On November 17, 2025, Los Angeles hosted the 2025 Governors Awards, an early-season industry event whose carpet often previews the trends that will dominate the awards calendar through the Oscars on March 15. This year’s gathering balanced archival discoveries with current-house ambassadorships, producing a mix of understated tailoring and statement moments. Standouts included Jessie Buckley in The Row, house-focused appearances by Dakota Johnson (Valentino) and Jennifer Lawrence (Dior), and Ariana Grande in an archival Dior gown reportedly bought from Happy Isles. Photographers on the carpet captured both quiet elegance and theatrical color, reinforcing the Governors Awards’ reputation as a laboratory for red-carpet risk-taking.
Key Takeaways
- Jessie Buckley wore a black turtleneck paired with a voluminous black skirt by The Row, a look noted for its minimalist construction and sculptural volume.
- Ariana Grande wore an asymmetrical fall 2007 Dior dress, reported as purchased from Happy Isles, bringing a vintage couture moment to the evening.
- Jennifer Lawrence and Dakota Johnson leaned into their house affiliations, appearing in Dior and Valentino respectively, underlining brand-ambassador influence on red-carpet choices.
- Cynthia Erivo chose a pistachio-toned Givenchy by Sarah Burton coat with multicolored florals, offering a softer, impressionistic counterpoint to darker tailoring.
- Menswear highlights included Jacob Elordi, Damson Idris, and Joe Alwyn, who referenced period silhouettes in their suiting rather than conventional tuxedo formulas.
- Coordinated appearances included Chase Infiniti and Teyana Taylor representing One Battle After Another, signaling film-linked red-carpet alignment.
- Additional notable looks photographed included Celine Song in Thom Browne with Cartier jewelry, Rami Malek in Saint Laurent with Cartier, Queen Latifah in Lanvin, and Eva Victor in Loewe.
Background
The Governors Awards, held annually in Los Angeles, occupy a unique niche in the awards season: smaller than the Academy Awards but large enough to draw industry attention. Because the event is less commercial than headline ceremonies, stylists and stars often use it to showcase archival pieces, independent labels, or risky silhouettes that would stand out at bigger galas. Last year’s event saw Angelina Jolie in a labelless vintage look and Tilda Swinton in a tomato-red ruched dress from Standing Ground, examples that illustrate the Governors Awards’ tendency to spotlight non-mainstream fashion choices.
Two ongoing dynamics shape the evening’s wardrobe decisions. First, the growth of formal ambassadorships — where talent formally aligns with a couture or ready-to-wear house — channels press and creative resources toward house codes and seasonal narratives. Second, the expanding secondary market and vintage dealers make archival couture more accessible to high-profile buyers and stylists, enabling authentic museum-quality statements on contemporary red carpets. Both forces intersected on November 17, producing a mix of brand-led and reclamation-driven dressing.
Main Event
The ramp-up to the Governors Awards felt like an early bellwether for the season. Jessie Buckley’s all-black ensemble from The Row emphasized tailoring and texture over overt embellishment, drawing attention to proportion and fabric handling rather than logos. Dakota Johnson and Jennifer Lawrence both used their house ties to present looks that read as cohesive with current brand imagery: Johnson leaned into Valentino’s established codes, while Lawrence’s Dior appearance reiterated the actress’s ongoing association with the maison.
Ariana Grande’s choice of an asymmetrical Dior gown from fall 2007 — reportedly acquired via dealer Happy Isles — stood out as a clear archival moment. The dress’s Glinda-pink hue and cut referenced earlier couture drama while reading fresh under current lighting and styling. Cynthia Erivo offered a contrasting palette with a pistachio Givenchy coat by Sarah Burton, whose painterly florals created motion on camera and softened the overall carpet mix.
On the menswear side, Jacob Elordi, Damson Idris, and Joe Alwyn each favored suits that borrowed from period tailoring rather than standard black-tie conventions, signaling a continuing interest in sartorial storytelling for male stars. Photographers repeatedly framed these looks as complements to the evening’s more overt couture moments, highlighting an overall balance between theatrical and restrained dressing. Across the carpet, jewelry choices — notably Cartier on Celine Song and Rami Malek — underscored how accessories continue to anchor red-carpet narratives.
