Kaia Gerber's Scarlet Statement at Vanity Fair Oscar Celebration
Vogue model Kaia Gerber made a striking entrance at the Vanity Fair Oscar party on Sunday evening, captivating onlookers in a stunning skintight scarlet red dress featuring a dramatic front slit. The 24-year-old daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford arrived at the Beverly Hills event with her friend, actor Cory Michael Smith, posing confidently on the white carpet amidst the glitz and glamour of Hollywood's biggest night.
Avoiding Awkward Encounters with Former Flames
Gerber's attendance at the Vanity Fair party strategically placed her miles away from her ex-boyfriend, Elvis actor Austin Butler, who instead attended Beyoncé and Jay-Z's exclusive Oscar bash. This separation prevented what could have been an uncomfortable reunion between the former couple, whose high-profile romance spanned from 2021 until their recent 2025 breakup.
Meanwhile, Gerber's other former partner, Australian actor Jacob Elordi, attended the 98th Academy Awards ceremony with a particularly sweet date—his mother, Melissa. Elordi, nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the horror film Frankenstein, also made an appearance at the Vanity Fair Oscar party later that evening, where he was spotted conversing with Gerber's close friend Kendall Jenner.
New Romance and Family Connections
Gerber departed the star-studded event with her beau of one year, actor Lewis Pullman, who happens to be the son of veteran actor Bill Pullman. Earlier in the evening, the father-son duo had presented an award together during the main Oscar ceremony at the Dolby Theatre, adding a family dimension to the night's festivities.
The model's romantic history includes several notable relationships beyond Butler and Elordi. She previously dated Saturday Night Live alum Pete Davidson in 2019, whose ex-girlfriend Kim Kardashian was also present at the Vanity Fair celebration, creating additional layers of interconnected Hollywood relationships throughout the evening.
Empowerment Through Artistic Upbringing
This glamorous appearance comes just one month after Gerber opened up about finding empowerment through her mother's artistic nude photo shoots. In an interview with Harper's Bazaar magazine, the model-and-actress revealed that growing up in a home where Crawford's nude portraits were openly displayed helped shape her positive body image.
"They were, to me, artistic. It wasn't vulgar; it wasn't objectification," Gerber explained. "[It was a] gift to grow up in a house that was without shame for the female body."
Gerber described her mother's parenting approach as selectively honest—Crawford typically offers advice only when asked, but delivers it with straightforward candor when consulted. "She doesn't give out advice unless you ask," Kaia noted. "But if you ask, get ready, because she'll be very honest in ways that, sometimes, it's hard to hear. She's usually right, which is infuriating."
From Child Model to Confident Adult
The Palm Royale actress began her modeling career remarkably early, selected for Versace's first childrenswear campaign at just ten years old. She recalled the confusing experience of having adults look to her for decisions she felt unprepared to make at such a young age.
"I had all these adults, not only my parents, looking at me and being like, 'What should we all do now?'" Gerber remembered. "I was still so young. I was masking as an adult. Now that I'm more secure in my adulthood, I'm willing to show up messy and be kind of childish about certain things."
As her runway career flourished, Gerber developed a philosophical approach to modeling, viewing herself as "a vessel" and "a canvas or mirror for people to reflect their own ideas onto." She finds particular balance through her acting work, especially in theatre productions, which she appreciates for their ephemeral nature compared to the permanent digital record of her modeling career.
"I love theatre because it is immortalized in people's memories but not immortalized in … media," she explained. "So much of what I've done—every photo—is immortalized on the internet. It gets taken from me."
