Tessa Thompson in Balenciaga at the 2025 Franca Fund Gala: IN or OUT?

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Hedda star Tessa Thompson came to the Franca Fund Gala in Doha and we really wish celebrities and the fashion industry would do their best to avoid lending their star power to countries with a long history of human rights violation, but we can’t even get them to line their dresses or zhuzh their hair when they need to, so we don’t expect them to listen to us on these matters. Anyway, here she is, all sparkly and pretty like her hosts wanted:

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We’re going to put it up to a vote, but we realize we’ve probably stacked the deck against her with that opening paragraph. Still, this is a discussable sort of look. The dress is very pretty. Sure, it’s shaped like a sparkly bath towel, but that’s not necessarily a deal breaker. We hate the gloves and the shoes. Personally, we’d have advised her to lean into the bathy undertones, ditch the gloves, get her in a pair of naked sandals and a turban, but again, we don’t expect the stars to listen to our rantings. Perhaps she’ll listen to yours?

Tessa Thompson’s Sparkly Bath Ensemble:

IN or OUT?

Style Credits:
Balenciaga Sequin Dress, Gloves and Shoes
Styled by Karla Welch

[Photo Credit: Taylor Hill/Getty Images]

• Balenciaga
• Franca Fund Gala
• Galas
• In or Out
• Karla Welch
• Red Carpet
• Tessa Thompson