Charlize Theron's Sheer Black Tom Ford at the Academy Museum Gala

Charlize Theron has been the Academy Museum Gala's safest bet since the first one, and the 2026 edition in Los Angeles was no different: a sheer black Tom Ford column, lace over the body with bead and crystal embroidery tracing it, Boucheron jewels, hair slicked back. It is the black dress every carpet has, done by the one woman who can make it look like news. Below, why it works and the evening dresses on BranSpot that get you there.

The look

Variety and Just Jared both logged the gown as Tom Ford, sheer black, floor length, with lace and crystal embroidery over the bodice and down the column (Variety, Just Jared). Sheer only works when the embroidery is dense enough to do the covering, and here it is: the beads sit where a corset would, so the dress reads structured even though the fabric is not. Boucheron diamonds, nothing on the wrist, and a minimalist black sandal, which WWD noted was the shoe of the night across the carpet (WWD).

How to wear it

Tom Ford is in our network, and a beaded black column is the easiest red-carpet dress to find in any store: the question is the embroidery, not the colour. Sau Lee's Amal has the dense beading that makes sheer work; Eliza J's halter gown is the same silhouette at a fifth of the price. Keep everything else black and sharp: a plain stiletto pump, one crystal drop earring, and the hair back.

Get the look

• 

  The dressSau LeeSau Lee Amal Beaded Strapless Bodycon Gown$990Black, strapless, beaded end to end. The density of the beading is what makes the Theron dress work, and this has it.Shop the piece
• 

  The columnCult ModaPink Beaded Strapless Mermaid Gown - US 6$585Beaded black strapless with a mermaid hem. Louder than the Tom Ford, same idea, under $600.Shop the piece
• 

  For lessEliza JEliza J Embellished Halter Gown$201Embellished black halter gown at about $200. The silhouette of the look, for the price of a dinner.Shop the piece
• 

  ShoesGucciGucci Slingback Pumps 85mm$593A Gucci slingback pump, plain and black. Nothing on it, because the dress has everything on it.Shop the piece
• 

  JewelleryAlexis BittarAlexis Bittar Asterales Cubic Zirconia Pear Shape Drop Hoop Earrings$71Crystal drops, the one point of light against all that black.Shop the piece

This look is part of our 2026 Academy Museum Gala coverage: Academy Museum Gala 2026: the red carpet looks worth copying. More red-carpet looks on the BranSpot blog.

Prices are what each store listed on the day of publication and will change. We earn a commission when you buy through our links; it does not change what we pick.