At the 2026 LACMA Art+Film Gala, celebrities moved beyond sheer fabrics toward precisely placed slashes, slits, and open backs.
A new era of undressed glamour
Kim Kardashian arrived at the 2026 LACMA Art+Film Gala in Los Angeles wearing a burgundy sequined Gucci gown by Demna that exemplified the evening's dominant aesthetic. The dress presented a restrained front—high neck, long sleeves, sculpted silhouette—while a dramatic waist slash exposed skin above the hip from the side.
The reality star was not alone in this approach. The gala's red carpet signaled an evolution in Hollywood's relationship with the naked dress, moving away from romantic diaphanous fabrics and all-out sheer toward something more architectural and off-beat. Strategic exposure has become the defining feature: dramatically placed openings, vertiginous slits, and plunging backs that skim the spine.
Gucci dressed a significant portion of the evening's attendees, with Demna establishing what the source describes as a "provocative, high-octane strain of glamour." Rosie Huntington-Whiteley wore a black custom gown with exaggerated shoulders and a severe front that concealed nothing from behind—a completely exposed back and butt with a daring hip-fastened slit. Amber Valletta chose a black column gown with plunging open back, silver ornamental detail, and thigh-baring slit extending nearly to her waist. Emily Ratajkowski appeared in white draped Gucci with plunging neckline, open sides, and sky-high leg slit.
Other guests extended the maximalist mood through varied interpretations. Alix Earle wore a silver halter gown with shimmering embellishment and thigh-high slit beneath metallic fringe. Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn selected a glittering one-shouldered purple gown with asymmetrical neckline and dramatic slit revealing a sheer black-stockinged leg. Candice Swanepoel appeared in silver crystal-strewn fabric with plunging neckline and two daringly high slits.
Non-Gucci looks maintained the thematic coherence. Madelaine Petsch wore Georges Hobeika's spring 2027 collection: a black halter-neck bodice with side-boob hint and plunging front meeting a cream floral-embroidered pencil skirt.
The source notes that body-conscious designs have long been favored by the Kardashian-Jenner family, while figures like Anya Taylor-Joy have pursued more romantic and ghostly interpretations through designers such as Dilara Findikoglu and Tom Ford. This emerging iteration, however, relies on precision cuts and dramatic contrasts to direct attention to specific body parts. With Demna's Gucci helping establish what the source calls "all-out, unabashed glamour," the red carpet appears to be entering what it terms "its next undressed era."