Rebecca Hall turns heads in optical illusion naked dress at Academy Museum Gala 2025
Rebecca Hall nearly had us fooled.
The actress and director, 43, stepped out at Saturday’s Academy Museum Gala in a Thom Browne Spring 2026 masterpiece that had attendees doing a double take.
The look featured a sheer tulle bodysuit overlayed with a trompe-l’oeil rendering of an unclothed female form, creating the illusion that Hall had simply painted her torso and stepped out for the night.
The faux-body paint — created with strips of grey cotton seersucker and wool suiting fabric sewn together using an intarsia technique — was a particularly fitting choice given that Hall is also an accomplished painter.
While the anatomical bodysuit was shown on the runway with a gray pleated skirt and knee-socks, Hall’s stylist Bailey Moon swapped it for a sleek floor-length navy pencil skirt that grounded the avant-garde piece for the red carpet.
The British star accessorized the look with jewelry by David Webb and Briony Raymond, along with low-heeled strappy sandals.
She kept her hairstyle and makeup minimal, opting for a low bun with loose, face-framing waves and a soft smoky eye for the $12 million fundraiser honoring Bruce Springsteen, Penélope Cruz, Walter Salles, and Bowen Yang.
The British actress held her own on a red carpet that included Kim Kardashian’s polarizing Maison Margiela face-covering ensemble, Hailey Bieber in Schiaparelli Couture and Selena Gomez in custom Armani Privé alongside husband Benny Blanco.
Hall’s bodysuit was part of Browne’s extraterrestrial-themed “We Come in Peace” collection, which debuted during Paris Fashion Week earlier this month and featured models dressed as glittering aliens.
The look nodded to Browne’s signature deconstructed tailoring while pushing boundaries — fitting for an actress known for choosing thought-provoking projects both on screen and on the red carpet.
The designer has long been known for his optical illusions, from his viral wetsuit-that-looks-like-a-suit to Janelle Monáe’s trompe-l’oeil suit cape at this year’s Met Gala.
