The Academy Museum Gala’s red carpet delivers fab looks from Dior, Chanel and more, while the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show returns to L.A. with Kylie Jenner, Megan Thee Stallion, Nicole Kidman and plenty of angel wings. Plus, could the upcoming Amazon MGM show “Bella From Barneys” help bring back beloved retailer Barneys New York, which already has a return to retail in motion? And celebrity-favored haircare brand Highbrow Hippie, beloved by Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Roberts, debuts new products.
Gala Season Arrives in Style
The L.A. social season is heating up, and so are the fashion stakes, starting with Saturday night’s Academy Museum Gala, where stars began embracing the color and embellishment seen on recent runways, to joyful effect.
Taylor Swift has never looked better than she did in Jonathan Anderson’s Dior (we still want to see that wedding dress!). Her strapless, pale blue silk gown, with softened panniers and a romantic bow at the bodice, was a marvel of pleating and workmanship. Chopard diamonds and a softly curled bob completed Swift’s modern princess look.
She wasn’t the only Dior success story. Greta Lee was dazzling in a Spring 2027 couture gown, fully embroidered and fringed, with a skyscape motif and a giant flower on the hip, while Grace Gummer looked incredible in seafoam green (no easy feat), in a gown with a thigh-high slit, a hip bow and a lace underskirt.
Giorgio Armani hosted the after-party and dressed 18 gala guests in looks showcasing the breadth of the house’s red carpet style.
Sculptural crinoline ruffles freshened up Kate Hudson’s blush pink Armani bustier gown, while Sabrina Carpenter’s custom dress, with side cutouts and crystal tassels adorning her bare back, teased Spring 2027’s favorite bold blue hue. I do enjoy Odessa A’Zion’s wild-card red carpet style, and her archival Armani look, in orange patterned pleats and feathers, was pure bohemian fantasy.
Chanel’s Matthieu Blazy also brought a jolt of color to the carpet, dressing Hailey Bieber in a custom bubblegum pink column gown embellished with delicate floral beading and Alexa Demie in aquamarine with playful feathers.
Elle Fanning showed off the handiwork of Valentino’s atelier in a dreamy, custom, pastel-hued goddess dress with a butterfly-embroidered bodice.
And Charlize Theron, one of the evening’s honorees, turned up the heat in a sheer black column gown by Tom Ford creative director Haider Ackermann that combined strategically placed lace with intricate beading and embroidery, offering a fresh take on the sheer-dress trope.
Inde Navarrette, meanwhile, embraced Schiaparelli’s eccentric spirit in a flesh-toned dress scattered with glossy dots and finished with a bulbous, tiered skirt.
Speaking of unusual embellishment, Tracee Ellis Ross was a ray of sunshine in a Balenciaga Spring 2027 dress fresh off the runway, with incredible diamond-cut organza fringe that made her look like a glam sea anemone. Maya Hawke’s Prada column gown, with all-over crystal embroidery and cascading sequin fringe, also had incredible movement and detail.
The men did not disappoint, either, starting with A$AP Rocky, who gave us the most convincing argument yet for why Chanel should be making menswear.
Diego Calva brought a more playful approach in Loewe by Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, pairing his black single-breasted tuxedo with a shirt and tie in the most amazing shade of yellow.
Eddie Redmayne ditched the tuxedo altogether in favor of an elegant Giorgio Armani cobalt blue velvet evening shirt paired with relaxed navy trousers.
One of the night’s most unforgettable fashion statements belonged to stylist Law Roach, who arrived wearing a vintage 1998 Philip Treacy headdress previously worn by Boy George, perched atop his long, silky locks, and a Gaurav Gupta suit. Part fashion history, part performance art, the look was a reminder that the best red carpet fashion gives us something to talk about.
Victoria’s Secret Is Back, for Better or Worse
Is there any other event where taking photos of women’s backsides is not only tolerated but encouraged?
Welcome to the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which returned to L.A. on Sunday for the first time in 19 years, bringing the Angels, beaucoup boobs, butts, bombshell hair and barely-there lingerie to Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City.
