Last Week, Stars Took Inspiration from Screen Sirens 

Glamour can take many forms, but last week the world’s most stylish looked to the cinematic goddesses of the Thirties (Lombard, Harlow, Crawford) for inspiration on how to achieve it with seemingly effortless grace. Very rarely does one see such aesthetic consensus, and such elegance, on the red carpet. Consider Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s vivid fuchsia Erdem with its starry embellishments and floor-grazing drama. Or, for the opening of the Tokyo Film Festival, a pregnant Zhang Ziyi in black velvet by Hedi Slimane for Celine with layers of Chopard diamonds; and Alicia Vikander in royal blue from Nicolas Ghesquière for Louis Vuitton. These dresses were graceful yet substantial, majestic yet understated. Much like their wearers, they possess real star quality.

The vintage inspiration continued at LACMA’s Art + Film Gala, which was sponsored (and largely dressed) by Gucci. Two outstanding looks from Alessandro Michele: Yara Shahidi in a lamé gown with spiral pleats adorning the neckline, and Kiki Layne in a gown of jade sequins and a koi print. Layne paired her retro look with show-stopping sculptural braids, making clear that hers is a thoroughly modern beauty.