I Wore Carrie Bradshaw's Naked Dress On a Date
Sure, I've had pre-date jitters before, but few things have made me more nervous than wearing a "naked" dress for the occasion. In honor of #NudeWeek, I volunteered to test out Carrie Bradshaw's brazen tactic of wearing a naked dress on a date-as she did with Mr. Big.
Most of us know how that story ends-or should I say, begins-with the two having sex before they even make it to dinner. Initially, the task of wearing such a dress sounded fun albeit a little awkward, but I was certain that I could approach the challenge with the same nonchalance as Bradshaw.
The first task was choosing my date. I hated the thought of carrying out this assignment with a complete stranger-even Carrie had multiple run-ins and chances to flirt with Big before their official date. There was an established connection and palpable sexual tension. So, I opted for a guy who fit similar criteria; a guy I had been seeing casually. Established connection, check; sexual tension, double check. Also, I knew I could count on him to have a good laugh over the situation. I initiated the meet-up the night before, and we settled on drinks in our neighborhood.
After I secured my date, I started contemplating just how naked I should be in my naked dress. I called in a few samples of slip dresses that day, but none of them seemed truly right; some weren't sheer enough or fitted enough, and it was impossible to find one that actually matched my skin tone like Carrie's did. If I was going to wear a naked dress though, I wanted to do it right. I decided to go all out-in an off-white cotton chemise from American Apparel that I usually reserve for sleeping. Did Carrie Bradshaw wear underwear under her naked dress? Even if she didn't, I had my limits-considering I was going bra-less and my nipples were pretty visible-so underwear was deemed necessary. I was already running late, and the time spent prepping my look had my heart racing. Can I really do this? I was tempted to change into my normal clothes, but I knew had to do it. I threw on a low stacked heel to keep my look toned down-as toned down as one could look in a practically see-through dress, of course. Since it wasn't cold out, I couldn't rock a glamorous fur with my look à la Bradshaw. Instead, I decided on a soft trench, which left me feeling a little bit like a flasher as I secured it around my waist, leaving one leg exposed.
My heart pounded with every step I took on the way to the bar. The looks that I got from men on the street didn't help either-I imagined they all thought I was going to surprise a man in just my trench coat, with nothing else underneath. Well, they were partially right. My mind was mainly flooded with thoughts of what my date would think- would he assume that this was a desperate attempt to win his affection and seal the deal?
"Why are you dressed like a flasher?" he asked me with a puzzled look on his face when I finally arrived at the bar. Followed promptly by, "Wow, that's really short," after I unwrapped my trench coat and took the seat next to him. "Are you wearing underwear?" he asked before taking it upon himself to investigate. With a slightly devious expression, he touched my hip to feel for a second layer.
The bar was painfully quiet as I stumbled to come clean about my risqué attire. I immediately made him switch stools with me so I could have my back to the rest of the patrons, not wanting to be distracted by their imminent stares. It wasn't my most confident moment but his joking finally put me at ease. While I found myself checking my posture, adjusting the dainty straps and fidgeting with the hemline to make sure everything stayed covered up, I never let my dress completely distract me from the fact that I was still me, even when I could feel his eyes following my fingertips. To be honest, I was just mostly concerned with how my boobs looked-since I recently turned 30, I've spent more time pondering the laws of gravity and how they may or may not affect my body.
Still, I've never considered myself to be someone who lacks in the body confidence department-I've always known that I'm quite lucky. I've never once worried about what a guy will think about my naked body. But there was something about putting my body-my sexuality-out there in public in such an overt way that made me uncomfortable, especially in the eyes of someone I genuinely liked. Part of me feared whether he would be put off by my little stunt. As a woman, I know all too well what it's like to be judged, not to mention harassed, for wearing revealing clothing.
I've always enjoyed dressing sexy, but I like to be more coy about it. I have boobs and a butt and I'm not against showing them off, but it's all about balance. I like my skirts short, but I keep my tops demure. If I'm going for a revealing neckline, I pair it with high-waisted boyfriend jeans. Sure, I've been known to rock a body-con dress or two, but I've never executed such a look on a date.
Going into it that evening, I honestly had no idea how the night would end. My date had initially prefaced our evening with the fact that he had a work deadline looming, so I didn't necessarily have my hopes set too high. But it quickly became clear that his time restriction was not as important, and as one would assume, a naked dress definitely ensures you won't go home alone.
