Couture Bugs. Next-Gen Florals. Give These Gowns Their Own Exhibit.

The Academy Museum Gala has easily earned its reputation as the "Met Gala of the West." The guest list at the Los Angeles event alone rivaled its East Coast counterpart — think Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, and Hailey Bieber all shutting down the carpet. And the fashion? Next-level. A-listers showed up in sculptural couture that belongs in a gallery wing. From high-fashion butterflies that felt lifelike to 3D florals that bloomed on skirts, hips, and necklines, these are the major trends that defined the night.

Graphic Peplums

The peplum has been staging its comeback for a minute now. But unlike the millennial club uniform of the 2010s — which was essentially a business casual top with a ruffled waist — the iterations on Saturday’s red carpet were decidedly more elevated. With sharp silhouettes, graphic proportions, and structured flares, these designs are practically architectural marvels.

Chase Infiniti led the charge in a graphic black-and-white Louis Vuitton gown with an exaggerated, pleated peplum, while Sophie Thatcher’s gilded attire featured tiered, Art Deco-inspired flares at the waist. Anna Kendrick’s Georges Chakra look was equally sculptural, with fabric jutting out at each hip to create a dramatically elongated silhouette.

Baby Pinks

Fall’s palette typically calls for deep, earthy hues, but these A-listers completely subverted the seasonal norm by leaning heavily into a soft, delicate pastel. Hailey Bieber, Emily Bader, and Gemma Chan all chose baby pink for the occasion, opting for minimalist silhouettes that let the color do the talking. Bieber (in Chanel) and Bader (in Giorgio Armani) both wore classic column gowns, while Chan (in Prada) kept the vibe low-key with a sleek cutout and train.

Textured Florals

Miranda Priestly would be proud: The style set found *actually groundbreaking* ways to wear florals, ditching the garden-variety print for sculptural 3D blooms that practically leapt off their dresses.

Teyana Taylor styled her cotton-candy-blue breastplate alongside a sheer skirt sprinkled with delicate floral appliqués. Then there was Greta Lee, who wore a fully beaded blue Dior gown that swayed when she moved, punctuated by a large white pom-pom flower perched on her hip that gave serious Carrie Bradshaw energy. Sofia Vergara also leaned into the dimensional theme, hitting the carpet in a gown where a lifelike stack of purple blooms lined her asymmetrical neckline.

The Butterfly Effect

Another garden party guest made the cut: butterflies. Fashion’s finest traded petals for wings, adding whimsy to the red carpet by way of couture butterflies.

In custom Valentino, Elle Fanning wore a multicolored pastel confection with a bodice shaped like a winged wonder. Janelle Monáe took it a step further, essentially cosplaying as the insect in a cobalt Robert Wun gown with enormous, shimmering wings sprouting from her décolletage. Amandla Stenberg also understood the assignment, showing up in a plunging Zimmermann number covered in lifelike butterflies.