Kaia Gerber debuted a sheer silk chiffon black gown from Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Fendi fall 2026 couture collection at the London premiere of FX’s forthcoming series The Shards, continuing a globe-trotting style tour for the show that premieres August 5 in the U.S.
When Kaia Gerber steps out for a premiere, standard red-carpet playbooks usually get tossed. As the model and actor embarks on an international tour to promote the upcoming series The Shards, she has bypassed typical method-dressing trends in favor of an intentional anti-method aesthetic. Rather than matching her wardrobe directly to the 1980s setting of the show, she has leaned into a minimalist, modern wardrobe that frequently channels the understated elegance of the 1990s.
That strategy reached a definitive peak in the British capital. Following earlier appearances in a semi-sheer Valentino gown with diamond beading in New York, Gerber shifted focus entirely toward texture, transparency, and movement.
Inside the Fendi Couture Look at the London Screening
For the screening at 180 House in London, Gerber wore a sheer black silk chiffon dress from Maria Grazia Chiuri’s debut Fendi fall 2026 couture collection. The ensemble featured long, sheer panels, narrow rows of vertical ruffles, and deep V-necklines cut into both the front and back.
Beneath the sheer panels on her sides, visible black briefs anchored the striking silhouette, while several sections of the fabric extended beyond the floor-length hem to form a loose, uneven train. Styling the look alongside Emma Jade Morrison, Gerber completed the outfit with black suede sabot heels from the same Fendi couture line.
Her accessories leaned toward understated luxury, anchored by Jessica McCormack 3-carat diamond and blackened gold gypset hoop earrings and a 5.21-carat emerald-cut diamond button-back ring. She swept her hair into an updo with loose strands framing her face, finishing the appearance with smoky eyes and a glossy neutral lip.
That characterization captures the precise tension of Gerber’s London look, which balanced bold construction with a restrained all-black palette.
A Wardrobe Rooted in the 1990s Minimalist Tradition
Her tour stops have consistently highlighted a deliberate dedication to the little black dress and minimalist eveningwear.
Earlier stops showcased a Hepburn-esque Prada number worn upon arriving at Good Morning America, a slinky Norma Kamali gown with illusion straps in New York, and a Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy-inspired slip dress and shawl combination. She also appeared in a minimalist short-sleeved Calvin Klein maxi dress featuring a low, scooped back.
This preference for classic, pared-back luxury stands in sharp contrast to the trend of actors wearing direct thematic replicas of their on-screen eras. By sticking to silhouettes that evoke her mother’s generation of supermodels rather than literal 1980s television costumes, Gerber has maintained a distinct fashion identity separate from the characters she portrays.
Bringing Bret Easton Ellis’s 1980s Los Angeles to the Screen
Set in 1980s Los Angeles, the story follows a circle of elite, upper-middle-class high school seniors whose seemingly perfect social balance shatters as a serial killer moves closer to their group.
Gerber stars as Susan Reynolds, a childhood friend of the protagonist in a semi-autobiographical version of Ellis’s narrative. The cast also features Homer Gere as Robert Mallory, a mysterious new student who arrives at the exclusive school, setting up a complex web of attraction, complicity, and secrets.
The series will premiere on August 5 on FX and Hulu in the U.S., followed by its release on August 6 on Disney+ in the U.K. As the premiere dates approach, Gerber’s ongoing tour ensures that her off-screen presence remains as heavily scrutinized as the dark, suspenseful world built within the series.
Worth a look
