Many an A-lister walked the Met Gala 2026 red carpet on Monday night, but few had the poise and grace of Julianne Moore. The actress, radiant at 65 years old, was accompanied by her long-time friend and collaborator, designer Tom Ford, at the event. She wore a custom Bottega Veneta silk crepe dress and silk organza stole.
A muse of Ford’s since they met in the late ’90s, Moore has regularly worn his designs to red carpets events; she also starred in his first feature film, A Single Man. Moore’s regularly spoken about her friendship with the designer, most recently during a 2019 Forces of Fashion talk with Vogue: “Of all the people I know and have worked with, I get asked more about Tom than anyone else. He’s someone who has accomplished so much. People look up to him and ask, ‘Who is this guy, what’s the mystery of Tom Ford?’ He’s much more human, normal, and approachable than you’d imagine. Tom is direct. He gives you the information. You say, ‘Tom, I don’t know what to wear,’ and he says, ‘You have to wear this. The armhole is too big. The collar would look better here,’” Moore said.
Clad in a black, figure-hugging dress with a mermaid train, Moore gave the otherwise simple silhouette a sultry twist by letting the shoulder strap fall demurely, revealing its contrasting white lining—and evoking John Singer Sargent‘s Portrait of Madame X. Fluttering feather sleeves and hefty diamond earrings brought the requisite drama to fashion’s splashiest night, which had “Fashion is Art” as this year’s dress code.
Moore went for a striking red lip to contrast her complexion, but kept the rest of her glam pared-back—less is more being her mantra for looking elegant and alluring at any age.
But perhaps the biggest secret to the actress’s incredible looks at her age is what Tom Ford himself defined a couple of years ago as success: “Success is about being satisfied with yourself. It’s feeling like you’ve done good in the world,” he said. “It's choosing who you want to be and how you want to relate to others. If you’re happy and satisfied with what you do, you can’t compare it to anything material,” he continued. And judging by Moore’s glowing presence on the carpet, there’s no doubt she’s achieved that.
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