Cate Blanchett Takes Oceanic Inspiration to New Levels in Dilara Fındıkoğlu at the 2025 Serpentine Gallery Summer Party

Cate Blanchett styled a sculptural, oceanic design courtesy of Dilara Fındıkoğlu for the 2025 Serpentine Gallery Summer Party on Tuesday in London. The actress served as the cohost and was among a bevy of guests who posed for photos ahead of the seasonal fete, which celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Serpentine Pavilion, designed by Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum this year.

For the occasion, Blanchett opted for a design courtesy of Dilara Fındıkoğlu’s fall 2025 ready-to-wear collection. The piece featured a structural bodice with seashells lining the neckline, shoulders, bustline and hips of the ornate, delicate garment.

The fitted bodice incorporated a corset-like structure, with a bevy of oceanic inspiration throughout and seashells aplenty. The piece was paired with a midi skirt with frayed fabric and a soft pink tone. The skirt coordinated with the “Blue Jasmine” Oscar winner’s pointed-toe heels.

Blanchett’s blond hair was pulled back and her accessories were kept minimal to maintain focus on her bold sartorial statement. The actress regularly collaborates with stylist Elizabeth Stewart, who also works with Amanda Seyfried, Viola Davis and Jessica Chastain, among others.

“Fashion is not how it used to be anymore — there needs to be more fantasy,” Fındıkoğlu said backstage at the London Fashion Week debut of her fall 2025 collection, per WWD’s Hikmat Mohammed. “I wish people pushed boundaries more — every time I look at a collection on the runways, it looks like the same thing, without shading anybody. Sometimes I really consider if I should just make art,” she said. Fındıkoğlu titled her collection “Venus From Chaos.”

Blanchett’s ensemble, with its ornamental seashells throughout, and the title of the collection could have been a reference to “The Birth of Venus” painting by Sandro Botticelli. “I’m going to the planet where I was born — Venus and I’m creating the ultimate world,” Fındıkoğlu said of her collection.

Blanchett was announced as a cohost of the 2025 Serpentine Gallery Summer Party in April. “Supporting our cultural institutions and their power to illuminate the world at large and our place within it is of paramount importance,” she said via statement in April. “I’m honored to cochair the Serpentine party and its summer festivities where so many creative forms — architecture, performance, music, science and digital narratives — intersect. To come together around a pavilion created by Tabassum, whose socially driven work particularly in her home country of Bangladesh to meet the challenges faced by Rohingya refugees, is an inspirational opportunity,” Blanchett added.

The event was also attended by Eiza González, Lily Allen, Georgia May Jagger, Rebecca Vallance and Kelly Osbourne, among others.