Cannes’ Boldest Naked Dresses of All Time

The Cannes Film Festival may have officially banned nudity in 2025, but the red carpet on the Croisette has never really cared about the rules. Decades before that decree, stars were showing up in gowns that left almost nothing to the imagination — and the looks have lived in our heads ever since.

The festival’s updated charter also prohibited voluminous gowns and trains that might “hinder the proper flow of traffic of guests and complicate seating in the theater.” That didn’t stop Heidi Klum from arriving at last year’s opening ceremony in a sweeping Elie Saab couture gown with a train that could fill a ballroom. Others followed her lead. And at the 2026 festival — which kicked off May 12 in the French Riviera and runs through May 23 — Kelly Rutherford arrived in a dress that was, as one outlet put it, “ever-so-subtly a naked dress,” and it caused quite a stir anyway.

The 79th Cannes Film Festival is stacked with star power this year. The jury is led by The Substance star Demi Moore alongside Ruth Negga, Stellan Skarsgård and director Chloé Zhao. Moore herself hit the carpet in a custom Jacquemus gown — a corset top, peplum waist, and fitted skirt, her signature brunette curls completing the look. Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver and Miles Teller are all set to premiere the crime drama Paper Tigers on May 16, while Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve’s Fjord debuts May 19. Peter Jackson received an honorary Palme d’Or at the opening ceremony, presented by none other than Elijah Wood.

But even with all that going on, it’s the fashion — specifically the kind that makes you do a double take — that has always defined Cannes as much as the cinema. In honor of that legacy, here’s a look back at 15 of the most rule-breaking naked dresses ever to hit the famous staircase in front of the Palais des Festivals.

The Looks That Rewrote the Red Carpet

Bella Hadid has made the sheer gown practically her Cannes signature. Her most talked-about look came in 2024, when she stepped out in a nude halter dress straight off the Saint Laurent runway — entirely see-through, crafted from sheer, stretchy pantyhose material. It was the kind of dress that stops a crowd mid-sentence.

Kendall Jenner brought her own version of barely-there to the 2018 premiere of Girls of the Sun, choosing a white Schiaparelli Couture gown in completely sheer silk tulle, cinched at the waist with a bold statement belt. Clean, deliberate, unforgettable.

Julia Fox, never one to play it safe, arrived at the 2023 festival in a see-through top made of glass — yes, glass — paired with a voluminous skirt featuring a bubble layer on top and a long train underneath. Only Fox could make a glass shirt feel inevitable.

Leila Depina took the naked dress concept somewhere almost architectural at the 2023 premiere of Asteroid City. Her draped silver look appeared to be constructed entirely of tiny glittering chains, which left, unsurprisingly, very little to the imagination.

Hari Nef went for something more understated in 2023, courtesy of Fendi Couture: a sheer shawl on top, an ivory maxi skirt below. Simple, elegant, and still completely sheer.

Milla Jovovich‘s 1997 look for the premiere of The Fifth Element deserves a place in the fashion history books. Designed by John Galliano, the strategically beaded dress was so iconic that Miley Cyrus wore an updated version of it to the 2024 Grammys — proof that the best red carpet moments never really expire.

Then there’s La Cicciolina. In 1988, Ilona Staller — the singer and Italian politician — arrived at Cannes and bared her breasts, belly, and thighs, accessorizing the look with a pink stuffed animal. It remains, arguably, the most naked dress in the festival’s entire history. No contest.

Heidi Klum showed up in 2023 in a bright yellow gown with a thigh-high slit, midriff cutouts, and two enormous bat-wing sleeves that would absolutely fall under today’s “overly voluminous” ban. She’s since doubled down on the drama.

Cameron Diaz made headlines at the 2002 premiere of Gangs of New York in a shimmering black gown that was completely sheer — her black underwear fully visible — with a thigh-high slit and an asymmetrical one-shoulder neckline. It was 2002, and it still holds up.

Nadia Lee Cohen went full sheer in 2024 with a black long-sleeve Saint Laurent dress, a pair of underwear, and dark sunglasses. Minimal accessories, maximum impact.

Winnie Harlow wore a Ralph & Russo gown at the 2019 festival that was completely sheer except for green metallic beading at the front and back. The America’s Next Top Model alum looked like she’d stepped out of a dream sequence.

Didi Stone turned heads at the 2022 opening ceremony in a Roberto Cavalli look that paired a lilac silk skirt with a gold grid of roses placed strategically over her torso — gladiator-inspired and genuinely stunning.

Cindy Kimberly made it personal in 2023, wearing a shimmering halter-neck gown from her own brand, Loba. The sheer metallic look featured a completely open back and a short train. “Cannes wearing my own designs is such a dream come true,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories at the time.

At the 2025 festival, Stella Maxwell found a way to work the sheer look within the new rules — a sheer lace gown with strategically placed ruffles offering just enough coverage to technically pass. And Pritika Swarup, the model and beauty brand founder, closed out the 2025 closing ceremonies in a sheer, jewel-encrusted gown with long black opera gloves that gave the whole look an extra shot of drama.

The ban is real. The enforcement, apparently, is another matter entirely. As long as there’s a red carpet on the Croisette, someone is going to show up in something that makes everyone stop scrolling — and honestly, that’s exactly what makes Cannes, Cannes.