On Wednesday night, Sydney Sweeney turned heads in a figure-hugging, silver mesh dress which left little to the imagination.
As she walked the red carpet at the Variety Power of Women: Los Angeles event, popping camera flashes revealing that the Euphoria star, 28, was braless underneath her dazzling gown.
The dress, a collaboration by Christian Cowan, 29, and upcoming designer Elias Matso, 23, draped over Sweeney’s curves and showed off the star’s tiny waist by wrapping around her like a wrung-out towel.
While her lack of underwear added to the illusion that the actress was wearing a mere wisp of sheer fabric, her gown was in fact incredibly structured.
The Anyone But You star was tightly laced into a long corset that went from her hips and stopped just under her bust to create a cinched-in waist.
Hundreds of hours of designing and sewing went into the one-of-a-kind garment that was made specifically for Cowan’s New York Fashion Week 2026 runway show.
The dress was made of crystal mesh which was manipulated on to a steel-boned corset to create a sculptural form of a classic hourglass waist.
On Wednesday night, Sydney Sweeney, 28, turned heads in a figure hugging, silver mesh dress which left little to the imagination
The dress featured wide sleeves and a slash neckline along with corseted, ribbon detailing at the back that showed off the star’s seemingly tiny waist
The gown was a collaboration by Christian Cowan, 29, and new designer Elias Matso, 23, (pictured) who spent six weeks making the gown – along with four other – by hand
Matso sewed the piece himself, painstakingly attending to the draping and the eyelets along the long corset.
And the budding designer, who only graduated from Parson’s School of Art and Design in New York earlier this year, was so fussy about the five dresses he designed for his mentor’s show, that he laced the models into them himself.
In an interview with Seacoastonline, the new designer explained the structure of his dresses, telling the publication: ‘The corsets are so important in all the dresses, it keeps all the draping in place.
‘It’s basically a body suit corset with a dress built around it … because without the actual tightness of the corset, it loses the illusion [of the waist].’
Sweeney’s appearance in one of Matso’s gowns is just the latest feather in his cap after the young designer created a look for Alicia Keys for her headline slot at the Summer Sonic music festival in Osaka, Japan in August.
But the White Lotus star’s look was a product of coincidence and good timing.
The dress was made of crystal mesh which was manipulated on to a steel-boned corset to create a sculptural form of a classic hourglass waist
Matso sewed the piece by hand, painstakingly attending to the draping over the flesh-coloured corset himself.
He shared behind-the-scenes clips to his Instagram showing the process of making the jaw-dropping, one-of-a-kind garment
Cowan and Matso first met after the well-established womenswear designer congratulated him via social media on appearing in Dazed.
Seizing on the opportunity, Matso said he invited Cowan for a coffee but the designer declined.
Instead he suggested they skip the small talk – and jump straight in to designing together.
Over the next six weeks, the aspiring designer spent 13 hours a day in the studio, creating the five gowns.
And just a few months later he got to see them on the runway.
Now, Matso, who is completing a term at Florence fashion school Polimoda, is hopeful for the future and is keen to work on sustainable fashion practices.
A catwalk model wearing Sydney’s dress at the Christian Cowan SS26 show during September 2025 New York Fashion Week
Cowan meanwhile is an established designer having graduated from London’s College of Fashion following a foundation year at Central Saint Martins, the renowned fashion school which has produced designers including Wales Bonner, Stella McCarntney and Alexander McQueen.
He exploded on to the fashion scene in 2014, while still a student, after a glittering pink tuxedo he designed was championed by Dazed magazine – the same publication that has catapulted his mentee to stardom.
Just a week later, Lady Gaga wore it to an interview and not long after, both Miley Cyrus and Rihanna made appearances in his clothes.
In 2017 he relocated to New York and founded his eponymous label before designing and debuting his first collection at New York Fashion Week that same year.
After his initial success he went on to collaborate with fellow designers and even worked with Cartoon Network to design a collection inspired by The Powerpuff Girls with the proceeds from the collection going to women’s education charity She’s The First.
His later collaborations have included partnering with ASOS in 2020 and with singer and rapper Lil Nas X who wore a a silver sequined suit with a frilled blouse, to the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards.