rihanna just had her breasts fully out in that dress, and what’s covering her are not pasties, but ninja stars flying by just as the picture was snapped.
Elizabeth Hurley…
At the premiere of Four Weddings & A Funeral, Hurley accompanied then-boyfriend Hugh Grant in a Versa dress that stole all the headlines.
Taylor Swift…
At last night’s VMAs Swift got the whole internet talking as she rocked a ‘barely there dress’…
“Taylor Swift is so wrong for wearing a reputation dress in the speak now tv/ 1989 tv era to announce midnights,” wrote one fan.
“Taylor Swift’s stylist deserves a raise because that dress is immaculate,” added another.
