It must be exhausting for Ayo Edebiri to have Loewe and Bottega Veneta fighting over her. Luckily, stylist Danielle Goldberg seems to have worked out some kind of shared custody agreement on her behalf, because the two designers have been patiently taking turns dressing The Bear star for the red carpet. Loewe got to shower her with 3D floral appliqués for her first-ever Met Gala in May, for instance. Then, Bottega got to craft her strapless sequin column dress for the 2024 Emmys in September. Frankly, in a red carpet economy where exclusive ambassador contracts tend to prevent top talent from experimenting with different designers, it's low-key thrilling to see Edebiri retain her autonomy and nurture relationships with multiple designers.
At this year’s Business of Fashion 500 Gala, though, Edebiri did her big one and borrowed a gown that debuted on Loewe’s Spring 2025 runway only two days prior during Paris Fashion Week. The black silk georgette maxi dress features a white and green floral print stretched over a flared hoop skirt for a modern take on a centuries-old silhouette. In a slight deviation from the look's original runway styling, Edebiri accented her hoop skirt with leather thong sandals and a black pedicure instead of holographic loafers. It was her way of nodding to the fashion zeitgeist: Flip flops trended heavily over the summer with the likes of Zoë Kravitz and Ashley Olsen donning elevated leather versions from The Row.
Edebiri contrasted her black pedicure with a trendy naked manicure similar to those seen on Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid throughout fashion month. Her pared-back glam mirrored her nude nails with beachy, brushed-out waves and dewy, clean girl-coded makeup. Makeup artist Dana Delaney, who previously spoke to Marie Claire about creating the Emmy winner's Met Gala glam, says skincare is the key to achieving Edebiri's glow.
"When your skin is nice and hydrated, you naturally have highlights on your face," Delaney explained. "So if you're dry, your skin's going to be quite flat— almost like you have powder on already. But if you want to bring a little bit of dimension, your skin is going to catch light on the cheekbones, the nose, and the forehead, and it's going to look like you have a natural highlight, so long as you hydrate."
Of course, the real magic of Edibiri's hot-off-the-runway look can only be seen when the dress is in motion. After showing several takes on the hoop skirt gown during Paris Fashion Week, Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson told WWD the hems are weighed down with delicate chains to create movement.
“The fabric is like floating off the garment. So you have the structure, but then you have this idea that something is in movement,” he explained to the outlet during the post-show scrum. “So you get this body moving, or the body looking like it’s hovering somehow.”
Thankfully, the gown's domed, cage-like infrastructure didn't stop Edebiri from cozying up to actor Hari Nef and fellow Loewe muse Greta Lee inside the party.
