How the Naked Dress Trend Grew Up

The traditional "naked dress"—as beloved of honed-and-toned celebs everywhere for the past decade, like Beyoncé pictured below—may be on its way out, and I'm pretty pleased about the whole thing. As with all major trends, this cycle appears to have run its course, and the idea of those uncomfortable-looking, artfully placed crystals and embroidered details layered onto nude dancer-style mesh now verges on cheap, tacky and ubiquitous, despite the original designer versions being incredibly intricate and expensive.

Imagine I'm the next J.Lo for a second, if you will, and it seems far cooler in 2018 to do conceal/reveal in a subtler or even a more eccentric way. Rihanna—ever the trailblazer—has been one of the women at the forefront of this revised "naked dress" trend. She was first in the celebrity world to cotton onto the frothy fabulous tulle creations of London-based designer and recent Vogue Fashion Fund winner Molly Goddard, and none of us will ever forget her Swarovski-studded moment at the CFDA Awards back in 2014.

Recently though it seems like another see-through dress trend has captured the imaginations of all kinds of A-listers from Olivia Palermo to Kim Kardashian West. Fueled by Goddard and the likes of Virgil Abloh at Off-White, the extreme tulle dress is taking centre stage. Rather than the nude skin-tone meshes of the past and rather than being bodycon and super-restrictive, these are bright, fun dresses one can eat a bowl of pasta in and then have a really good dance/Boomerang session—priorities for any girl living her best life.

The new wave is often seen in a different light also: Look at Off-White's styling strategy for these '80s-inspired tulle explosions (that reminded me of a particularly memorable Viktor and Rolf moment from S/S 10) and you'll see these fairy-like frocks being styled over cycling shorts or bright trousers for a more casual outcome. A far cry from the ultra-sassy nude gowns of yore. Take a look below to see the celebs who are into this dress trend and shop the look for yourself because wedding guest season is coming after all.

Kim Kardashian West—despite her penchant for skintight clothes—has happily adopted the net ruffles of Off-White.

Musician Kelsey Lu has us coming back to this video time and again thanks to the undulating tulle waves of her Molly Goddard dress.

Related: These 11 Dresses Will Make You Stand Out in a Sea of Printed Floral Midis

Camille Charrière and Monica Ainley were quick to play dress up in Molly Goddard's studio recently—and we can see why.

Roberta Benteler wears her see-through Simone Rocha dress in a day-to-day way with Céline ankle boots and a classic trench.

Behind the scenes of Olivia Palermo on a fashion shoot in the most spectacular Giambattista Valli gown.

Whatever the trend, you can bet RiRi did it first—this is just one of the many Molly Goddard dresses she's looking incredible in over the past few years.

Spanish model/DJ/generally cool girl Sita Abellan has adopted the idea, using an organza dress to be layered under another piece to great effect.

Related: These 21 Affordable Wedding Dresses Look as Good as Designer Ones

Courtney Trop of Always Judging has been experimenting with her pretty dress by layering it over black underwear and wearing with bovver boots.

Leandra Medine Cohen plays up the cutesy vibes of this popular Ganni dress with Mary Janes.

SHOP THE TULLE DRESS TREND

Related: What to Wear to a Wedding: 9 Outfit Ideas That Never Fail to Look Good

Now all you need is a pair of cute shoes.