Two big shows in Los Angeles, two art fairs in London and a festival of open doors in New York all overlapped this weekend. Here is our red carpet roundup, with every look and number credited to the outlet that reported it.
The Academy Museum Gala: pastels against black and white
The sixth annual Academy Museum Gala took place Saturday, October 17, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. According to Vanity Fair’s best-dressed list, black and white ruled the carpet. However, a few soft blues broke the pattern.
Here are the looks Vanity Fair singled out:
- Taylor Swift wore custom Dior by Jonathan Anderson in powdery blue.
- Teyana Taylor wore Schiaparelli couture in a similar blue-green.
- Alexa Demie wore aquamarine custom Chanel by Matthieu Blazy, which the magazine compared to Cher.
- Kendall Jenner wore custom Valentino by Alessandro Michele, with black-and-white polka dots in different sizes.
- Kim Kardashian went Old Hollywood in a vintage Balenciaga dress from 1951.
Vanity Fair also reported that, this year, the gala honored Charlize Theron, Colman Domingo and John Carpenter. Finally, Swift closed the night with a performance.
For the full gallery, our Academy Museum Gala 2026 looks story goes through the evening, look by look.
Our red carpet roundup verdict on the gala
In our opinion, the pastels won the night. Black and white is always elegant, yet a room full of it makes one pale blue gown look like a spotlight. Meanwhile, the vintage Balenciaga showed how well an old dress can hold a modern carpet.
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show returns to LA
On Sunday, October 18, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show returned to Los Angeles. USA Today’s recap lists the performers as Megan Thee Stallion, Megan Moroney, Katseye and Tate McRae.
Still, the biggest moment was the Fantasy Bra. Kylie Jenner wore the $50 million design, which Victoria’s Secret made with the jeweler Jacob & Co., according to both USA Today and Elle. On top of that, USA Today reported that it holds 4,410 diamonds. Elle also noted that it marked the first Fantasy Bra on the runway since 2018.
In addition, USA Today reported that Bella Hadid opened the show and Adriana Lima closed it. Meanwhile, Elle described the runway as a set of chapters, one for each season.
Frieze week wraps in London
Over in London, Frieze London and Frieze Masters ran October 14 to 18 at The Regent’s Park, according to Frieze. Both fairs closed on Sunday at 6 p.m. local time. Frieze London sits at the south end of the park, while Frieze Masters, the fair for historical art, sits in the north-east corner near the London Zoo. Frieze ran a free shuttle bus between the two about every 15 minutes.
Open House New York, a different kind of carpet
Back home, Open House New York Weekend ran from Friday to Sunday, with more than 300 sites across the five boroughs. In other words, for a few days the best entrance in town was a sign painters’ shop or a fire watchtower stair. Our guide to Open House New York has the tips and picks we shared before the weekend, and it is worth saving for next October.
How we build our red carpet roundup
Every look in this red carpet roundup comes from a named outlet, and we link it. For that reason, we talk about clothes, hair and staging, and we do not comment on bodies or private lives. Of course, rankings and verdicts are the opinions of our editors, and you are welcome to disagree.
Next week on our red carpet radar
Vanity Fair called the gala a soft opening to awards season. If that holds, we expect more pastels and more vintage on the carpets ahead. Either way, we will keep the red carpet roundup coming.