“She loves things to be purposeful and intentional,” says her stylist Brad Goreski, elated to be on Moore’s transformative awards-season trajectory with his client of nearly 15 years. “I’ve known her since I started my career as an assistant [to stylist and early-Bravo star Rachel Zoe]. I was her key person when I worked there.” For a packed schedule of ceremonies and press junkets, Goreski has traveled nonstop alongside Moore and her adored Chihuahua, Pilaf, who’s become a celebrity in her own right. “I’m stylist slash content creator slash crew director slash Pilaf babysitter,” jokes Goreski, who also single-handedly films the actor’s social media edits, and soundtracks her viral getting-ready Instagram Reels. He confirms that their glam sessions are, indeed, “a dance party” as Moore has declared. “There’s disco playing. We’re ordering room service. I’m showing her the jewels—the bigger, the better,” says Goreski, with a laugh. Ahead of The Substance Cannes premiere, the duo also playfully conspired to pepper Moore’s red-carpet looks with clever, thematic Easter eggs—foreshadowing her near-sweeping awards-season run up to the Oscars. Cannes Film Festival, May 17 - 19, 2024 Initially, Moore’s festival focus was presiding as “godmother” of the star-studded Trophée Chopard gala ceremony; The Substance—in which she blew audiences and critics away as disregarded ’80s actress Elisabeth Sparkle—just happened to be in competition. But when anticipation intensified for director Coralie Fargeat’s rageful, gruesome treatise on aging and body image, Moore and Goreski decided to subliminally create buzz of their own. “She said, ‘If we’re going to Cannes, I would really like for things to have a meaning, whether it’s obvious or not,’” says Goreski. (Moore’s last jaunt to Cannes was nearly 30 years ago—in 1997—in support of then husband Bruce Willis’s The Fifth Element.) In retrospect, her first appearance on La Croisette at the Kinds of Kindness premiere revealed a pretty overt teaser for what would unspool onscreen two days later. “I’d been dying to get her into Armani Privé, because the silhouettes and the quality of the craftsmanship make sense,” says Goreski. “When I got that gown, I was like, ‘Oh, this is the blood. You showing up in bright red is just starting off your moment with this movie and the blood and the gore. She’s like, ‘Oh, this is great. I love it.’” For the Chopard fête, Moore’s avant-garde blue-green Balenciaga fall 2024 column gown nods to Elisabeth’s conflict with her “younger, better” self, Sue (Margaret Qualley)—birthed from her spine after injecting herself with the mysterious Substance. “We’ve been working with opposition of shapes,” explains Goreski, interpreting the movie’s messaging. “We introduced the elements being a little off, like that exaggerated point in the hip.” Moore’s Chopard Haute Joaillerie Collection 18k white gold necklace—stacked with 70.40 carats of coordinating blue Paraíba tourmaline and 43.38 carats of diamonds—completed the jaw-dropping look. At The Substance premiere, Moore beamed in a champagne Daniel Rosenberg for Schiaparelli mermaid gown—with a neckline flourish culminating in a razor-sharp vertex. “That blade that was across her body really symbolized the points, the needle, the cutting, all the stuff that happens in the movie,” says Goreski, “but still focusing on that beautiful silhouette and a classic shape of some sort of twist. Those were our big red-carpet moments that laid the foundation for where we wanted to go.” Golden Globes, January 5, 2025 Moore last graced the Golden Globes—the official commencement of awards season—as a nominee in 1997 for the limited television series If These Walls Could Talk. (She also received a nod in 1990 for her role in Ghost.) “I want her to get on the carpet and just be like a full movie star,” says Goreski, about her triumphant return. “I want her to walk on the carpet, and people will be like, ‘Oh my god. This is what we want from Demi Moore.” The resplendent Armani Privè gold gown, with its swooping asymmetrical neckline and brilliant shimmer, helped amplify her rousing acceptance speech—and contained more metaphors. “The whole movie is about respecting the balance, and the dress, with the uneven bodice, was basically split in half. The balance isn’t respected,” explains Goreski, referring to the foreboding warning in the movie. “One side is Sue and one side is Elisabeth, but they somehow come together in this magical [dress]. It’s like Elisabeth Sparkle trying to burst through the middle of the gown.” Critics Choice Awards, February 7, 2025 Next, Moore nabbed another best-actress trophy—stunning in a navy blue Schiaparelli dress with a contoured waistline and sculpted hips leading into an unraveling ribbon effect. “It was just really important to [go from a] flowy, liquid, golden moment to something that was very structured and with a very strong silhouette,” says Goreski. “We’ve also been trying to mix hard and soft. So the hard structure of the corset mixed with the flowing ribbon.” The laced-up grommet detail up the back evokes a memorable, shocking scene, as an unconscious Elisabeth lies naked on the bathroom floor with crude, bloody stitches up her back. “Obviously, there was that very purposeful nod to the spine shot in the movie,” says Goreski. The less-formal ceremony also offered the opportunity to be “a little bit edgier and unexpected,” he continues. “We’re just trying to keep it fresh and fun for us—and keep people not knowing what we’re gonna do next.” Directors Guild Awards, February 8, 2025 “Dior expressed interest