--- description: Why Sydney Sweeney's dress at the Met gala pays homage to Hollywood star Kim Novak. title: Why Sydney Sweeney Paid Homage to Kim Novak at the 2025 Met Gala image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd1fa69fc6b1e435a/6998c66025f3ee87586449dc/Met-Gala-2025-Sydney-Sweeney.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Met Gala](/tag/met-gala/) ## Met Gala Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Why Sydney Sweeney Paid Homage to Kim Novak at the 2025 Met Gala ## Video: The Best and Most Outrageous Fashion Moments of the 2025 Met Gala [Watch (HLS stream): The Best and Most Outrageous Fashion Moments of the 2025 Met Gala](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/61xPpHR2.m3u8) (2:48)  _Published 2025-05-06. The Best and Most Outrageous Fashion Moments of the 2025 Met Gala._  by [Olivia B. Waxman](/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer May 5, 2025 11:33 PM CUT  Sydney Sweeney at The 2025 Met Gala Celebrating "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" in New York City on May 05, 2025. Sydney Sweeney at The 2025 Met Gala Celebrating "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" in New York City on May 05, 2025.Michael Buckner—Penske Media/Getty Images  by [Olivia B. Waxman](/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer May 5, 2025 11:33 PM CUT Actor [Sydney Sweeney](https://time.com/collection/time100-next-2022/6213734/sydney-sweeney/ "undefined") arrived at the[ 2025 Met gala](https://time.com/7282574/met-gala-red-carpet-2025/ "undefined") Monday evening in a black sparkly Miu Miu gown that pays homage to _Vertigo_ star Kim Novak. Sweeney’s gown is reminiscent of a memorable gown with a similar circular neckline and brooch that Novak wore in Robert Aldrich's 1967 film _The Legend of Lylah Clare._ Back then, Novak was riffing on the sparkly dress and brooch that [Joan Crawford](https://time.com/4230871/joan-crawford-advice/ "undefined") had worn in _The Bride Wore Red_ (1937)_._  A Dec. 7, 1967, photo of Novak in the film The Legend of Lylah Clare/ Bettmann Archive Sweeney teased what was to come by posting that photo of Novak to her Instagram stories. She is set to play Novak in the upcoming drama _Scandalous_, the directorial debut of Met gala co-chair [Colman Domingo](https://time.com/7210621/actor-colman-domingo-radical-love/ "undefined") about the Jim Crow-era affair between Novak and singer [Sammy Davis Jr.](https://time.com/4127464/sammy-davis-jr/ "undefined") in the 1950s. This year’s Met gala celebrates the opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2025 costume exhibit on [Black dandyism](https://time.com/7281626/met-gala-2025-theme-black-dandy-history/ "undefined"), and _Essence_ [calls](https://www.essence.com/fashion/black-dandy-figures-essay/ "undefined") Davis “the embodiment of Black dandyism.” Davis and Novak met on _The Steve Allen Show_, where they were appearing as guests. He was so smitten that he showed up to the set of _Vertigo_ and offered to take pictures. According to Laurence Leamer’s recent [book](https://people.com/racism-doomed-kim-novak-and-sammy-davis-jr-relationship-1950s-8357568 "undefined") _Hitchcock’s Blondes_, as Davis shot closeups, Novak asked, “‘Did you ever think of taking off the lens cover?’” As TIME [reported,](https://time.com/vault/issue/1963-02-15/spread/1/ "undefined") 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 terrified that theaters would not show a film starring a white actress dating a Black man. Davis ended up marrying chorus girl [Loray White](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/hollywood-loved-sammy-davis-jr-until-he-dated-white-movie-star-180964395/ "undefined") in 1958, and Novak married actor Richard Johnson in 1965\. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7282938/sydney-sweeney-met-gala-kim-novak/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7282938/sydney-sweeney-met-gala-kim-novak/"},"headline":"Why Sydney Sweeney Paid Homage to Kim Novak at the 2025 Met Gala","datePublished":"2025-05-05T23:33:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-11T00:25:27.822Z","description":"Why Sydney Sweeney's dress at the Met gala pays homage to Hollywood star Kim Novak.","url":"https://time.com/7282938/sydney-sweeney-met-gala-kim-novak/","keywords":["Met Gala","Brief","culturepod"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd1fa69fc6b1e435a/6998c66025f3ee87586449dc/Met-Gala-2025-Sydney-Sweeney.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. 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