Sheer paneling and “leg-veil” skirts became a defining red carpet detail in 2013, turning up everywhere from the Golden Globes in Beverly Hills to the LACMA Art + Film Gala in Los Angeles.
The look combined the drama of a full-length gown with the lighter feel of illusion tulle, often giving celebrities a chance to show off statement heels beneath semi-sheer layers.
Some versions leaned elegant and understated, while others pushed into more theatrical territory. What makes the trend interesting years later is how differently each celebrity styled it — from Nicole Richie’s richly embellished Dolce & Gabbana gown to Kerry Washington’s softly embellished Miu Miu red carpet look.
Below, revisit some of the most memorable leg-veil dresses from the era, along with the shoes, styling choices, and sheer overlays that helped define the trend.
Nicole Richie embraced the leg-veil trend at the 2013 LACMA Art + Film Gala in a richly embellished Dolce & Gabbana gown that balanced heavy beadwork with a sheer lower skirt.
The transparent paneling added movement and subtly revealed her black heels beneath the dress, while fur-trimmed sleeves and ornate detailing gave the look a dramatic Old Hollywood feel.
Nicole Richie wore a Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2007 long-sleeve beaded embellished gown with fur and crystal cuffed sleeves, a black House of Harlow 1960 Wynn snakeskin clutch, and Jennifer Meyer yellow gold and inlay turquoise triangle diamond studs at the LACMA 2013 Art + Film Gala honoring Martin Scorsese and David Hockney presented by Gucci at LACMA on November 2, 2013, in Los Angeles, California (Credit: WENN)
Her slicked-back hairstyle divided opinions at the time, but the gown itself remains one of the stronger early examples of the trend done with restraint and polish.
One of the softer interpretations of the leg-veil trend came from Pixie Lott, who wore a Yuvna Kim dress featuring floral appliqués layered over a sheer tulle skirt.
Pixie Lott wore a Yuvna Kim Spring 2014 strapless dress featuring floral appliques and a sheer tulle skirt with delicate embellishments at the Pride of Britain awards at Grosvenor House on October 7, 2013, in London, England (Credit: WENN)
Instead of relying on dramatic cutouts or heavy embellishments, the look felt playful and romantic, with the transparent overlay adding movement while still letting her heels peek through beneath the gown.
Lena Headey leaned into the darker, regal aesthetic associated with her Game of Thrones era in an Alessandra Rich gown featuring sheer snakeskin-print panels and a dramatic thigh-high slit.
Lena Headey in a sexy and revealing Alessandra Rich Fall 2013 sheer black snakeskin-print dress with a thigh-high slit that she chose not to line at the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on September 22, 2013, in Los Angeles, California (Credit: WENN)
The transparent detailing and exposed leg gave the look a sharper edge than many of the softer illusion dresses trending at the time, while the structured silhouette kept it firmly in eveningwear territory.
Kerry Washington was one of the earliest celebrities to embrace the leg-veil trend on the red carpet, stepping out in an embellished Miu Miu gown at the 2013 Golden Globe Awards.
Kerry Washington went for a modern, sleek silhouette with flawless makeup and shoulder-length, lightly highlighted hair (Credit: WENN)
The nude Miu Miu gown relied on subtle coordination rather than dramatic contrast, with Kerry Washington styling the embellished dress alongside matching nude Prada pointy-toe pumps and a satin Prada clutch.
Keeping the accessories in the same tonal palette allowed the rhinestone detailing and semi-sheer overlay to remain the focus while visually elongating the leg line beneath the illusion skirt.
She balanced the softness of the gown with sharper beauty choices, wearing her hair in a sleek, shoulder-length cut with blunt bangs and pairing the look with understated, champagne-toned makeup. Diamond jewelry from Fred Leighton and a Movado watch added polish without pushing the outfit into overly formal territory.
Actress Kerry Washington in a rhinestone-embellished semi-sheer nude Miu Miu dress at the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 13, 2013, in Beverly Hills, California (Credit: WENN)
Looking back, the appearance marked an important moment in Washington’s red carpet evolution. By choosing Miu Miu’s more fashion-forward approach to eveningwear rather than a traditional princess-style gown, she leaned into the modern, embellished styling that would later become closely associated with her Scandal-era wardrobe.
Rachel Weisz took a more graphic approach to the leg-veil trend in a Louis Vuitton gown layered with a sheer polka-dot overlay at the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards.
Actress Rachel Weisz in an attractive Louis Vuitton dress that played to the sheer and solid trend at the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 13, 2013, in Beverly Hills, California (Credit: WENN)
Rather than relying on heavy embellishment or dramatic cutouts, the dress played with contrast and texture, giving the illusion trend a more refined, fashion-forward feel that stood apart from many of the more revealing looks on the carpet.
Jennifer Morrison embraced the trend’s more daring side at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards in a sheer Kristian Aadnevik gown with corset-inspired detailing and transparent panels throughout.
Actress Jennifer Morrison wearing a sheer corset gown by Kristian Aadnevik Fall 2013 at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 19, 2013, in Las Vegas, Nevada (Credit: WENN)
The revealing silhouette pushed further into lingerie-inspired eveningwear than many other leg-veil dresses of the era, while the flowing skirt and visible metallic heels kept the look grounded in red-carpet glamour rather than costume territory.
How 2013’s “Leg-Veil” Dresses Differed From Today’s Naked-Dress Revival
Unlike today’s ultra-minimal “naked dresses,” many of the sheer gowns popular in 2013 still relied on traditional red carpet structure. Designers used illusion tulle, embellished overlays, and semi-transparent skirts to create the appearance of exposure while keeping the overall silhouette formal and eveningwear-focused.
That balance is what makes many of these looks feel distinctly early 2010s in retrospect. Nicole Richie’s heavily beaded Dolce & Gabbana gown, Rachel Weisz’s layered Louis Vuitton dress, and Kerry Washington’s embellished Miu Miu look all revealed the legs and shoes beneath the fabric, but they still maintained the shape and styling conventions of classic gowns.
Modern sheer dressing has taken a different direction, often stripping away embellishments and linings altogether in favor of cleaner, body-focused silhouettes.
Looking back at these 2013 red carpet appearances now feels less like the start of the modern “naked dress” era and more like a transitional moment between classic couture styling and the far more revealing looks that would dominate celebrity fashion years later.
👠 Explore More Sheer Gowns, Leg-Veils & Statement Heels:
- ✨ The early-2010s naked dress era shows how sheer paneling, strategic embellishment, and carefully chosen heels turned transparency into a red carpet formula.
- 🖤 Bella Hadid’s sheer Ralph & Russo Cannes gown paired a barely-there couture silhouette with crystal René Caovilla wrap sandals.
- 🌙 Elsa Hosk, Halsey, and Shay Mitchell’s Cannes naked-dress moments show how transparent gowns shift depending on the heel, color palette, and styling mood.
- 👗 High-slit gowns and exposed-hip dresses prove why the shoe matters most when a dress is built around leg reveal and movement.
- 👡 Chrissy Teigen’s sheer black body-con dress found its edge in Aquazzura’s caged “Cayenne” lace-up sandals.
- 🕯️ Lily Collins’ sheer Reem Acra lace gown offers a softer, vintage-inspired take on transparency, balanced with hidden platform pumps.