The Gotham Awards, which kicked off the 2025-2026 awards season on Monday, set the stage for what is sure to be a captivating year of cinematic celebrations. With a lineup that celebrated both indie darlings and A-list heavyweights, the event was brimming with dazzling fashion, notable wins, and, of course, red carpet moments that left us all in awe.
For the evening, marie claire’s December cover star Rose Byrne turned heads in a custom Louis Vuitton gown.
The fitted bodice, meticulously hand-embroidered with vertical black sequins, sculpted an effortlessly sleek and structured silhouette that contrasted beautifully with the ethereal fluidity of the skirt.
The A-line shape of the gown was formed by gathered layers of silk tulle, with the inner layer in a softer hue to add sculptural depth. Raw-edge finishes on the frills lent an airy quality, enhancing the gown’s breathtaking movement.
The embroidery itself was a labor of love: 50,000 black “cuvette” sequins, each a mere 5mm in diameter, were hand-crocheted by five artisans over the course of 180 hours.
The sequins, arranged in a “rivière” style, allowed for a seamless flow that was both eye-catching and fluid. A total of 25 meters of silk tulle were used to create the gown’s delicate layers, with the overall design taking 300 hours of painstaking work.
At the awards, Guillermo del Toro was honored with the Vanguard Tribute for Frankenstein, a film that celebrates the human-driven artistry of cinema. It Was Just an Accident by Jafar Panahi emerged as the evening’s big winner, sweeping the awards.
Akinola Davies Jr. took home the coveted Breakthrough Director award for My Father’s Shadow, while Tessa Thompson was recognised with the Spotlight Tribute.
Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman were honoured with the inaugural Musical Tribute, and One Battle After Another won Best Feature, with Paul Thomas Anderson accepting the award and dedicating it to his wife, Maya Rudolph, on their anniversary.
Meanwhile, Rose Byrne’s performance as Linda in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You was a standout of the evening, earning her recognition in the Leading Performance category. In this unflinchingly raw role, Byrne portrays a mother desperate to maintain control as she cares for a child with a mysterious illness.
Add a dysfunctional marriage, a sinkhole in their New York apartment, and a tense feeding schedule at a Montauk hotel, and you have a narrative that is both absurd and heartbreaking.
Byrne, at 46, delivers a performance that is both harrowing and beautifully controlled—an elastic band stretched to its breaking point before finally snapping. It is a career-defining moment, an immense feat of emotional restraint, and one of her most compelling performances to date.
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You earned four nominations at the Gothams in total, including Best Film, Best Director (Mary Bronstein), and Best Screenplay, making it one of the night’s most talked-about films.
Though it didn’t win any awards, its nominations were a testament to the film’s profound impact and a clear indication of Byrne’s raw talent and range.
