The Coolest Looks Of The Week, From Nara Smith To Nicole Kidman

Titillating fashion and festive dressing were in full force. These are the best celebrity outfits.

It’s party season and nearly the end of the year, but with attention spans fried and Hollywood’s events calendar still chugging along, what do you wear to command attention?

This week saw stars turn to sequins and scarlet – trusty holiday conventions that they are – while others explored the thrills and spills offered by sheer textiles (Emma Corrin and Charli XCX both stepped out in revealing gowns).

Here’s what caught our eye.

Nara Smith

Spooky surrealism is something we don’t see enough, and it’s a surprising turn for content creator Nara Smith, who stepped out in New York City wearing this Balmain mini-dress, headed to an appearance on the Today Show.

Sharon Stone

Bringing a new meaning to luminary, Sharon looks brilliant in this molten gown. The fluffy stole is a canny choice, and the whole look is balanced nicely by the simple hair.

Chloë Sevigny

Love this. It’s custom Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello but it looks like it was dug out of an attic (in the best possible way).

Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson

Naughty and nice, these two look great. Nicole, styled by Jason Bolden, is wearing custom Balenciaga – a frock inspired by one of the house’s 1964 designs - while Harris is in heavy leather with some rather coquette hair. The duo’s appearance is another example of nodding to themes, rather than going full costume. Although I hope we see some vibe-swapping from them as they promote their film Babygirl, since the internet has anointed Harris one of its #babygirl boys – perhaps some pink Prada would do nicely.

Sabrina Carpenter

How does Sabrina translate her retro-kitsch pin-up thing for winter? In fluffy Chanel, that’s how. This look is vintage – fashion authority Kim Russell has dated it as fall-winter 1994 – and it’s a fun take on festive dressing. Styled by Jared Ellner, the shoes are great too.

Kate Middleton

The Princess of Wales looked like a royal treat this week. She wears red coats a lot, and this latest outing is by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. The dash of tartan is very nice, as is the velvet bow.

Mikey Madison

Mikey is wearing vintage Christian Dior from the tenure of John Galliano – who confirmed this week, after months of rumours, that he was leaving Maison Margiela – and it’s gorgeous. Though not usually a fan of sheer dresses, I like the intentional fleshiness of the underlayer, and those fabric-covered buttons. And it all feels very apt for the star of Anora, which is out on Boxing Day.

Emma Corrin

Nosferatu is a movie I’m dying to see and a promotional rollout I’m very much enjoying, since it means seeing stars like Emma step out in looks like this. They look great and show you can reference the project you’re promoting without being overly laboured and literal – given the rise of “themed” red carpet dressing.

This dress is McQueen (accessorised with Cartier jewellery) and creative director Sean McGirr has used a sublimely buttery washed silk chiffon; the drape and cling created by the fabric pleats divine – there’s innocence and eroticism in equal measure and both speak to the film’s themes.

Corrin plays Anna Harding in Robert Eggers' much-anticipated film – an adaptation of a German film from the 1920s based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula – and Emma’s stylist, Harry Lambert, also dressed Bill Skarsgard for the premiere.

Michelle Yeoh

Another star wearing Balenciaga this week was Michelle Yeoh, also in Jeddah for the Red Sea International Film Festival, dressed in a rather sumptuous gown with a high-drama neckline.

Charli XCX and Rachel Sennott

More sheer fabric and more red, this time on Charli and Rachel, who apparently locked themselves in the bathroom at the Variety awards. Very brat. Charli’s silk jersey dress is Saint Laurent, and Rachel is in the kind of bitchy little frock that I like to wear to holiday parties.

Shraddha Kapoor

How fabulous is this? As if all that embellishment wasn’t enough, Shraddha has added an asymmetrical sheer wrap (shrug? bolero?) that brings an extra bit of something, not that she needed it. She’s wearing a look from Indian designer Falguni Shane Peacock.

Keira Knightley

There’s a lot going on here – all of it Chloe - and I love it.

Emma Gleason is the Herald’s deputy editor of lifestyle and entertainment (audience) and has worked on Viva for more than four years, contributing stories on culture, fashion and what’s going on in Auckland.

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