Naomi Watts and Daughter Kai Light Up the Gucci Show at Milan Fashion Week in Contrasting Looks — Photos
The actress brought sumptuous satin, her model daughter brought attitude, and the admirers were hardly going to sit there quietly and behave.
Naomi Watts and Kai Schreiber, now 17, attended Gucci’s The Store Show at Allianz MiCo in Milan, Italy, on September 25, 2026, during Milan Fashion Week’s Womenswear Spring/Summer 2027 presentations.
Both looked thoroughly pleased to let their outfits do the talking, but Kai’s beauty choices inspired some deliciously unfiltered reactions, including a little unsolicited styling advice for her famous mom.
Naomi Went Full Jewel Box, but Wait Until You See Kai
Naomi arrived in a lustrous magenta satin pantsuit, and honestly, what a gorgeous argument for retiring the safe black blazer. That rich color deserved good lighting and an entrance.
The jacket’s plunging neckline gave the tailoring a sultry edge, while wide-leg trousers skimmed the floor with a lovely, languid sweep. Even the fabric looked expensive to touch.
A sleek black leather shoulder bag and pointed-toe heels finished the outfit. Sensible supporting players, those accessories, because nobody needed to interrupt that satin.
Her textured blonde bob fell in soft waves around a middle part, bringing a little ease to the sharp suit. Luminous skin and gently defined eyes kept her makeup fresh, with a rosy-berry lip adding just enough color to flatter the ensemble.
Then there was Kai, whose crisp white sleeveless turtleneck mini dress initially suggested a rather restrained approach. A high neckline, a clean silhouette, a short hem: very chic, very composed.
Her structured white shoulder bag continued the immaculate theme, while metallic silver mule heels brought a lovely flash at her feet. You could almost call the outfit sweet.
Almost.
Because above that pristine neckline was a beauty look with considerably more nerve. Kai’s extra-long blonde hair fell in fine, crimped micro-waves, and intense dark smoky makeup framed her eyes against a pale, matte complexion.
Neutral lips left those eyes free to command attention. The simplicity of her dress made the styling especially effective. All that white gave the dark eye makeup its own spotlight, while her long, textured hair added an edge beside Naomi’s softly waved bob.
Matching outfits would have been easy. These two gave us something far more fun to look at. On Instagram, an admirer summed up the beauty appreciation with “the glam!!”
Another addressed Kai with a practical suggestion for their next appearance: “You need to get your mum a bigger set of heels 👠🤣.” Apparently, even a fabulous satin suit cannot protect a mother from unsolicited shoe advice.
A Facebook commenter focused on the family resemblance, writing, “Kai is so pretty like her mom. 💕” Over on TikTok, one admirer was operating at a considerably higher volume: “YES YES YES YES YES THIS LOOK IS EVERYTHING AND BEYOND GORGEOUS I SCREAMED.”
Another offered the beautifully economical verdict, “Ok so you’re perfect.” Someone else was already planning a future makeup appointment: “Halloween makeup saving for to show Makeup artist [sic].”
When your eye makeup starts inspiring somebody else’s calendar, you have certainly made an impression.
Gucci Gave Her a Seat; Thom Browne Gave Her Wings
Kai was enjoying Gucci from the audience, but the 17-year-old had already been the main attraction on another designer’s runway that month. And her assignment involved rather more than walking prettily in expensive shoes.
On September 16, Thom Browne presented his Spring 2027 womenswear collection at The Shed in New York. He turned the venue into an enormous garden, with an oversized daisy and blades of grass reaching about 20 feet high.
A massive chrysalis stood in the center. Naturally, this fashion show required a cocoon. Demi Moore and Penn Badgley attended, alongside Adam Scott and Rachel Zegler. Naomi and Kai’s father, Liev Schreiber, were also together in the front row, cameras out and ready.
Nine butterflies appeared in the presentation, but Kai was the only model who entered the chrysalis and emerged in a different ensemble, a look referencing Thom’s signature gray suit. A starring role and an onstage costume transformation, all with Mom and Dad recording.
“It was very surreal,” Kai told Vanity Fair afterward.
Thom had deliberately chosen her for the performance. “I knew that I wanted to have a butterfly moment that was more of a performance, and knowing that Kai could move, I wanted her to be the focus and the star,” he explained.
For the native New Yorker, it was an especially lovely opportunity to reconnect with dance. She had studied dance and classical ballet at LaGuardia, but had struggled to find a place for it in her life after graduating.
“I couldn’t stay trying to train to become a professional because that wasn’t what I wanted,” she explained. Here, she could bring that training into modeling, striking poses that blended fashion with modern dance. What a gorgeous way to put those ballet lessons back to work.
She had already admired Thom’s taste for theatrical runway ideas, remembering the aliens in his Spring/Summer 2026 presentation, “We Come in Peace.” This time, his imagination had landed in the insect world, drawing inspiration from the 1998 film “A Bug’s Life.”
Embroidery and intarsia carried that theme into the tailoring, with ladybug silhouettes joining the collection. Thom remained loyal to his sartorial favorite, however: “The gray suit never gets old.”
But Kai had a rather more colorful souvenir. Still wearing her rainbow runway eyeshadow during the interview, she explained, “I feel like a unicorn.” After emerging from a giant chrysalis, why limit yourself to one magical creature?
Her Breakthrough Award Came With Applause and Towering Heels
That runway performance followed a history-making win on September 11 at The Daily Front Row’s Fashion Media Awards. At Rockefeller Center’s Rainbow Room in New York City, Kai accepted Breakthrough Model of the Year.
She had already modeled for Valentino, Jean Paul Gaultier, Fendi, and Celine. Quite the collection of names to have on a résumé at 17.
For the ceremony, she wore a lime-green mini dress with voluminous long sleeves and tonal polka dots. Sheer stockings decorated with flowers added another playful flourish, because evidently the dress was only the beginning.
Towering white heels with gold studs and an opulent diamond necklace completed the look. Her blonde hair was pulled into a tight bun, leaving that glorious outfit plenty of room to show off.
The Daily Mail reported that applause erupted when Kai told the audience, “I’m also the first transgender girl to win this award.” She acknowledged the women who had helped make her place in the industry possible. “I carry that with me into every room,” she said.
Valentino received thanks for dressing her and helping welcome her into fashion. Her family earned a particularly tender line: “I’m so lucky to be supported by you.”
This support at home includes Naomi and Liev, who separated in 2016 after an eleven-year relationship, and her older brother, Alexander “Sasha” Pete Schreiber, who is currently 18.
Having her parents watching did make delivering the speech nerve-racking, she later admitted. Still, her closing words were wonderfully assured: “To say the least, I’ve found my fashion family, and I couldn’t be more happy.”
Her Inspiration List Still Has Room for Mom
Kai had spoken about that community in a 2025 Interview Q&A, naming Alex Consani and Hunter Schafer among the people she admired. Hari Nef, Dara, Richie Shazam, and Colin Jones also made her list.
“As a young trans girl, I’m always going to look up to the older generation of transgender people, especially in fashion,” she said. She explained the significance of those connections plainly:
“It’s important to all of us to have a sense of community, especially when we’re under such hostile attack.”
As for her personal fashion influences, Kai told Vanity Fair that she admired Gabbriette, the Olsen twins, and Kate Moss. Naomi made the list, too, which is a pretty fabulous compliment from a daughter building her own modeling career.
And in Milan, Mom certainly justified her inclusion. Naomi looked divine in that jewel-toned satin, while Kai Schreiber gave her white mini enough attitude to keep netizens thoroughly entertained. They can leave the matching outfits to someone else; this family clearly has more than one excellent idea about getting dressed.
