Hollywood’s It couple Austin Butler and Kaia Gerber sweetly posed together on the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscars Party red carpet, moments before the Elvis star had an awkward run-in with his ex-girlfriend of nine years, Vanessa Hudgens.
The couple was impeccably dressed, with Austin in a black Saint Laurent suit and Kaia in a shimmering Celine gown.
Kaia Gerber shows support for boyfriend Austin Butler at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party on March 12, 2023 (Credit: PA Images / INSTARimages)
Austin, 31, looked dapper in a double-breasted black tuxedo suit with pointed lapels layered over a purple silk blouse with a draped plunging neckline and a pussy bow.
He paired the Anthony Vaccarello-designed suit with glossy Saint Laurent square-toe boots and a diamond pendant necklace.
Although he lost the Best Actor Oscar to The Whale’s Brendan Fraser, Austin Butler was all smiles next to his girlfriend, who sparkled from every angle.
Austin Butler looks chic in a Saint Laurent tuxedo suit with a purple silk plunging blouse (Credit: PA Images / INSTARimages)
Gerber, 21, went for her typical red carpet look and wore a crystal-encrusted slip dress that was tailored to perfectly fit her model frame.
Custom-designed by Hedi Slimane, the Artistic, Creative, and Image Director of Celine, the sparkling gown featured a slinky silhouette covered in light-catching crystals from the halter-neck bodice to the floor-length skirt.
It was designed with a daring keyhole cutout that offered a glimpse of her cleavage and a thigh-high slit that allowed her to showcase her mile-long pins and crystal-embellished black heels.
Kaia Gerber showcases her model figure in a slinky crystal-embellished gown by Celine (Credit: PA Images / INSTARimages)
Kaia’s stunning evening look was created by Danielle Goldberg, the stylist of stars like Olivia Rodrigo and Laura Harrier.
She accessorized her ensemble with minimalist jewelry, including a set of De Beers Midnight Aura Climber earrings and a diamond ring.
Cindy Crawford’s look-alike daughter enlisted the help of hairstylist Hos Hounkpatin to style her brunette hair in relaxed waves and makeup artist Nina Park to enhance her features.
Kaia Gerber’s minimalist body tattoos are visible from her form-fitting Celine gown (Credit: PA Images / INSTARimages)
Using Pat McGrath cosmetics, Park applied the Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection foundation, concealer, and setting powder in a light-medium shade before adding color to her cheeks with the Skin Fetish: Divine Glow Highlighter in Lunar Allure and the Skin Fetish: Divine Blush in Nude Venus.
Highlighting Gerber’s tantalizing eyes, Park used the Love Collection MTHRSHP Eyeshadow Palette in Velvet Liason, FetishEyes Longwear Liquid Eyeshadow in Divine Champagne, Permagel Ultra Glide eye pencil in BLK Coffee, and the Dark Star Mascara in Xtreme Black.
Kaia’s beauty look was finished with the Permagel Ultra Lip Pencil in Structure, LiquiLUST Legendary Wear Lipstick in Love, and the LUST: Gloss in Faux Real.
Kaia Gerber wears a relaxed wavy hairstyle with champagne-colored eyeshadow and pink lipstick (Credit: PA Images / INSTARimages)
Austin Butler Crosses Path with Ex-Vanessa Hudgens
Austin Butler was later seen leaving the Vanity Fair Oscars After-Party with Sharon Stone, sans Kaia Gerber.
As the two made their way out of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Austin’s ex-girlfriend, Vanessa Hudgens, walked past him.
Austin and Vanessa didn’t make eye contact, but the Bandslam actress was seen briefly clocking Butler before looking down at her phone as if dodging him.
The Carries Diaries star was waving at the cameras when he noticed that Hudgens had just passed by. He then appeared to glance in Hudgens’ direction while waiting for his ride.
Earlier in the evening, Vanessa co-hosted ABC’s Countdown to the Oscars in a gothic-chic ensemble from Roberto Cavalli’s Fall 2023 collection.
She flashed a hint of side boob in her Fausto Puglisi-designed dress that featured a fringe-embellished bodice with a plunging neckline held together by dominatrix-style crisscross ties. It also had sheer cutout panels with zebra print and a voluminous leopard-print floor-sweeping skirt.
Vanessa Hudgens attends the Vanity Fair Oscars Party in a gothic Roberto Cavalli gown with crisscross front ties and animal prints (Credit: PA Images / INSTARimages)
Stylist Jason Bolden kept Vanessa’s neck bare and simply adorned her ensemble with diamond flower earrings, a matching ring, and her Chase Gregory Oval Diamond custom engagement ring.
Wearing black-and-white striped nail polish by Zola Ganzorigt, Hudgens further enhanced the gothic vibe of the look by sporting cat-eye flick, volumizing mascara, and nude beige lipstick, created by Tonya Brewer using KohGenDo makeup.
Hairstylist Danielle Priano then slicked back her tresses in a wet-look updo, leaving a few strands hanging loosely around her face.
Vanessa Hudgens sports a wet-look hairstyle, black-and-white nails, and cat-eye flick to complete her dominatrix look (Credit: PA Images / INSTARimages)
Austin Butler and Vanessa Hudgens dated for almost nine years, from 2011 to 2020, after meeting on the set of the 2006 musical TV film High School Musical.
Butler has since moved on with Kaia Gerber, while Hudgens is now engaged to MLB star Cole Tucker.
Early this year, Butler credited Hudgens for pushing him to try out for the role in the Baz Luhrmann-directed biopic Elvis, which earned him a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and a Best Actor Oscar nomination.
“We’d been together for so long, and she had this sort of clairvoyant moment, and so I really, I owe her a lot for believing in me,” he told The Los Angeles Times.
Vanessa Hudgens and Austin Butler at the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party (Credit: Niviere David / ABACA / INSTARimages)
Austin Butler Brings Agent as His Oscars Plus-One
Austin Butler wowed on the Academy Awards red carpet in a sleek black velvet suit by Saint Laurent. However, noticeably missing was his girlfriend, Kaia Gerber.
The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star instead brought along his agent James Farrell, to whom he “owes” his career, as his plus-one.
“I’ve got my best friend here with me, who is also my agent. And I owe my career to him, so as a thank you, I wanted him to be by my side tonight,” he told ABC’s Countdown co-host, Ashley Graham.
Austin Butler brings his agent James Farrell, instead of girlfriend Kaia Gerber, as his plus-one to the Vanity Fair Oscars Party (Credit: Faye’s Vision / Cover Images)
Prior to the big event, Austin revealed to Access Hollywood that he’s known Farrell since he was 17.
“We were friends first, and I would not have my career without him. The amount of times that he’s helped me to decide on whether or not to do something or he’s pushed me to. He’s believed in me in moments where maybe I didn’t believe in myself.”
“He’s been on this ride with me for a long time,” he added.