’72 Hours’ Star Teyana Taylor Turns Schiaparelli Into a Sculpted Second Skin at the Academy Museum Gala
Teyana Taylor has never treated a red carpet as a polite formality. The multi-hyphenate, who sings, acts, dances and designs, has a reputation for arriving with a look that feels more like a statement than an outfit. At the sixth annual Academy Museum Gala, she had a double role, both as a guest and a member of the host committee.
The October 17 event in Los Angeles honored Charlize Theron, Colman Domingo and John Carpenter, with Taylor Swift performing for the first time. The host committee also included Demi Moore, Kirsten Dunst, Greta Lee, Adrien Brody and Kate Hudson, which helped make it one of the most closely watched carpets of the season.
Teyana Taylor’s Academy Museum Gala look came from Schiaparelli’s Fall/Winter 2026 Couture collection. She wore a glossy turquoise breastplate over a sheer, floral-covered skirt, and the contrast between the two halves is what makes it so striking.
Teyana Taylor on the carpet at the Academy Museum Gala https://t.co/FREhOLq4C2
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) October 18, 2026
In the carpet clip, the upper half of the gown is a high-gloss pale blue corset with a sculpted, almost anatomical shape. It curves sharply at the waist and ends in a pointed V at the hips, giving her silhouette an armored, statue-like quality. Her skin glows beneath it, with a sheen that matches the lacquered surface.
Below the waist, the gown turns delicate. The sheer skirt is covered in three-dimensional floral appliqués in shades of blue and silver, hugging her legs down to the floor and breaking into a softly fringed hem. She wore her short, cropped hair styled close to her face and finished the look with blue eyeshadow that echoed the dress.
Teyana Taylor arrives at the #AcademyMuseumGala https://t.co/VWeTEVadNn
— Variety (@Variety) October 18, 2026
The house has been a constant for her all year. Teyana wore Schiaparelli to the Golden Globes, where she picked up her first win, and she attended the designer’s couture show in January in a sheer lace look. In March, she wore a dress straight from Schiaparelli’s fall 2026 runway show to the TIME Women of the Year Gala, which featured a fit-and-flare maxi skirt with a feathered hem and a sequined waist, styled with chrome chandelier earrings.
Compared with those looks, the gala gown feels the most sculptural of the bunch. The glossy breastplate takes the house’s love of body-as-art to its logical extreme.
Teyana Taylor at the 6th Annual Academy Museum Gala. https://t.co/hZlBm7pOos
— 21 (@21metgala) October 18, 2026
Her fashion run is tied to a career-defining year. Taylor won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for playing Perfidia Beverly Hills in Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘One Battle After Another,’ and she earned her first Oscar nomination in the same category at the 98th Academy Awards. The film itself earned 13 Oscar nominations.
She also earned her first Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album for her 2025 visual album ‘Escape Room.’ It was a major comeback after a brief retirement from music.
ADOOORE: Teyana Taylor in ✨️Schiaparelli✨️ Fall/Winter 2026 COUTURE at Academy Gala.🪡 magical color https://t.co/bBVthNtM32
— La Mode Unknown (@LaModeUnknown) October 18, 2026
Taylor’s résumé shows how many directions she works in. She delivered a turning-point performance in ‘A Thousand and One’ in 2023 and has since appeared in Hulu’s ‘All’s Fair,’ ‘The Book of Clarence’ and Netflix’s ‘Straw’ and ‘The Rip.’ She is also set to portray Dionne Warwick in an upcoming biopic.
She even hosted ‘Saturday Night Live,’ revealing in her opening monologue that she learned about her Oscar nomination while being fitted for a bald cap. That sense of humor is part of why she is so beloved.
Teyana Taylor attending the Academy Museum Gala (2026) https://t.co/Mi5pLu16el
— linda (@itgirlbackup) October 18, 2026
Her history with big fashion nights runs deep. At the 2025 Met Gala, she committed to the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” theme in a crimson, zoot suit-inspired look designed by Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter. She also hosted the 2025 CFDA Fashion Awards in an oversize white Thom Browne blazer and black velvet skirt covered with silver rhinestones.
Earlier Met Gala moments include a fashion-fantasy look by The Blonds in 2024, an ethereal Iris van Herpen look in 2022 and a barely-there Prabal Gurung silver gown in 2021. She has often said she works closely with designers to create custom pieces, and the results show it.
The carpet was full of stars. Taylor Swift, Kate Hudson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kerry Washington, Janelle Monáe, Charlize Theron and Inde Navarrette all attended, and Zoe Report noted that the evening’s trends included sculpted tailoring, sheer layers and voluminous silhouettes. Teyana’s look hit two of those at once.
In a field of dramatic couture, her gown stood out for how precisely it balanced hard and soft. It is armor on top and petals below.
The dress works because it commits to contrast. The high-gloss breastplate is bold and graphic, while the floral skirt keeps it romantic and light. The shared turquoise tone ties the two halves into a single, striking silhouette.
It also fits her brand as a performer who treats fashion as another art form. She has been telling that story all year, and this gown adds another chapter.
What do you think of Teyana Taylor’s sculpted Schiaparelli couture gown at the 2026 Academy Museum Gala?
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!
