Bianca Censori caused a huge stir by stripping naked on the Grammy Awards red carpet on Sunday, alongside her covered-up husband Kanye West.
The 30-year-old designer, known for his previous provocative outfits, stunned everyone by wearing a completely sheer nude mesh dress without any underwear, causing a stir on social media and among onlookers.
Strutting confidently, Bianca first appeared on the red carpet in a fur coat before dramatically shedding the garment to reveal her bare bottom to the photographers.
She turned around to show off her topless chest and lack of underwear, while West leered at her nude body during her indecent exposure.
Despite the common belief that Kanye dictates his wife’s daring fashion statements, it is, in fact, an Australian designer who is currently influencing her bold style decisions.
Model turned clothing designer Gadir Rajab is a boundary-pushing stylist who co-owns Lebanese fashion label Raga Malak – a racy brand loved by the likes of Doja Cat, Lottie Moss and singer Mabel.
The designer – who is of Indian, Lebanese, and French heritage – revealed that he champions showing off women’s bodies as a way of rebelling against his strict upbringing.
Gadir previously told PAPER magazine: ‘Growing up Middle Eastern, your family usually strays you from doing certain things, like listening to certain music or wearing particular clothing under the guise that it’s shaytan (devil) haram (forbidden) acts.’
But Bianca is not the first, and most likely won’t be the last, to perform the brazen stunt.
Several female stars have dared to bare on red carpets and at exclusive events over the years, but never gone as far as Bianca’s completely nude look.
Marilyn MonroeÂ
Marilyn Monroe’s legendary nude dress stole the show at Madison Square Garden in 1962 as she sang her version of Happy Birthday to celebrate President John F. Kennedy’s birthday.
The mesh and marquisette dress, embellished with 6,000 crystals, remained part of Monroe’s estate until her friend Anna Strasberg enlisted Christie’s to sell it in 1999.
It was auctioned again in 2016 and was bought by Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum in Florida where it’s been on display until Kim Kardashian wore the ‘original naked dress’ to the 2022 Met Gala.
The bespoke gown was so form hugging that Marilyn had to be sewn into it, and Kim has raised eyebrows by admitting she went on a crash diet to lose 7kg (16lb) in three weeks because it didn’t fit her.
The first sketch of the dress was the debut project by American fashion designer Bob Mackie, who aged 21 had left Chouinard Art Institute to work for French costume designer Jean Louis.
Speaking ahead of the dress’ auction at Julien’s, Mackie said: ‘My job working with Jean Louis was my first job I booked in Hollywood when I was just out of school.
‘That was the first time I had ever been involved in a dress like that. Since then I’ve done probably millions of them.
‘That kind of dress, the illusion of being naked, thinking you can see something but you really can’t. It was magical and it was simple. It was simple, yet so powerful.
‘It was Marilyn, Marylin was used to being naked she didn’t care and she looked amazing. Nobody had ever seen Marilyn in person like that, it was unbelievable.’
Jane BirkinÂ
Jane Birkin kicked off the barely-there naked dress trend in 1969 when she stepped out for the Slogan movie premiere, wearing a sheer black long-sleeved mini dress.
The iconic dress left very little to the imagination as the British-French actress and singer went topless underneath, wearing nothing but skimpy black underwear.
She completed her look with a statement basket bag and Mary Jane heels.
Jane, who died aged 76 in 2023, was certainly a fashion icon.
She was the muse behind the most popular, covetable and expensive handbag of all time – the Hermes Birkin.
Cher
Cher once helped designer Bob Mackie skyrocket to superstar designer status when she started wearing his clothes.
But one of her most memorable head-turning looks was his ‘naked illusion dress’ she wore at the 1974 Met Gala.
The figure-hugging dress featured strategically placed sequins and silver feather trim.
Cher’s dress caused quite the stir at the time, similarly to the shock from Bianca’s most recent look.
Speaking of the gown, Bob said ‘people were horrified’ as Cher stepped out in the daring frock.
‘The place went crazy,’ Mackie told Interview in February.
