What is Vogue World? Great question! Basically Anna Wintour decided she needed another huge event on the other side of the calendar from the Met Gala to remind everyone that Vogue exists, and it’s essentially a big spectacle of a runway show and some assorted folderol bundled together as a fundraiser. It’s previously been hosted in New York, London, and Paris, and Sunday night’s event was in Los Angeles. (The photos were apparently embargo’ed as a Vogue exclusive for a while, hence why our coverage of the runway will be published on Tuesday, rather than today. If I missed any notable attendees, I promise I will grab them tomorrow as well! I know there are a few folks whose snaps just hadn’t landed before I needed to go to bed.) Vogue World has not taken off with the same zip of the Met Gala for a lot of reasons; first being that the Met Gala is massive and historic and nothing is that big, but also because Vogue World is sort of an… amorphous, confusing event and the Met is a giant museum gala, which is easy to explain. (On Amy Odell’s Back Row newsletter a few weeks ago, she asked if people were going to pay any attention to the event; 55% of her readers — who are very interested in fashion — said no, and 32% answered, “What is Vogue World?” Only 5% of readers said yes!)
Anyway, here’s what actual Vogue said about this year’s extravaganza:
… October 26, Vogue World will return Stateside, this time taking place in sunny Los Angeles. Vogue World: Hollywood will celebrate the rich conversation between film and fashion, centering the most inspiring characters in cinema history. Count on high style, high drama, and even more special performances.
Vogue World has uplifted local communities since its inception, to date donating more than $3 million. For Vogue World: Hollywood, 100% of ticket proceeds will go to the Entertainment Community Fund, with a focus on supporting costume community professionals impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires. Vogue will work with the Costume Designers Guild and E.C.F. to identify those most directly affected.
…“Vogue World: Hollywood will be a one-night-only show with a huge cast of models and actors, setting great film costumes next to brilliant fashion collections,” Vogue global editorial director and Condé Nast chief content officer Anna Wintour shared at a March 2025 press conference. “By mixing fashion and the arts and culture in the center of a city, and by raising money for a cause, Vogue World has become a runway show-as-rallying cry—a way to fix the attention of a huge global audience, to bring awareness, and sound an unmistakable note of positivity, creativity, and hope.”
Those are great causes! As a person who knows many people affected by the fires, we appreciate that people remember our city recently burned to the ground. I also appreciate that this event has tied into some (minor) discussion about how much filming has moved away from Los Angeles, which is a massive economic problem for the city that needs to be resolved. And I’m sure an event of this size has employed a lot of people who are happy for the paycheck! But am I crazy or is $3 million total kinda low for three events given how EXTREMELY HIGH END these events are? That’s a million dollars raised per event; the 2025 Met Gala — which, again, is the upper upper upper upper end and one of the most successful fundraising events in the world, if not the – raised $31 million for the museum this year alone. I am pretty uninformed about the world of high-level fundraising; am I wrong in thinking that an event THIS splashy (and probably extremely expensive) should raise more? One of you knows the answer! Please weigh in.
I do know the answer to the question, “what did people wear to this?” But I don’t know the answer to my other burning query: Are some of these celebs, most (if not all) of whom were not walking the runway… in costume? Or are they just… being… thematic? I literally do not know!! Also, it’s almost Halloween so maybe people just feel costume-y? Mysterious! This entire thing feels very over the top! (With the caveat that it does look really fun.)
PS: A LOT of people at this event were once on the CW.
