Designing Gabourey Sidibe’s Dress for the American Horror Story Season 13 Premiere
By Leah Langley-McClean, founder and designer of Ellenelle Bridal
When stylist Kelly Augustine invited Ellenelle Bridal to create a custom dress for Gabourey Sidibe’s American Horror Story Season 13 premiere, my answer was immediate: Say less.
Gabourey wore the look to the September 23, 2026, premiere in New York City. For me, the opportunity was exciting from the first conversation. I love Gabby’s work, and I love the way she shows up in the world. She brings confidence, fierceness, humor, and her whole self to the red carpet. You know she’s going to give you the look, the poses, and the moment.
That is the kind of person I love to dress. I want someone to embrace the garment and make it their own. With Gabby, I knew she would.
The feeling I wanted her to have
My goal with every Ellenelle piece is for the person wearing it to feel the best they have ever felt. I’ve worn my own designs to events, so I know the feeling of walking into a room and seeing people turn their heads. I wanted Gabby to feel that energy when she put this dress on—and for that feeling to come through when she stepped onto the carpet.
Kelly shared a mood board that included a sculptural corset and a draped cocoon skirt. I started sketching ways to interpret that shape through my own design language: a sharply defined basque waist, an exaggerated asymmetrical hip, and a skirt that would curve outward before tapering back in.
I even explored a polka-dot skirt. While looking at imagery from American Horror Story: Coven, I kept coming back to Myrtle Snow’s theatrical style and her polka dots. It felt like a fun possibility. Ultimately, the team went in another direction, and Kelly suggested velvet for the skirt. Once she said it, I could see it.
I presented several versions of the design with subtle differences, and together we chose the silhouette that felt right for Gabby.
Finding the right velvet
Velvet sounds simple until you need it to behave in a very specific way. Some velvet is soft and slinky. Some is so thick it feels better suited to upholstery. This skirt needed body to hold its cocoon shape, but it still had to feel beautiful as a garment.
For a moment, I wasn’t sure I would find the right one. Then I found the fabric through Zelouf Fabrics. Shout out to their team for coming through when the timeline was tight. Once the velvet was settled, I could move forward with the rest of the construction.
Building the shape from the inside out
I wanted this dress to hold its shape on its own and carve out a strong, defined waist. That started with a coutil corset foundation and numerous boning channels. I used both rigilene and spiral steel boning, then added a layer of batting to keep the lines of the boning from showing through the exterior. A waist stay provided additional support at the waistline.
For the outer corset, I chose matte black ponte. I was set on using it because of its smooth, clean finish. It has stretch, which meant I had to carefully shape and secure it over the structured foundation underneath. The asymmetrical one-shoulder detail brought another sculptural element to the top.
The skirt presented a different challenge: I had never made this exact cocoon silhouette before. I knew what I wanted it to do, so I studied examples, worked backward from my sketch, and developed the pattern. I added crinoline beneath the velvet to give the skirt the volume it needed to hold that dramatic shape.
Making it to the red carpet
This dress came together on a fast timeline, with unexpected staffing limitations along the way. For much of the process, it was just me in the studio, working long days and nights to make sure every part was finished properly and the piece shipped on time.
I had a moment when I wondered whether I had taken on too much. But as the corset and skirt came together, I could see the dress I had imagined. I kept thinking about Gabby wearing it and about the reason I said yes so quickly.
As a designer, I can build the structure, shape the silhouette, and consider every detail. Then the person wearing the dress gives it life. Creating this custom Ellenelle Bridal look for Gabourey Sidibe, in collaboration with Kelly Augustine, was a chance to do what I love most: make a garment designed for someone to feel powerful in it.
Team
@americanhorrorstory Installment 13 TONIGHT
on FX and Hulu
Dress: custom @ellenellebridalandcouture
Jewels: @alexisbittar
Shoes: @torrid
Hair @daileygreene
Makeup @cygmakeup
Tailoring @stitchedbysteffynyc
STYLING BY THE INCOMPARABLE @styledbykab