Fashion can be a very serious business, but Keke Palmer—the bona fide comedian she is—knows that, sometimes, an outfit just needs a healthy dose of humor.
Last night, at the 7th Annual American Black Film Festival Honors in Los Angeles, the actor brought some levity to a time-honored wardrobe staple: the white shirtdress. Styled by Zoe Costello, Palmer wore an off-the-shoulder Balmain number from Olivier Rousteing’s resort 2025 collection. Sexier than a de rigueur shirtdress, it featured a thigh-high slit and a cinched waist. Best of all, the trompe l’oeil number was complete with a stiff white collar—and a tag—over her décolletage, as if she was holding the dress in front of her.
Palmer took the outfit in a different direction than the Balmain collection’s lookbook. She wore a pair of black pointy-toe pumps and added a gold bee brooch to the dress’s vestigial collar.
The actor has been all about bold fashion lately. On her recent press tour for her film One of Them Days, she broke out some serious vintage looks, including a cerulean John Galliano Dior dress from 2007, and a burnt orange Dolce & Gabbana from the same year. And that’s nothing to say of her contemporary looks. With some surreal Schiaparelli under her belt, it’s no wonder Keke Palmer embraced this funky Balmain shirtdress.
