Emma Watson hit the 2026 LACMA Gala on Saturday night in Los Angeles in a Caroline Zimbalist dress that was a true work of art.
The “Little Women” alum‘s gown featured a base fabric of red silk with a hand-poured biomaterial over top to create a textural overlay. The biomaterial was created through a process of heating and mixing a biopolymer-based formulation, with a mixture incorporating vegetable glycerin, a plant-derived plasticizer that creates flexibility and softness to the final material.
The biomaterial, which Zimbalist regularly works with in her own artwork, was poured directly onto the silk, bonding to the fabric with natural fibers to create a textile with a retained drape on the silk and creating even more dimensionality to the surface. The final look was a fitted, dark bodice with a vibrant red skirt. Watson was styled by Jared Ellner.
“Creating this dress for Emma was an exploration of power and femininity, but also of impermanence,” Zimbalist said in a statement. “I see it as a fleeting moment in time, somewhere between fashion, sculpture and performance art. There’s something beautiful about creating a piece that exists for this particular moment, coming to life through Emma, her movement and the way she carries it.”
Zimbalist is a graduate of the Parsons School of Design and was included in the 2025 edition of Forbes 30 Under 30. The artist, who also works in illustration and object design, founded her eponymous fashion label in 2023.
Prior to starting her own fashion line, Zimbalist collaborated with the likes of such designers as Jane Wade, Elena Velez and Sam Miro Vintage, among others.
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