The Academy Museum Gala kicked off in California, and Hollywood’s who’s-who – dressed to impress or confuse – were in attendance.
The so-called “Met Gala of the West” featured the likes of Bowen Yang, who received the Vantage Award; Penélope Cruz, honored with her Icon Award; and director Walter Salles, who was given the Luminary Award.
Bruce Springsteen, unlike the latter, not only received (a Legacy Award) but also gave a performance at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
Also in attendance were Kim Kardashian, Naomi Watts, and Jeremy Strong, among others. Below, we will try to establish just why they were there.
#1 Demi Moore
Image source: Amy Sussman
#2 Ava Duverna
Image source: John Shearer
#3 Zoey Deutch
Image source: Amy Sussman
#4 Eva Longoria
Image source: Frazer Harrison
#5 Viola Davis
Image source: Amy Sussman
#6 Joey King
Image source: John Shearer
#7 Jenna Ortega
Image source: Monica Schipper/GA
#8 Addison Rae
Image source: Monica Schipper/GA
#9 Rachel Zegler
Image source: Gilbert Flores
#10 Chase Infiniti
Image source: Taylor Hill
#11 Laura Harrier
Image source: Amy Sussman
#12 Anna Kendrick
Image source: Stefanie Keenan/Oscars
#13 Jeremy Strong
Jeremy Strong showed up to the event in a bright red suit within knife point pleats.
It cannot be denied that it was a bold choice, that arrests the eye of the casual onlooker and may cause the feeling one gets right before they cry.
The Concession alum knows that feeling too, and came prepared for the wardrobe’s brilliance.
As seen in the photo, he brought dark glasses.
We do not know the inspiration behind the look, who made the shirt, or where the hard-sole black shoes came from.
Only that it was compiled by Loro Piana.
Image source: Amy Sussman
#14 Olivia Wilde
Image source: John Shearer
#15 Zoe Saldaña
Zoë Kravitz rocked up at the event in a voluminous dress the color of decaying leaves at the bottom of a stagnant body of water or as the Daily Mail wrote:
She “hid her fantastic figure in so many ruffles and puffed fabrics that she was totally overwhelmed by her dress.”
Said dress Saint Laurent and really reminiscent of the proverbial missing curtains.
Image source: John Shearer
#16 Kate Hudson
Image source: Frazer Harrison
#17 Zoë Kravitz
Zoë Kravitz rocked up at the event in a voluminous dress the color of decaying leaves at the bottom of a stagnant body of water or as the Daily Mail wrote:
She “hid her fantastic figure in so many ruffles and puffed fabrics that she was totally overwhelmed by her dress.”
Said dress was produced by Saint Laurent and really reminiscent of the proverbial missing curtains.
Image source: Amy Sussman
#18 Tessa Thompson
Image source: Amy Sussman
#19 Maude Apatow
Maude Apatow’s garb ticked all the boxes of a gown for a glitzy event like the “Met Gala of the West.”
Its cut fits the conventional hourglass without getting too gaudy in the strings, frills or puffs department.
But to say that it was mesmerizing would be an understatement. There are scientific studies declaring what Prada did on the Euphoria actress’s dress a Spiral Motion Illusion in which viewers could become overwhelmed and anxious.
Fortunately there were no casualties reported.
The actress rounded off her look with earrings and a necklace by Cartier.
Image source: Amy Sussman
#20 Cara Delevingne
Cara Delevingne’s outfit speaks to an apparent theme of half-ways (halfway classy and halfway “what on earth is that thing?”) seen at the Academy Museum Gala.
She sported a glitzy number that was classy yet sensible enough to pass on any debutante. It was above the waistline that the trouble started.
We assume that the front did not have much to offer (by her standards), and so she turned her back to the camera.
Photographers snapped her looking over her shoulder to make sure they were getting what she wanted from them too—which was likely what appeared to be a representation of forest fungi crisscrossing her back and a rose-like appendage behind her neck.
She completed the look by Tamara Ralph with towering heels and Chopard jewelry.