Analysis & Implications
The evening reinforced two converging trends: the influence of formal house relationships and the increasing visibility of archival couture. When actors publicly align with houses, their appearances become extensions of brand campaigns; stylists and publicists coordinate timing and imagery to benefit both talent and label. That dynamic pushes designers to provide looks that are simultaneously photographable and brand-representative, narrowing some creative latitude while amplifying campaign visibility.
Conversely, vintage and resale sourcing allow talent to bypass seasonal constraints and present historically layered statements. Ariana Grande’s fall 2007 Dior and other archival selections highlight how the secondary market shapes contemporary aesthetics — and how dealers and vintage specialists are now integral to red-carpet planning. For luxury houses, archival visibility on major stars can renew interest in past seasons and drive collector and resale value.
Menswear’s nod to period tailoring suggests another directional shift: a willingness to favor silhouette and historical reference over the homogenous tuxedo look that dominated prior seasons. This broadening of formalwear vocabulary creates editorial opportunities and places pressure on menswear designers to deliver narrative-driven pieces that photograph well on the carpet. Collectively, these trends indicate that the lead-up to the Oscars will likely mix archival surprises with brand-forward statements.
Comparison & Data
| Star | Designer / Source |
|---|---|
| Jessie Buckley | The Row |
| Ariana Grande | Dior (fall 2007, reported Happy Isles) |
| Jennifer Lawrence | Dior |
| Dakota Johnson | Valentino |
| Cynthia Erivo | Givenchy by Sarah Burton |
| Celine Song | Thom Browne; Cartier jewelry |
The table highlights a cross-section of the looks most frequently circulated by agencies and outlets after the event. While not exhaustive, this selection illustrates the mix of contemporary house dressing and archival couture that characterized the Governors Awards on November 17. Photographic coverage favored close-ups of texture and jewelry, reflecting an editorial preference for detail that editors and stylists will likely carry into Oscar-season imagery.
Reactions & Quotes
Photographers and onlookers quickly framed the Governors Awards as a quietly influential carpet. Many industry accounts praised the evening’s blend of refinement and risk, noting that smaller ceremonies continue to incubate memorable fashion moments.
“A night that preferred narrative dressing over showy logos — archival and house codes both shone.”
Attendees on social media (paraphrased)
That sentiment circulated widely: social posts emphasized storytelling in garment choice and singled out archival finds for their rarity. Commentators contrasted the event with larger galas, arguing that the Governors Awards allow for more personal or curator-driven decisions. Stylists and editors used the evening as a talking point for how the season’s images might diverge from fully commercialized red-carpet looks.
Industry professionals also framed the evening through a commercial lens, assessing what runway and resale attention the looks might generate. Brand teams tracked press value while vintage dealers noted upticks in inquiries about specific seasons and silhouettes photographed on the carpet.
“Photographically, the mix of tonal dressing and archival color made for strong frames that editors will reuse through awards season.”
Fashion editors and photographers (paraphrased)
Unconfirmed
- The reported purchase of Ariana Grande’s fall 2007 Dior gown from Happy Isles is based on dealer attribution and has not been independently confirmed by Dior or the stylist.
- Specific contractual details of house ambassadorships (financial terms, exclusivity clauses) for individual stars mentioned were not available publicly and remain unverified.
Bottom Line
The 2025 Governors Awards reinforced the event’s role as a creative testing ground for awards-season dressing, balancing archival discovery with brand-aligned presentations. Stars and stylists used the smaller stage to make statements that feel both personal and strategically tied to house imagery, a pattern that will likely influence coverage and consumer interest as the season progresses toward the Oscars on March 15.
For brands, the evening offered valuable editorial traction: archival visibility can translate into renewed market interest, while ambassadorships sustain brand narratives. For observers and buyers, the carpet underscored two watchpoints for the coming months — the continuing rise of authenticated vintage couture and a menswear shift toward narrative tailoring — both of which will shape what we see on larger red carpets through March.