Sydney Sweeney honors upcoming film with Kim Novak look at 2025 Met Gala

Sydney Sweeney went method for the 2025 Met Gala.

The actress wore a sparkling black Miu Miu gown with an asymmetric boob cutout that she told interviewers was intended to evoke a similar dress worn by Kim Novak, who Sweeney is preparing to play in a film.

Sweeney’s dress is a take on a gown that Novak wore in 1967’s The Legend of Lylah Clare. Sweeney shared an image of Novak in the dress to her Instagram stories moments before taking to the Met Gala carpet.

While Novak’s dress appears to consist of two parts, a dress and a capelet, Sweeney’s looks to be entirely one piece. Novak was one of the biggest screen sirens of the late 1950s, best known for her starring role in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo.

The look was also an homage to Met Gala co-chair Colman Domingo, who is attached to make his feature directorial debut with Scandalous, a film about the 1957 love affair between Novak and Sammy Davis. Jr. The couple faced heavy scrutiny from the press, as well as threats from studio executives.

Sweeney is set to star as Novak, as well as produce the film. David Jonsson (Industry) will portray the iconic Rat Pack member.

The dress has even deeper roots in Hollywood history. Joan Crawford wore the gown three decades prior to Novak, debuting the sparkly number in 1937’s The Bride Wore Red. The film, directed by Dorothy Arzner, is considered a pioneering moment in feminist film history.

Recently, the team behind Scandalous announced plans to attend the Cannes Film Festival later this month to shop the film to the international market.

Production has yet to begin, and there is currently no projected release date.