With Gigi Hadid Leading The Way, Nude Hued Dresses Make A Return At Cannes

Nude hues have a controversial fashion legacy. There are, of course, some simply stunning flesh coloured moments in the canon, such as Madonna's show-stopping Jean Paul Gaultier cone-bra corset of the early 80s, or Dolce & Gabanna's lingerie-inspired nude sheath dresses of the 00s.

But for the sprinkling of wins, there were plenty of controversies. There were the Hervé Leger bandage dresses of the 2010s sported consistently by Kim Kardashian before her Kanye era, for example, or students up and down the country plumping for beige bodycon tube-dresses paired with concealer-coloured lips - enough to turn anyone's stomachs. Even surrounding the designation of the term 'nude' to mean 'pinky-beige,' which is of course only one of the many naked skin tone colours out there. For reference, when we use the term 'nude' now, we mean simply 'skin coloured' (any skin) or 'sheer' (where you can see the skin peeping through underneath).

Now, thanks to Gigi Hadid and a slew of other luminaries walking the Cannes 2023 red carpet, nude tones appear to be back in style. And you know what? We're kind of into it.

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Gigi Hadid at Cannes 2023

The 28-year-old supermodel took to the famous red steps this weekend to attend the Firebrand screening during the 76th annual Cannes film festival, wearing a custom Zac Posen fishtail dress in a deep nude hue. As well as attracting attention for it's gorgeous simplicity, the dress also prompted speculation that it was designed to mimic a vintage Jean Paul Gaultier gown previously worn by Hadid's younger sister Bella Hadid in 2018.

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Bella Hadid in 2018

Also attending the same screening, actor Alicia Vikander chose a paler nude option for the night, created by Louis Vuitton.

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Others hopping on the nude dress trend's bandwagon at Cannes this year included Sabrina Elba, who chose an embellished nude (in the sheer sense) gown by Elie Saab, French actor Stacy Martin in Louis Vuitton and Egyptian actor and model Nesrin Sanad, whose look was nude, sheer, embellished and short.