dishonored (1931) dir. josef von sternberg

In December 1953, Hollywood icon Marlene Dietrich completely redefined celebrity showmanship with her legendary live cabaret debut at the Sahara Hotel’s Congo Room in Las Vegas. Earning a record-breaking $30,000 per week, Dietrich mesmerized audiences in a groundbreaking black gown custom-engineered by famed costume designer Jean Louis. Unlike her later "illusion" gowns that used flesh-toned body stockings to simulate nakedness, this initial, audacious creation actually exposed bare skin. The dress featured a torso made entirely of completely transparent black marquisette chiffon, with Dietrich’s sensitive areas shielded only by strategically embroidered, wheat-shaped sequin decals to bypass strict censorship. She dramatically opened the performance wrapped in a heavy, luxurious black cape trimmed in fur and velvet before dropping it to reveal the scandalous, see-through bodice beneath. This unforgettable 1953 Las Vegas performance initiated a massive global media frenzy, permanently cementing the "nude dress" concept in fashion history and proving that Marlene Dietrich was the ultimate master of her own public image.

Daughters of Darkness / Les Lèvres rouges (1971) | Dir. Harry Kümel

Anouk Aimée, Model Shop, 1969

Portrait by Agnès Varda.

Marlene Dietrich, c.1940s

L'opéra-mouffe, Agnès Varda, 1958.

The Young Girls of Rochefort, 1967

Speaking of big, I have to show you something. HACKS | 5.10

2004 photo by Derek Hudson.

Le jardin qui bascule (Guy Gilles, 1975)

Jane B. par Agnès V. (1988) dir. Agnès Varda

HACKS 5x01 "Reports of My Death" dir. Lucia Aniello

Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart photographed by Chantal Anderson for The New York Times

Hacks — 5.08 The Cube