Minimalist fashion was pushed to an extreme at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night (Jan 2).
Bianca Censori, the wife of the rapper and designer formerly known as Kanye West, appeared in a look so pared-back that many people wondered if her ensemble could be considered indecent exposure.
Though Censori arrived at the awards in a long shaggy coat, soon after stepping onto the red carpet alongside her husband she removed her outerwear to reveal the look underneath: a tight, completely sheer minidress, seemingly exposing her breasts and genitalia.
Since first appearing publicly with West a few years ago, Censori, who is Australian and worked in architecture and interior design in Melbourne, has become known for her provocative looks.
In 2023, she took a stroll in Florence, Italy, clutching a purple pillow over her breasts while wearing sheer tights. She has also worn various body stocking outfits – in colours like gray, champagne and cardinal red – but those were more opaque than the stocking she wore to the Grammys.
Revealing outfits at award shows have a long, conversation-starting history.
At the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, Lil’ Kim showed up in a lilac jumpsuit that covered only one of her breasts – the other was accessorised with a matching nipple pasty.
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The year before, actress Rose McGowan showed up to the same award show with her then-boyfriend Marilyn Manson in a stringy dress that exposed her buttocks. And more than a decade earlier, in 1988, Cher accepted an Oscar for best actress in a heavily embellished sheer dress by Bob Mackie that shocked some viewers at the time.
Censori’s look similarly triggered an outpouring of commentary. Some on social media joked that her outfit was low maintenance. Others questioned if her look was out of step with the law.
When contacted by The New York Times, a media relations officer for the Los Angeles Police Department cited California penal code, which defines indecent exposure as “the willful exposure of one’s genitals in a public place or in the presence of another person”.
According to the code, the officer explained, any exposure must be done with the intention “to offend or sexually arouse”.
On the red carpet Sunday night (Jan 2), Censori did not put her coat back on before posing for photos with her husband by her side. West, in contrast, was fully dressed in a black T-shirt with matching pants and sunglasses. – ©2025 The New York Times Company