‘I’ve never seen so many photographers just come out of the shadows at the Met and take her picture.’
‘But it was just amazing,’ he added.Â
‘People were horrified, they thought, that’s not fashion, she’s just naked at the Metropolitan.’
Kate Moss
Kate Moss’ controversial see-through dress in 1993 was a turning point for sheer looks and ‘near-naked’ fashion in the 90s.
Stepping out at the Look of the Year party in London, the then 19-year-old imprinted her legendary status with a see-through copper nylon slip dress designed by Liza Bruce.
Kate looked effortlessly radiant while wearing nothing but a tiny black thong underneath the maxi dress.
She paired the head-turning dress with minimal makeup, hair pulled back in a low bun and limited accessories.
Speaking with British Vogue of her dress back in 2022, Kate admitted she had no idea just how revealing the dress was until the photos were printed.
‘I did not know that this dress was see-through until the pictures came out the next day in the newspaper,’ Moss said in the video.
‘It was the flash that made it look naked ’cause actually the fabric when I was wearing it, when I went out I didn’t think it was that see-through. But, obviously, it was.
‘I mean, had I known I’d be talking about it 30 years later… good dress, good night.’
Rose McGowan
Rose McGowan shocked the world with her own ‘naked’ red carpet dress decades before Bianca Censori.
The actress, now 51, stunned Tinseltown back in 1998 when she attended the MTV VMAs with then-boyfriend Marilyn Manson in a jaw-dropping chainmail frock that exposed her entire body.
Rose’s modesty was only barely protected thanks to a leopard thong.
In scenes that echoed Bianca and Kanye’s outrageous Grammys appearance, shock rocker Manson stood stoically next to McGowan as she paraded her curves in front of photographers.
The Charmed star previously said that it was ‘kind of hard’ to deal with being ‘sl** shamed’ for the outfit.
Although she was trying to make a bold statement with the racy look, she explained that the photographers had made her uncomfortable.
‘You have these big men, a hundred of them yelling at the top of their voice trying to get you to look at them, but your body doesn’t understand why it’s being screamed at and aggressed on… I’m like, I feel like I’m being shot with guns right now,’ she said.
Rose saw the award show as an opportunity to make a statement about being objectified.
‘It was my first big public appearance after being sexually assaulted,’ she said, referencing her claim that she was raped by Harvey Weinstein in his hotel room at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival.
‘I just felt like, “Oh Hollywood, would you want a body just that you can use and throw away? Then I’ve got one for you!” It was like at the end of Gladiator when he comes out and he’s like, “Are you not entertained?”
‘And if you look at me, I did it with power. I didn’t do it with my hand on my hip to be sexy… Most of the women that are dressed like that on the red carpet, it’s a calculated, sexy move to turn people on,’ she insisted.
‘Mine was like, “I’m gonna f*** with your brain. I’m going to blow your brain up.” And nobody had done it.’
Rihanna
In 2014, singer Rihanna glittered in a racy sheer embellished halter dress to show off every inch of her slim figure at the CFDA Awards.
The custom-made outfit left nothing to the imagination as Rihanna took a star turn on the carpet in her backless dress.
She wore just a flesh coloured thong under her see-through dress, but no bra, and her breasts were clearly visible.
Rihanna’s sole attempt at covering up was clutching a fur wrap as she primped and posed for photographers.
Adam Selman – whose boyfriend is Rihanna’s stylist Mel Ottenberg – was the brains behind the translucent mesh ensemble, which was adorned with more than 230,000 Swarovski crystals and worn with matching gloves, a head scarf, a pink fur stole and just a nude thong underneath.
‘We definitely wanted to make it a little bit scandalous,’ Adam told Style.com, while Mel revealed that ‘at least eight people’ worked through the night to put on the finishing touches.
The sparkling custom gown certainly created quite the buzz among fans and fashionistas at the time, making headlines for its barely-there shock effect.
And the singer attracted even more attention when she celebrated her win by twerking in the see-through gown after the ceremony.
