Taylor Swift Performs in Ralph Lauren at the Academy Museum Gala
Taylor Swift wore a navy sequined Ralph Lauren gown and played a custom Taylor guitar at the 2026 Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles.
Taylor Swift was the musical guest at the 6th Annual Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles. For her set she wore a Ralph Lauren Spring 2026 gown and played her own guitar, and she sang “The Fate of Ophelia” live in front of an audience for the first time.
The dress was a deep navy, strapless gown made of sparkly sequins. The bodice was ruched tight, with a soft ruffle of tulle along the top edge, and below the waist the skirt turned sheer and floaty, with sequins scattered through the tulle so it shimmered under the stage lights. It’s pretty and easy to move in, which matters when you’re holding a guitar. When she crouched down at the front of the stage in one shot, the skirt pooled around her like a cloud.
The guitar was a custom Taylor Guitars Grand Auditorium, with a warm, flamed wood top and an abalone inlay on the neck that spells her name. Her jewelry matched the dress: a necklace with a blue sapphire-colored stone hanging from a line of diamonds, and drop earrings with a blue stone and a diamond. She also wore her Old Mine Brilliant-cut diamond engagement ring from Kindred Lubeck of Artifex Fine Jewelry. Her hair was in soft, loose waves with her signature full fringe, and she wore her classic red lipstick with winged liner.
Taylor Swift is the singer-songwriter behind albums like 1989, Fearless and The Life of a Showgirl, and one of the biggest pop stars in the world. At the gala she also sang “Love Story,” “Blank Space” and “I Knew It, I Knew You,” her song for Toy Story 5. She wore Erdem to the Toy Story 5 premiere earlier this year.
The gala took place on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Charlize Theron received the Icon Award, John Carpenter the Luminary Award and Colman Domingo the Vantage Award. The night raises money for the museum’s exhibitions, screenings and education programs. A band and four backing singers joined her on stage.
She arrived on the red carpet in a different outfit, and you can see it in our post on her custom Dior by Jonathan Anderson.
