On the red carpet at last month's Cannes Film Festival, the step-and-repeat to summarise was naked dress after naked dress. Naomi Campbell wore a criss-cross cut-out gown from Valentino, which was strategically slashed to reveal and conceal toned sections of torso. Irina Shayk, meanwhile, went one step further, essentially wearing a logoed string bikini beneath a blazer by Gucci. See also: Sabrina Elba, Dua Lipa and Iris Law, who all rocked some variation on the 'dare to bare' theme.
With so much exposure (quite literally), the naked dress should just be called the dress at this point. Kendall Jenner's most recent holiday to Antibes, just a stone's throw away from Cannes, involved several iterations of the itsy-bitsy outfit that is everywhere you look in celebrity land and perhaps even coming to a back-garden barbecue near you as the weather heats up. (That's one thing to be said for the naked dress; it's a hot favourite for heatwave season.)
Her most recent example of the genre was a bodycon black dress. But this wasn't your average LBD. No, no. Instead, this dress had an entirely sheer top section with lipstick red 'petals' flowering at the bust. Styled with a matching scarf that rippled in the wind, it was the perfect look for posing on a yacht. (The rest of us will have to make do with a bridge or a pub garden this summer.)
'The look was so perfect for Kendall,' said the designer David Koma, adding that he spoke to the model's stylist, Dani Michelle, straight after his show earlier this year in February. 'We both knew it was the one. I actually ran into Kendall, on a dance floor in Cannes, when she was wearing the dress. The best surprise!'
Her other naked dress was a sheer tank by AMI, which she wore over a string bikini at Eden Roc Hotel. Of the two, this perhaps feels like a more wearable option, especially if styled with zero-effort flip flops and a big basket bag (which you can basically use to shield your body if you suddenly feel naked). Although, if you're dipping your toe into the naked dress trend, that's kind of the point. As David Koma says, 'It is about self-acceptance and a step more – ultimate confidence.'