2016 Is Gone & It Took The Naked Dress With It

Did anyone else notice the absence of a popular red carpet trend this year that seemed to disappear right before our very eyes? We use the term "disappear" rather cheekily, of course, because it's a dead giveaway to what we're talking about. But yes, the omnipresent Naked Dress trend that rocked the red carpets of yore seemed to phase out in 2016. Apart from the few who did it best (Ciara, Kim Kardashian, Beyoncé, etc.), the style has — dare we say — died. But why?

Well, in 2015, we told you how impossible the trend is to pull off. And that's why we pretty much only see it on celebrities with those personal-trainer sculpted figures. Due to its couture DNA (think Givenchy, Naeem Khan, Zuhair Murad, etc.), it's impossible to buy, it needs helpers (once you're in, you're not getting out on your own), and chances are you don't have anywhere to wear it, and most of all: You still need to be a celebrity to do it.

The illusion requires such a galactic level of fame that not even Warhol's 15 minutes is long enough to make it convincing. For newcomers, it's somewhat of a rite of passage. For veterans, it's a way to solidify and wear your fame.

But on the topic of trends — even those that are born in (and stay within the parameters of) celebrity culture — it's helpful to remind ourselves that they never really die. They don't. It's a spectacular, mutating cycle that, whether we mean to or not, consumers have created. And we've seen it happen with everything from vintage denim to a casual slip dress. Trends are born, cloned, and re-created after celebrities and their followers alike have had enough.

The Naked Dress, however, might be back sooner than we think. And for good reason, too. While rocking it may be a stretch (no pun intended), it's the most feminist, sexually liberating trend since the days of leg slits and "Fuck Me Pumps." As fashion and the women's liberation movement continue to work closer and closer together, the Naked Dress has to evolve, too. So while it may be time to say goodbye to the look for now, let's look back at its iconic moments from this year, and pray for a swift return. After all, awards season is just around the corner.