Updated: 8 Dec 2025Author:
David Frederickson

Anya Taylor Joy’s sheer black Tom Ford lace gown just reset the naked dress trend

Anya Taylor Joy closed the twenty second Marrakech International Film Festival in a plunging black Tom Ford lace slipdress that pushed naked dressing into full gothic mode.
The dress combined sheer satin panels, lace trim and Art Deco inspired cut outs, with a visible black bra sitting proudly underneath instead of pretending to hide.
Styled for the festival’s closing ceremony, the look marked a rare departure from her usual Dior romance, signalling a new partnership with Tom Ford under Haider Ackermann.
With deep red lipstick, sculpted updo hair and minimal jewellery, she turned the exposed bra trend into something closer to performance art than a party trick.
For United Kingdom readers and global fashion watchers, the gown has instantly joined the year’s defining naked dresses, and is already being saved to mood boards for every black tie event going.

The Tom Ford slipdress that took over Marrakech

A black lace naked dress with real architecture behind it

The gown that caused the fuss is technically a slipdress, but it behaves like sculpture. Cut in inky satin with sheer panels and lace trim, it drops in a long column that pools slightly at the hem, while the neckline plunges low enough to make stylists reach for extra tape.

Sheer panels zigzag across the torso in an Art Deco pattern, breaking up the satin and flashing skin in controlled vertical strips. It sits firmly in lingerie territory, but with enough structure and seam work to feel more like evening armour than something dragged from the back of a drawer.

Turning an exposed bra into the main design feature

Instead of hiding the bra and hoping nobody notices, the look leans into it completely. A black bra with a delicate halter strap sits deliberately on show under the lace, peeking through the plunge and confirming that underwear has officially joined the guest list.

The result is a double layer of confidence, because she is not just wearing a sheer Tom Ford dress, she is also announcing that her bra has a speaking role on the red carpet. It feels bolder than the usual naked dress routine, yet somehow less try hard than gowns that pretend to be modest while clearly doing the opposite.

Inside Anya’s Marrakech fashion storyline

From Dior fairy tale gowns to gothic slip minimalism

Across the festival, Anya has been serving a full fashion narrative instead of random outfits. As a long standing Dior ambassador, she spent much of the week in custom gowns from the house, including sculpted pieces from current collections and even an archival knit dress from an early two thousands runway.

Those looks delivered her usual blend of old Hollywood glamour and slightly witchy romance, all nipped waists and sweeping skirts. Closing the festival in a slinky Tom Ford slipdress felt like a deliberate plot twist, swapping princess silhouettes for something leaner, sharper and far more nocturnal.

Why this gown felt like the credits rolling

Choosing this dress for the closing ceremony made visual sense for a jury member wrapping up a packed run of premieres and panels. It looks like the outfit you wear after ticking off polite photocalls and finally giving in to full drama mode.

The black satin and lace photograph beautifully under low festival lighting, which makes the images read more like film stills than standard red carpet snaps. It lands as a mic drop look, the fashion equivalent of rolling the credits with a final flourish rather than quietly slipping away from the screening.

The exposed bra trend hits a new high point

Lingerie as clothing graduates to prestige cinema season

The exposed bra trend has been bubbling all year, with actors and musicians trying peekaboo lace under blazers or low cut gowns. Anya’s version feels different because it happens at a serious film festival during the closing ceremony, not on a random night out.

By pairing a visible bra with a dress clearly designed around that element, she dodges the usual jokes about forgetting a top. It reads as a studied styling choice that fits neatly into the wider lingerie dressing movement rather than a wardrobe accident that happened to photograph well.

How this naked dress stands out from the pack

In a year when every event seems to host a small army of sheer gowns, it takes something unusual to stand out. The Tom Ford design manages it by balancing transparency with strong lines, keeping the sheer sections framed by thicker satin so the shape stays graphic rather than fuzzy.

Where some naked dresses rely purely on shock value, this one layers references to vintage glamour and dark romance over a modern, body skimming cut. That combination of brainy detail and blatant sex appeal is what makes it feel like a new benchmark instead of just another entry in the trend.