in dressing Demi,” says Goreski, who happily dove into the French house’s archives. “I wanted to pick something that had purpose and fit into our story.” He landed on an otherworldly blue haute couture gown from spring 2018, covered in hauntingly radiant eyes that reflect an alarming side effect of the Substance: multiple pupils. “When Demi saw it, she was like, ‘This is extraordinary,’” says Goreski, excited for such an ethereal left turn from the precisely molded Schiaparelli, and for the eerie synergy. “Each individual eyeball—with the beading and the velvet iris—every single eyeball, hand-stitched together, was just magical in person.” EE BAFTA Film Awards, February 16, 2025 Each of Moore’s awards-season looks involved upwards of four fittings and international flights. “Whenever we’re in London or Paris, I would make appointments with designers, have toile [test] fittings or go into showrooms,” says the very time-efficient stylist. “Demi loves being a part of the process.” Discussions for Moore’s spectacular Alexander McQueen custom gown began in December. Creative director Seán McGirr envisioned a motif of glass beads and crystals inspired by stained-glass windows of medieval churches. Goreski compares the shattered-glass-like pattern to Elisabeth’s “fragmented character.” The “beautiful mosaic” also reminded him of anatomy books in high school biology class—conjuring images of the cobbled-together body parts comprising Monstro Elisasue in the film’s final act. The toile process of the elaborately beaded gown, which weighed in at a surprisingly light 5 kilos (roughly 11 pounds), proved an engineering feat too. The McQueen team first perfected the pattern on paper dolls, and then presented a life-size patterned overlay placed on top of the toile for Moore to fit. “They just brought the full fantasy to life,” says Goreski. Independent Spirit Awards, February 22, 2025 To celebrate indie film, Moore delightfully changed course, again, in an on-point Thom Browne blazer, corset, and skirt set. The designer’s signature red, white, and blue striping peeks out from under an alluring layer of sheer organza, and the corset’s lace-up back subtly winks toward The Substance. “But it was just more a love of the look, and it felt special and different than anything that we had done,” says Goreski. “The perfect mix between sexy and elegant and still fashion.” He clarifies that Moore’s black leather bag is actually a rabbit, and not a dog, as an ode to Pilaf. Rather, the Team Moore mascot enjoyed her own scene-stealing couture moment. “When we were doing the final refit, Demi mentioned that she was bringing Pilaf, and she was like, ‘How can we get Pilaf in on the mix?’” says Goreski excitedly. “I was like, ‘Oh, let’s make a custom little Thom Browne tab for her—a little bow on the back of her fleece.’ Our tailor, Rose, who Demi and I have been working with for 15 years, made that for Pilaf. It kind of broke the internet.” Screen Actors Guild Awards, February 23, 2025 “We’ve been trying to work with different materials and with people who want to make wearable works of art for Demi,” says Goreski, himself a fan (and frequent buyer) of Bottega Veneta under former creative director Matthieu Blazy. The Italian house actually made two versions of the architectural dress that Moore wore to accept another best-actress honor. “They made a black leather first, and the skirt was loosely connected, so we could manipulate where we wanted it on her body,” says Goreski, who, with Moore, also deliberated over a blood-referential red. But they decided to go back to black, which points to Sue’s pivotal leather catsuit that marks a turn in her agreement with Elisabeth. “And I really just wanted to throw people a little bit of a curveball,” says Goreski. “Like, ‘Yeah, we’re gonna do very intricately sewn Bottega leather with 27 yards of fabric pleated into a drop-waist peplum for no reason. Just because we can. It would be a nice reset, so that we weren’t tipping our hat to what we would be doing at the Oscars.” The Oscars, March 2, 2025 As the grand finale, Moore’s dazzling Oscar night Armani Privé gown brings meaningful aspects of the season full circle. “Demi started with Armani in Cannes,” says Goreski, who also accented the deep-plunge custom-designed confection with awe-inspiring Chopard jewels. The bow-like, structured pleat at the waistline continues the duo’s consistent mix of “architectural with softer elements” theme. “Making sure there's an unexpected twist, but that Demi is always shining through,” says Goreski, while cataloging some breathtaking stats. “It is embroidered with 70,000 crystals and 150,000 paillettes. It took 32 hours for the artwork, 1670 hours for the embroidery, and 18 people to make the embroidery.” The blindingly lustrous effect recalls the final scene of The Substance, with Elisabeth’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame gazing upward. “She's finally at peace,” says Goreski. “So this also reflects that starry night sky, because when I tell you that it's a shimmering dress. It's very bright. It shimmers.” “I've always envisioned this last moment as the play on Elisabeth Sparkle, and having [Moore] sparkle at her most vibrant before this all wraps up,” he continues. “So we're calling this ‘Elisabeth's Final Sparkle.’” This year, in conjunction with our Oscar-week events, Vanity Fair is supporting the efforts of two local organizations helping Angelenos: the Motion Picture & Television Fund and Baby2Baby. We encourage you to donate to these or other charities supporting the city and families.