Lily Gladstone has developed a red carpet identity that combines contemporary luxury fashion with meaningful Indigenous artistry. After years of acclaimed acting work, her international profile soared with Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon in 2023. The film brought a demanding awards season, but it also gave Gladstone a much larger platform for fashion. Rather than treating clothing simply as decoration, she frequently used that visibility to highlight Indigenous designers and craftspeople. The result was a wardrobe that could be glamorous, understated or experimental while still carrying a strong sense of identity.
At the Cannes premiere of Killers of the Flower Moon, Gladstone appeared in a floral Valentino couture gown paired with earrings by Blackfeet and Cree artist Jamie Okuma. Later that year, she attended the Time100 Next event wearing a burgundy dress by Indigenous label Burning Wagon Designs with a Hermès trench. These appearances established an approach that would become increasingly recognizable, combining major international fashion houses with Indigenous design and jewelry.
Awards season gave Gladstone even more opportunities to develop that visual language. At the 2024 Golden Globes, where she became the first Indigenous performer to win best female actor in a motion picture drama, she wore a white Valentino gown beneath a dramatic black cape. Her acceptance speech, which opened in the Blackfeet language, made the evening particularly significant. At the Governors Awards, she chose an elegant black look accented by a large metallic floral brooch.
For the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Gladstone shifted toward vivid color in a red Armani Privé gown with flowing fringe. She won the award for female actor in a leading role for Killers of the Flower Moon that evening. At the Academy Awards, her midnight blue Gucci gown carried another important collaboration. The dress incorporated intricate quillwork created with Indigenous artist Joe Big Mountain of Ironhorse Quillwork, bringing a traditional decorative practice onto one of entertainment’s most visible carpets.
Gladstone continued experimenting when she returned to Cannes as a competition jury member in 2024. Her wardrobe included a mustard Balenciaga dress, an elegant Giorgio Armani creation and a Prada gown for the closing ceremony. Jewelry provided additional drama, including an emerald and white gold necklace that complemented her formal styling.
Even away from the largest ceremonies, Gladstone has continued to explore clothing with character. While promoting Fancy Dance, she appeared in an upcycled vintage black design from House of Dumont, demonstrating that memorable dressing does not always require something newly made.
Gladstone’s fashion stands out because representation and luxury are not treated as competing ideas. By creating space for Indigenous craftsmanship alongside established fashion houses, she has turned red carpet dressing into something more personal, giving every detail the opportunity to tell a larger story.
