Katie Holmes’ surprise 2024 CFDA Awards dress is a far cry from her usual street style

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Katie Holmes walks the CFDA Awards red carpet in a Carolina Herrera gown with a colorblock neckline. — Photo: Getty Images

Katie Holmes’s dress for the 2024 CFDA Awards was almost as unexpected and anticipated as her appearance on the white carpet at the Natural History Museum.

My years of coverage Katie HolmesHer dresses taught me that her infrequent red carpet appearances are almost always accompanied by something elegant and black. There’s no LBD option she and stylist Bree Welch haven’t tried. This year she visited American Ballet Theater Gala in a beaded black caftan. Emilio Pucci appeared to her Our city Broadway premiere in a silky satin number. But on October 28, Holmes decided that her red carpet pattern should be broken up in honor of New York’s top design talent.

She arrived on the arm of Carolina Herrera designer Wes Gordon, resplendent in a stunning long-sleeved evening gown. The colors immediately caught my eye: peony pink paired with bright red-orange—almost matching the accent letter in the CFDA logo on the wall behind it.

Katie Holmes wears a color-blocked Carolina Herrera dress with cutouts and a surprise bow.

Turning the camera around to give the cameras a different angle, Holmes revealed a few more surprising details. What appeared to be tiny triangle cutouts at the front revealed a much wider piece of skin at the back, ending just above her hips. The shoulders of her dress were secured with a dainty black bow with ribbons hanging down.

Katie Holmes attends the 2024 cfda awards wearing a Carolina Herrera dress with a bow at the back.

The actress accessorized with crystal earrings in the same vibrant hue as the skirt of her dress, as well as a black envelope clutch and red pointed-toe heels. She wore her hair in a slightly messy middle-parted updo and opted for a pale pink makeup shade to match her dress.

Katie Holmes poses on the red carpet at the CFDA Awards wearing a Carolina Herrera dress.

This season, Katie Holmes has been seen primarily in two types of outfits: the basic outfits required to hit the Broadway stage, including wide-legged and barrel leg denimand its calm, businesslike appearance in the city center. Basic autumn huts and perfectly proportioned Bevza tote bags – this is more her MO than red carpet dresses with a palette of fresh spring bouquets. Today’s Carolina Herrera dress is the reason I love tuning into the red carpet on Monday night—you never know what you’re going to get.