Naked dresses and boob-window cutouts are slowly taking a back seat to the next big fashion trend on the rise: backless silhouettes. Celebrities are fueling the craze by wearing open-back outfits at red carpet events, fashion shows, and beyond. The phrase “business in the front, party in the back” has never been more applicable.
Backless dresses were a popular pick at the 2023 MTV VMAs in September, with singers including Shakira, Kelsea Ballerini, and Dove Cameron wearing gowns that dipped so low, they nearly showed butt cleavage. The trend has popped up plenty during Fashion Month, too; Irina Shayk modeled a metallic halter dress with a completely open back on the Mowalola runway at London Fashion Week, while Hailey Bieber, Emma Chamberlain, and Cara Delevingne attended shows in back-exposing looks.
Stars aren’t only choosing backless outfits for fancy red carpet outings. Just take it from Dua Lipa, Jordyn Woods, and Jennifer Lopez, who’ve all repped the growing trend in their day-to-day lives this year. Lipa wore hers to eat gelato in Milan, Woods wore hers on vacation in the Philippines, and Lopez wore hers to celebrate her 54th birthday. Now that, folks, is what we like to call versatility.
To be clear, backless dresses and tops are by no means a new trend. The sultry silhouette cycles in and out of style every few years in various iterations. This time around, a bare back has seemingly become an accessory in its own right, eye-catching enough to replace flashy necklaces or statement heels. With fashion feeling more risqué and liberating following the pandemic, it’s hardly surprising to see open-back designs come back in full force alongside similarly sexy style trends like sheer materials, ab-baring cutouts, and plunging necklines.
Read ahead to relive some of the best backless fashion moments celebs have treated us to in recent months, and if you’re looking to conquer the trend yourself, be sure to check out our guide on how to go braless first.
Related: The No-Pants Trend Is Taking Over, From Hailey Bieber to J Lo
Getty / WWD
Hailey Bieber Wearing a Backless Dress
Backless dresses have become something of a signature style for Bieber this year. At Saint Laurent’s Paris Fashion Week show in September, the model wore a black long-sleeved dress with a large oval cutout exposing most of her back.
Getty / Marc Piasecki
Lori Harvey Wearing a Backless Dress
Harvey walked the Cannes Film Festival red carpet in May wearing a green velvet Peter Dundas gown that plunged way low in the front and back.
Getty / Doug Peters - PA Images
Kelsea Ballerini Wearing a Backless Dress
Ballerini also hopped aboard the backless bandwagon for the VMAs, arriving in a red Mônot dress that also featured a trendy boob-window cutout in the front.
Getty / Neil Mockford / Ricky Vigil M
Winnie Harlow Wearing a Backless Dress
The Vogue World event in London gave stars a chance to bust out their most extravagant looks. Harlow hit up an afterparty in a fringe Cult Naked minidress with an open back held together by thin straps.
Getty / Jason Howard/Bauer-Griffin
Getty / Dominique Charriau
Emma Chamberlain Wearing a Backless Dress
The social media star dressed to the nines for a Lancôme event at the Louvre during Paris Fashion Week, wearing a red gown with racerback straps and a large cutout that wrapped around her sides.
Getty / Karwai Tang
Florence Pugh Wearing a Backless Dress
All eyes were on Pugh when she arrived to the “Oppenheimer” premiere in July wearing this gorgeous orange gown from Valentino’s fall 2023 couture collection. It featured a voluminous skirt with a plunging, halter neckline, and open back accented with a single strap.
Getty / Eugene Gologursky
Dove Cameron Wearing a Backless Dress
Cameron served up another backless stunner at the VMAs in September, strutting the pink carpet in a sequin Coach gown that flashed some side boob. We love the delicate straps trailing down the back.
Getty / Daniele Venturelli
Jessica Chastain Wearing a Backless Top
During Milan Fashion Week, Chastain stopped by the CNMI Sustainable Fashion Awards in a fresh-off-the-runway look from Gucci’s spring 2024 collection. The backless top was lined with flashy embellishments.
Getty / Ricky Vigil M / Justin E Palmer
Leomie Anderson Wearing a Backless Dress
Anderson stunned in a sheer 16Arlington gown while attending an award show in London in September. She wore her hair in a bouncy updo to fully show off the open back.
Getty / Daniele Venturelli
Cara Delevingne Wearing a Backless Top
Delevingne sat front row at Fendi’s Milan Fashion Week show wearing an asymmetrical backless top and skirt. She finished the look with a white handbag and gold-heeled booties.
Getty / Jacopo Raule
Camila Cabello Wearing a Backless Dress
Cabello made a glam appearance at Paris Fashion Week in July to check out Alexandre Vauthier’s fall couture collection. Her long-sleeved dress featured an open back accented with a bow.
Getty / Claudio Lavenia
Emily Ratajkowski Wearing a Backless Dress
We told you backless dresses were everywhere during Fashion Month! Here, Ratajkowski wears a strappy sideboob-baring iteration outside the Viktor & Rolf show in Paris.
Getty / Axelle/Bauer-Griffin
Nelly Furtado Wearing a Backless Dress
Furtado owned the VMAs pink carpet in this Dundas gown that plunged all the way down to her butt. The open back was held together by a few dainty straps.
