Who is Kim Novak? Sydney Sweeney pays homage to former actress at 2025 Met Gala in a custom Miu Miu dress

Sydney Sweeney paid homage to Kim Novak at this year's Met Gala.

The Euphoria actress showed up to the red carpet on Monday evening clad in a black sparkly Miu Miu gown that paid tribute to Vertigo star Kim Novak. The gown had the same neck cut-out and brooch that Novak sported in Robert Aldrich's 1967 film The Legend of Lylah Clare.

Born Marilyn Pauline "Kim" Novak, she is a retired actress and painter. Her career has been honored with two Golden Globe Awards, an Honorary Golden Bear, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is most known for her work in Picnic, The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), and Pal Joey (1957).

However, she only rose to fame in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller Vertigo (1958), which is widely regarded as one of the greatest films to have ever been made. Kim Novak eventually retired in 1991 after she had a bad experience while filming Liebestraum (1991).

Sydney Sweeney's forthcoming ventures explored as she opts for method dressing at this year's Met Gala

Sydney Sweeney was seemingly method dressing, and she later took to Instagram to tease fans about what to expect by sharing photos of Novak in the iconic black sequined gown, featuring a modest train, short sleeves, and fringe detailing on one side.

The actress was styled by her longtime collaborator Molly Dickson, and her hair was pulled back in a slick updo while she opted for light curls to frame her face and dramatic eye makeup. Her accessories were minimal, save for several rings on the fingers.

Sydney Sweeney is now slated to portray Novak in the forthcoming film, Scandalous, which marks Colman Domingo’s directorial debut. It chronicles the infamous 1957 romantic affair between Kim Novak and Rat Pack singer Sammy Davis Jr. At the time, their interracial romance copped flak and threats from several studio executives.

TIME Magazine had reported in 1963 that Harry Cohn, the head of Columbia Pictures, “broke up the romance of Sammy Davis Jr. and Kim Novak by having a thug threaten to work Sammy over.” Cohn was reportedly concerned that theaters would not show films starring a white actress in a relationship with a Black man.

Domingo served as this year's co-chair at the Met Gala, alongside Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, and Anna Wintour. He showed up at the event around the same time as his muse, Sydney Sweeney, clad in a Valentino ensemble inspired by the late journalist André Leon Talley.

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This year's event touched on the theme “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” It celebrated the opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2025 costume exhibit on Black dandyism.

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