I also attended the last Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show held in L.A., in 2007, at what is now the Dolby Theatre. The show was filmed for a CBS broadcast and featured a Spice Girls reunion.
Somehow, this year’s event bothered me less than the first one, probably because, as a culture, we have become so inured to nearly naked women on the runway, the red carpet, the big screen, the small screen and everywhere in between.
The biggest surprise on Sunday afternoon was Kylie Jenner, who made her Victoria’s Secret runway debut wearing the revived Fantasy Bra, a $50 million creation by Jacob & Co. featuring thousands of diamonds. She completed the look with white feathered wings, a thong and a sheer skirt.
The stunt was vintage Victoria’s Secret, with a Kardashian-era twist. In the audience, her boyfriend, Timothée Chalamet, cheered alongside her mother, Kris Jenner, and Corey Gamble. Vanessa Bryant watched as her daughter Natalia made her Victoria’s Secret debut, and Law Roach was among the fashion insiders in the seats.
Then there was Nicole Kidman, whose presence was a bit of a head-scratcher. Was she just there for the thrill or, as some were speculating, angling for a future Angel appearance by one of her modeling daughters? Whatever the reason, she seemed to enjoy herself.
The runway itself was full of familiar faces, including Gigi and Bella Hadid, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Candice Swanepoel, Behati Prinsloo and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who returned after 16 years.
The newer generation included Anok Yai, Alex Consani and Amelia Gray Hamlin, alongside Ashley Graham and Paloma Elsesser, two of the most recognizable figures in the body-positivity movement. There was noticeably more diversity in age, size and gender identity than during Victoria’s Secret’s bombshell-or-bust heyday, even if the brand still favored a pretty conventional idea of sexy.
Another talking point was Barbara Palvin, who returned to the runway just weeks after giving birth, with her husband, Dylan Sprouse, enthusiastically cheering from the audience. Her appearance was impressive, although celebrating how quickly a woman can return to modeling lingerie after childbirth is not quite a feminist triumph.
For the most part, the musical performances were more entertaining than the fashion. Tate McRae performed “Housewife” in red lace and garters, while girl group KATSEYE brought synchronized choreography, colorful Victoria’s Secret PINK corsets and pop energy to “Pinky Up.”
Megan Thee Stallion was perfectly cast, gyrating to “Body” in silver wings and a black thong that showed off her own famous assets.
But the audience was mostly made up of non-famous guests, including many young women wearing looks almost as skimpy as those on the runway. They were over the moon, practically hyperventilating at the sight of their favorite models and filming on their phones throughout the show. As confetti rained down during the finale, they erupted into a standing ovation.
Of course, Victoria’s Secret still has considerable baggage. The show was canceled after 2018 amid declining ratings and criticism of its unrealistic beauty standards, as well as allegations of a toxic workplace culture and scrutiny of former parent company chief Les Wexner’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Former marketing chief Ed Razek’s dismissive comments about transgender and plus-size models were emblematic of how out of touch the brand had become.
Since reviving the runway show in 2024, Victoria’s Secret has worked to present a more inclusive image and emphasize female empowerment, but the formula is essentially the same. The wings may have been dusted off, but whether the Victoria’s Secret show still flies is up for debate.
Could “Bella From Barneys” Bring the Beloved Retailer Back to Life?
Fashion may be getting its next great television obsession, and this time, the inspiration is one of the industry’s most beloved and dearly departed department stores.
Amazon MGM Studios has ordered “Bella From Barneys,” a new drama from Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, the creative duo behind “Gossip Girl,” “The O.C.” and the recent Chanel-filled hit “Sterling Point.”
The series follows Bella Baldwin, a stylish “outer-borough outsider” with an eye for fashion, who lands a job in the stockroom of the newly revived Barneys New York. When she talks her way into becoming a personal shopper to the store’s most notorious socialite client, she’s pulled into a cutthroat world of fashion and family secrets — and into the orbit of the heir fighting to save the family business.
Savage, who, along with costume designer Eric Daman, made “Gossip Girl’s” Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen’s wardrobes almost as important as the characters themselves, certainly knows the power of a great look on screen. But perhaps “Bella From Barneys” could be more than another stylish streaming hit.