Beauty choices that keep the drama grounded

A sculpted updo and red lip with zero fuss

Beauty wise, Anya and her team kept things direct but effective. Her hair is swept into a sculpted updo with a few deliberate strands left loose around her face, echoing the dress’s mix of control and softness without tipping into full costume territory.

A deep red lip does most of the talking, balanced by softly defined eyes and clean skin that swerves heavy contour. It is the kind of glam that looks intensely polished yet still allows her expressions to register, which matters when you are also appearing on stage as part of a jury panel.

Jewellery that whispers instead of shouts

Jewellery stays minimal, with delicate earrings and perhaps a slim bracelet catching the light without dragging attention from the neckline. When a bra is part of the design story, heavy necklaces would only clutter the frame.

This restraint keeps the focus on texture and cut instead of sheer quantity of sparkle. It is a neat reminder that sometimes the most expensive looking move you can make with a showstopper dress is to leave most of the accessory drawer firmly shut.

Why United Kingdom readers are so hooked on this gown

Dark romance for a very grey December

United Kingdom fashion fans are currently dealing with short days, wet pavements and commute level gloom. In that context, a gothic lace dress sweeping through a Moroccan palace feels like pure escapism, especially when it belongs to an actor with cult status from roles in The Queen’s Gambit and Furiosa.

The look taps into a national soft spot for dramatic black eveningwear, while still feeling fresh next to the endless sea of minimalist satin slips. It is the sort of outfit you daydream about while staring out of a train window, even if your real life winter wardrobe leans more puffer coat than Tom Ford satin.

Naked dressing for people who still feel the cold

There is also something oddly relatable about the way this dress handles exposure. It is sheer and plunging, but the coverage focuses around the torso, and skin is revealed in deliberate panels rather than random rectangles.

For United Kingdom readers with a healthy fear of frostbite, that blueprint is useful. It suggests that you can embrace the naked dress trend in ways that still allow for proper coats, tights and a functioning circulation system between venues.

How to copy the vibe without scaring the neighbours

Slipdresses, layering and the right supporting act

Stealing the mood of this look does not require a custom Tom Ford appointment. Start with a black slipdress that has some lace or sheer panelling, but make sure the main fabric over the mid section is opaque enough to let you move and sit comfortably.

Layer a bra you would be happy for people to see underneath, ideally in a similar fabric so it looks intentional rather than accidental. For most real life events, raising the neckline slightly will save you from spending the night glued to double sided tape instead of enjoying the party.

Styling rules for parties, premieres and less glamorous nights out

For hair, a simple chignon or sleek ponytail will nod to Anya’s updo without requiring a full glam squad. Makeup can follow the same formula of one star element, usually a bold lip or soft smokey liner, balanced with straightforward skin and brows.

When it comes to accessories, think pointed heels, a compact clutch and one piece of jewellery that feels special but not overpowering. The aim is to look like you chose a dress first and built an evening around it, not like you panicked and attached every shiny object you own.

What this Marrakech moment says about Anya’s fashion future

From character dressing to full fashion storytelling

Anya has spoken before about how fashion helps her handle red carpet nerves by turning appearances into a kind of performance. This Tom Ford moment feels like the natural progression of that idea, blending character work, gothic narrative and precise styling into one sharp image.

It shows an actor who understands her own visual power well enough to switch from Dior fairy tale to Tom Ford seduction without losing coherence. That range is exactly what keeps designers calling and fans refreshing their feeds every festival season.

Why this sheer black gown will live on in mood boards

In a year crowded with naked dresses, only a few will make it into the long term inspiration archive. Anya’s Marrakech gown has all the ingredients needed to stick, from recognisable designer credentials to a clear narrative and a setting that feels as cinematic as the dress.

Stylists will cite it when clients ask for something gothic but grown up, and fans will quietly save it while plotting future formal outfits and ambitious New Year’s plans. Whether you love naked dressing or think it should be retired for a decade, this slip has already earned its place in the two thousand and twenty five highlight reel.

References. A list of references and links used

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