Kim Kardashian Wears 1951 Balenciaga at the Academy Museum Gala

Kim Kardashian did old Hollywood properly at the 6th Annual Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles. She wore an archival Balenciaga gown from 1951, and Law Roach styled her. The whole look was a nod to Elizabeth Taylor.

The dress is more than 70 years old, and you can tell from the details. The top was a strapless bodice in soft blush-pink silk, gathered into tight ruches across the bust. Below the waist it switched to a fitted pale butter-yellow column skirt covered in white embroidery, with winding floral scrolls in horizontal bands and little raised rosettes dotted in between. The back was the showstopper, with a giant blush satin bow at the waist and a long tail falling to the floor and ending in a fringe. In the side shot she looks back over her shoulder to show it off.

The diamonds were serious. She wore Leviev’s Carmen necklace, a 55.48-carat diamond piece in 18K white gold that sat like a collar high on her neck. Zydo Italy supplied her 10.2-carat diamond earrings. Her hair was the Taylor part: a tall, voluminous bouffant, glossy and jet black, smoothed back from her face and curving into a rounded shape at the sides, with a bun at the crown. Her makeup was warm and polished, with winged liner, lots of lashes and a nude-pink lip. Put it together with the bouffant and you’ve got textbook 1950s fashion, just worn by someone who actually owns the real thing.

Kim Kardashian is a reality TV star and businesswoman who became famous through Keeping Up with the Kardashians. She founded SKIMS and has since started acting too, with a role in All’s Fair. Her red carpet looks are often vintage, and she wore vintage Dior to the All’s Fair Paris premiere.

The gala took place on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Charlize Theron picked up the Icon Award, John Carpenter the Luminary Award and Colman Domingo the Vantage Award, and Taylor Swift performed. The night raises money for the museum’s exhibitions, screenings and education programs.

For another recent event, see her Saint Laurent outfit at the Lucas Museum opening.