ALL EYES ARE ON CYNTHIA

Cynthia Erivo leads the starry arrivals as A-listers turn out for one of Los Angeles's hottest events

- JACK MALVERN H

Cynthia Erivo knew that all eyes would be on her as she made a late entrance to the Lacma Art + Film Gala, one of the anchors of Hollywood’s cultural calendar.

This time, she had the outfit to stare back: dozens of pearl and crystal eyes were embroidered on her Schiaparelli dress, fresh from the haute couture house's autumn collection.

The British actress, whose accomplishments include Academy Award nominations for her leading roles in Harriet and Wicked, said that her dress was “very Salvador Dali” as she posed for photographers outside the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

The strapless dress, with wings and a grey tulle cape, might have been floor-length if Cynthia hadn't been wearing ultrahigh Christian Louboutin heels.

She has previously revelled in the bold impracticality of Schiaparelli, noting that the black corseted dress she wore for the London premiere of Wicked in 2024 was so wide that she had to turn sideways to go through doorways. “But that’s kind of the magic of it,” she said. “If there’s not a drama trying to get in and out of places in an outfit, what are you really doing?”

Cynthia was part of a parade of celebrities who glittered in jewels and sequins as they posed in front of 202 lampposts reclaimed from American cities and installed outside the museum in 2008.