Image source: Gilbert Flores
#21 Da’vine Joy Randolph
Image source: Frazer Harrison
#22 Laura Dern
Image source: Amy Sussman
#23 Mikey Madison
Image source: Amy Sussman
#24 Charli Xcx
Image source: Amy Sussman
#25 Olivia Rodrigo
Image source: Emma McIntyre/Oscars
#26 Greta Lee
Image source: Monica Schipper/GA
#27 Grace Van Patten
Image source: Emma McIntyre/Oscars
#28 Michelle Monaghan
Michelle Monaghan actress went in the direction of fairy tale land maybe trying to show disney what they missed casting Gal Gadot as the evil Queen in Snow White.
The dress that was described as being inspired by “giant floral floats” came from Carolina Herrera’s 2025/2026 Spring Collection.
And aptly so, because so floral was it that it looked like it should have come with antihistamines lest the wearer succumb to a full-on pollen allergy paroxysm. Maybe it did; we noticed it has pockets.
The Kiss Kiss Bang Bang alum rounded off the look with conservative jewelry from Tiffany & Co.
Image source: Amy Sussman
#29 Logan Lerman
Image source: Amy Sussman
#30 Christina Ricci
Image source: Amy Sussman
#31 Renate Reinsve
Image source: Amy Sussman
#32 Hailey Bieber
Image source: Frazer Harrison
#33 Maggie Gyllenhaal
Image source: John Shearer
#34 Naomi Watts
We think Naomi Watts’ smile when she posed for the photo matched her outfit.
But we are also wondering if Doctor Hoffman’s “Bicycle Day” experiment would have rendered the image Watts cast at the Academy Museum Gala, had he not climbed on his two wheeler after dosing lysergic acid diethylamide, and instead explored the broom cupboard and stared at the mop.
Getty Images credits the long flowing plain one piece that is visually safe (until it gets to a place below the knees) to Balenciaga.
We credit said area below the knees to a magical contraption out of the movie Avatar.
Also Watts’ pose makes it terribly difficult to take the image seriously.
Image source: Amy Sussman
#35 Monica Barbaro
A Complete Unknown actress, Monica Barbaro, showed face (and a lot of linen) at the Academy Museum Gala.
She was snapped amid-stride in what may have been a two-piece garment in which the top and bottom sections appeared interchangeable.
It came with two trailing black bows and bouquets of white flowers just below her middle.
She tied off the flowing white Dior ensemble with black suede heels matching her hair and De Beers jewelry.
Image source: Stefanie Keenan/Oscars
#36 Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian was present, dressed by Maison Margiela. She opted for the skin-colored gown with a very strange-looking corset.
She topped it off with a heavy-looking spinel gemstone necklace and rings to match.
And then she gave her face the brown paper bag treatment.
So we’re here wondering: did she forget to do her makeup or get fashion tips from Ye?
Was it even her, or are we just going to have to take Getty at their word?
Also, the Louvre in Paris was just robbed and jewels went missing…
We are not accusing anyone, but there she was at a(nother) museum, with (a lot of) jewelry and a mask covering her face.
Image source: Amy Sussman
#37 Kristen Wiig
Image source: Gilbert Flores
#38 Taylour Paige
Taylour Paige showed up at the event wearing a lace. The bodice part took on the appearance of a Cold War era bikini. But it may have been a separate garment from the outfit’s bra—its all very confusing.
Then around the Zola actresses neck was a floral thing, matching in color that may or may not have been intended as a bow, or necklace.
The outfit has what appeared to be bolts of black lace that appear redundant in its function (as a supposed garment) of covering the body and leaves little at the mercy of the imagination.
Sources say the garment was from Balenciaga’s Spring/Summer 2008 ready-to-wear collection.
Image source: John Shearer
#39 Rebecca Hall
Image source: Amy Sussman
#40 Elle Fanning
Elle Fanning went classy with her power bun and plain, swanky pastel pink dress-type-thingy.
We believe it was a full dress until James Patrick “Sulley” Sullivan’s little crimson-colored cousin, whom she may or may not have taken with her as a date to the event that night, got hungry and ate the front of her dress.
The photo shows the little “scarer” still cowering between her legs, likely camera shy.
An alternative explanation is that the red fluffy thing adorning her front is actually part of her outfit, and if one were to strain one’s imagination really hard, one could think that it was something designed by a fashion house like Balenciaga.
But fact is sometimes stranger than fiction, and to go with the jewelry from Cartier, the dress is actually a Balenciaga contrivance.
Image source: Frazer Harrison
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