The Los Angeles County Museum of Art held its 15th Art+Film Gala on Saturday 7 November 2026, and the red carpet delivered just as much beauty inspiration as fashion. Gucci, presenting sponsor since the first edition in 2011, dressed many of the guests, while Leonardo DiCaprio and LACMA trustee Eva Chow returned as co-chairs. This year the museum honoured the artist Vija Celmins and the filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. Vanity Fair Italia picked out the hair and make-up looks worth remembering, and two clear themes stood out.
Curls of every kind
Natural texture ruled the night. Salma Hayek Pinault wore a soft, springy cascade of curls with a centre parting, and Viola Davis framed her face with a cloud of bouncy ringlets. Parker Posey gathered her curls into a voluminous Sixties-style updo, finished with touches of aqua shadow and inky lashes, while the photographer Nadia Lee Cohen showed how well curls work on a short cut. Elsewhere, waves came in two moods: deliberately rumpled, as on Kim Kardashian and Stella Maxwell, or polished and romantic, like Elsa Hosk’s old Hollywood waves with lifted roots and icy eyeshadow.
Sleek styles offered a counterpoint. Amber Valletta chose a glossy ballerina bun, Vittoria Ceretti paired a retro chignon with a sharp flick of liner, and Anya Taylor-Joy wore an intricate braided updo with luminous silver-toned make-up to match her gown.
Bare skin or bold eyes
On make-up, guests split into two camps. One group, including Odessa A’zion, Candice Swanepoel, Olivia Munn and Monica Barbaro, kept things almost bare, letting skin do the talking. The other went for drama. Irina Shayk took the cat-eye to its most feline extreme, set off by crimped hair and a side parting, and Kim Kardashian chose a smoky, charcoal gaze with extra-long lashes. Red lipstick was almost absent; the notable exception was Sarah Paulson, who paired a vivid red lip with a sleek bun, the classic combination for a reason.
A strong eye or a clean, bare face both leave room for jewellery to shine. Sparkling earrings balance an updo, a fine pendant necklace suits a nude look, and deep tones such as ruby earrings echo a red lip. For the evening bag, a compact handbag completes the picture.
Sources: Vanity Fair Italia; LACMA press office; Us Weekly; Deadline.
