Look of the week: Hunter Schafer’s gorgeous Oscars after-party look

The three words that best describe Hunter Schafer’s Vanity Fair Oscars party look? Less is more.

But more than just a headline-grabbing moment, Schafer’s ensemble was clearly considered. Fresh off the Fall-Winter 2023 runway, the look debuted earlier this month at fashion house Ann Demeulemeester’s show in Paris. It was designed by Ludovic de Saint Sernin, who has been the label’s creative director since December.

For his first Ann Demeulemeester collection, De Saint Sernin was inspired by “making fashion as an authentic act of self-involvement”. It was a love letter – almost literal – to the Belgian label’s founder, with images of “authorship and autobiography” burned into the clothes (Sernin called his quill bandeau “quill pens” in the show notes).

These ideas of self-expression, self-love, and self-definition took on new meaning when carried by Schafer. As a trans woman whose rise to fame was inseparable from her gender identity — her big break was playing trans teen Jules on the HBO series Euphoria — Schafer’s body is under constant scrutiny online. The comment sections of her Instagram posts often end up in open forums where users feel entitled (and seemingly compelled) to ask intimate questions about the trans experience or to challenge Schafer’s femininity.

Fittingly, there’s a long line of anti-gender sentiments sewn into Schafer’s outfit. Founded in 1985 by Ann Demeulemeester and her husband Patrick Robyn, the brand has a long heritage of gender-biased fashion.

Schafer’s outfit debuted on the Paris runway earlier this month. Credit: Kristy Sparow/Getty Images

In his latest co-ed collection, De Saint Sernin — known in the industry for his eponymous gender-neutral label — brought his androgynous worldview to Ann Demeulemeester, with fitted, romantic menswear silhouettes and sensual fabrics for everyone (think skin-tight Mesh tops, leather and open shirts made from a translucent organza material).

Strapping a feather across her chest, Schafer let us know she’s still writing her narrative — and defining herself on her own terms. There is a whole story behind these two pieces of clothing. As De Saint Sernin said in the show notes, “Thirty-six looks, each a heartfelt sentence.”