Kerry Washington Wears Georges Hobeika Gown with Pearl-Trimmed Slit and Beaded Straps

Kerry Washington arrived at the NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors in a Georges Hobeika Fall 2025 design that foregrounded pearl embellishment as structural ornament. WWD described the garment as a black sleeveless crepe midi dress with “strands of pearls sewn into the straps, bust and down the front of the garment in sinuous lines,” while TheFashionSpot and RealityTea placed the appearance at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium during the Creative Honors pre-show.

The Creative Honors, the pre-show that celebrates behind-the-scenes creative work across film, television, journalism and literature, provided the context for Washington’s styling choice. WWD noted the Creative Honors took place “on Thursday night,” with the main NAACP Image Awards scheduled in Los Angeles later that weekend; Red Carpet Fashion Awards published its coverage on February 27, 2026.

Descriptions of the gown’s construction and silhouette vary across outlets. WWD emphasized fabric and tailoring, identifying crepe as the base and the piece as part of Hobeika’s fall 2025 ready-to-wear collection, while TheFashionSpot and RealityTea described a sculpted, floor-length black gown with “delicate white beaded piping tracing the bodice and skirt” and “two beaded straps that held the gown in place, forming a structured neckline that framed her shoulders and décolletage.” Red Carpet Fashion Awards called it a pearl-detailed dress and noted a “horizontal pearl band at the hem,” an element the outlet believes “interrupts the long column effect.”

Media accounts differ on length and movement. WWD’s technical readout calls the dress a midi, but TheFashionSpot and RealityTea repeatedly describe a floor-length slit dress with a “subtle slit and matching beaded trim along the hem.” Red Carpet Fashion Awards’ commentary acknowledged the pearl band’s effect on the silhouette and suggested the adornment altered the gown’s column line.

Styling credits were similarly specific. Red Carpet Fashion Awards and WWD credited Mikimoto jewellery as the finishing touch and named stylists Rob Zangardi and Mariel Haenn; Red Carpet also identified Casadei sandals, while TheFashionSpot and RealityTea described the footwear as black platform heels. Those outlets’ descriptions can both be true if the Casadei sandals were platform styles; photographic confirmation would reconcile the accounts.

The appearance reinforced Georges Hobeika’s rise among high-profile clients. WWD noted the Lebanese label, founded in 1995, is known for romance, femininity and detailed embroidery and listed past wearers including Lili Reinhart, who in November 2025 chose a strapless yellow-gold Hobeika look with scalloped shell cups on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, as well as Kacey Musgraves, Kelly Rowland and Paris Hilton.

Washington used her stage time to speak to storytelling’s power, remarks captured by RealityTea: at a moment when, she said, “Black history faces challenges, telling stories that celebrate Black women and their excellence feels especially meaningful.” RealityTea also recorded a personal anecdote—she once “blacked out” when her name was called—that underlined the emotional tenor of the evening. The coverage tied the fashion moment to Washington’s ongoing work; RealityTea noted she is executive producer through Simpson Street and that Apple TV+’s Imperfect Women is slated to premiere March 18, while WWD referenced her recent role in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

Critical reaction was mixed. Red Carpet Fashion Awards wrote, “I am really hoping for a knockout moment from Kerry tomorrow, because her red carpet style does not excite me as much as it used to,” adding that while Washington “does look good in this dress,” the pearl band at the hem breaks the long column it otherwise achieves. TheFashionSpot and RealityTea offered a counterpoint, calling the outing “a masterclass in red carpet elegance” that balanced classic glamour with modern edge.

Taken together, the look read as an exercise in jewellery-as-architecture: pearls and white beaded piping mapped the bodice and front of a Hobeika piece that linked Old Hollywood references to contemporary red carpet tailoring, a choice that aligned with Washington’s public remarks about celebrating Black women’s stories.