Could it help engineer a comeback for the once-influential retailer, which went bankrupt in 2019 and closed its U.S. stores in 2020?
Founded by the Pressman family in 1923, Barneys was a destination for fashion discovery. Its Madison Avenue flagship was a cultural institution, known for iconic window displays by Simon Doonan, innovative marketing campaigns, its lunchtime hotspot Fred’s and star-studded parties that attracted the likes of Andy Warhol, Debbie Harry, Elton John and Madonna.
Led by its influential buyers, the business served as a launchpad for Giorgio Armani, Dries Van Noten, Thom Browne, Zac Posen and many other important designers over the years. At its height, Barneys operated 22 stores, including one in Beverly Hills in a building that now houses Saks Fifth Avenue.
Following the bankruptcy, Authentic Brands Group acquired Barneys’ intellectual property in 2019. Now, its entertainment division, Authentic Studios, is bringing the name to the screen as the company works to revive the retail business in the U.S. A successful series could also introduce Barneys to a generation that never experienced its original stores, potentially creating demand for its return.
A 10,000-square-foot Barneys store and Fred’s restaurant are already being planned for Naples, Florida, with an opening targeted for early 2027. There has also been speculation about the return of the former flagship on Madison Avenue.
There could be opportunities for some interesting brand integration. What if the store became the set? (Obviously, the New York flagship would be the preferred location.) Or what if an exclusive Barneys clothing collection inspired by the characters were created and sold only there? At the very least, the store could host premieres, cast appearances and fashion events.
Gen Z, which will likely make up the audience for “Bella From Barneys,” has already been embracing some of the things that made Barneys New York successful in its day, namely fashion individuality and shopping IRL as a cultural experience.
Perhaps the show could become a vehicle for showcasing and discovering new designers whose wares are then sold in the store? So long as it’s done with some degree of style, as opposed to the overly promotional Netflix House and “Stranger Things” official store experiences.
If anyone can make this Hollywood synergy work, I’d bet on Schwartz and Savage. Fashion has long been central to their storytelling, down to specific designer labels being named in the scripts themselves, as “Sterling Point” costume designer Marissa Schwartz told me when I interviewed her about the show, which has itself become a vehicle for fashion discovery. In the duo’s capable hands, with Barneys as their next inspiration, the possibilities are endless.
Highbrow Hippie’s New Hair Obsession
The beauty industry has spent decades obsessing over aging skin. Now, aging hair is getting its moment.
As women in their 40s and 50s experience hormonal changes that can leave hair thinner, drier, more brittle and harder to color, a new generation of products is treating the scalp and strands with the same sophistication as high-performance skin care.
At the forefront is Highbrow Hippie, the buzzy Venice, California, salon and beauty brand founded by colorist Kadi Lee and entrepreneur Myka Harris, whose clients include Julia Roberts, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kristin Davis. Known for its holistic approach to maintaining gorgeous hair through midlife and beyond, the brand has expanded its offerings with two treatments that promise more than a good hair day.
The Nutripeptide Strengthening Essence ($68) brings the concept of a skin care essence to hair, with a weightless leave-in mist designed to strengthen fragile strands, replenish moisture and protect expensive salon color. Its combination of copper peptides, squalane, hydrolyzed rice protein and botanical antioxidants targets breakage, frizz, dullness and loss of elasticity. Best of all, the formula delivers hydration and protection without sacrificing movement or volume.
The Triple-Action Revitalizing Enzyme Scrub ($78) addresses another increasingly important frontier: scalp health. More luxurious-feeling than the average scalp scrub, the treatment combines sugar crystals and papaya enzymes to exfoliate; chelating ingredients to remove hard-water minerals and metal deposits; and ceramides and prebiotics to support the scalp barrier.
True to the community spirit on which their brand has been built, Lee and Harris tapped their clients to star in the product campaign and brought them to the Highbrow Hippie mothership last week to celebrate with caviar, pizza, champagne and a Gospel choir singing Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.” It was a total delight.
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