Kaia Gerber Owns the Sheer Trend in Black Knit at the 2026 Independent Spirit Awards

Kaia Gerber stuns in a sheer black floral knit dress at the 2026 Independent Spirit Awards red carpet.

Some dresses whisper. This one didn’t even try.

Kaia Gerber stepped onto the 2026 Independent Spirit Awards red carpet looking like she already knew the outfit was settled. No fuss. No over-explaining. Just a sheer black knit dress that did exactly what it needed to do.

The gown featured a high neckline and sleeveless cut, keeping the top half clean and structured. From a distance, it read classic. Up close, the open-knit fabric shifted the mood. The material hugged her frame in all the right places, subtly sheer and layered with oversized floral embroidery that gave the dress depth and dimension.

The embroidery wasn’t delicate or overly romantic. It was bold, graphic, and placed with intention, creating contrast against the skin beneath. She kept the underpinnings minimal, just enough coverage to ground the look without interrupting the transparency. Risky? Yes. Reckless? Not at all.

The hem fell to her ankles, elongating her silhouette, while the knit texture kept the dress from feeling flat. It had movement. It breathed. It felt lived in rather than staged.

On her feet, she wore black patent pointed-toe heels. Sharp, glossy, and direct. They mirrored the dress without distracting from it. No statement jewelry. No oversized earrings. No stacks of bracelets competing for attention.

Her hair was worn super straight with a deep side part, sleek and controlled. The simplicity framed her face and let the dress remain the focus. Makeup leaned bronzed and softly dewy, with sculpted cheeks and a natural lip. Polished, but not theatrical.

The tricky thing about sheer dresses is they often scream for attention. Stylists pile on accessories. Hair gets bigger. Makeup gets louder. Kaia didn’t go there. She wore the dress like it was just another piece in her wardrobe.

That’s what made it land.

It wasn’t about shock value. It wasn’t about pushing boundaries for headlines. It was about confidence. Fabric, skin, posture. Done.

And honestly, that’s harder to pull off than it looks.