The Powerful Meaning Behind Cara Jade Myers’s SAG Awards Look

You know those dramatic, slow-motion “Glambot” videos that you always see stars posing for on the red carpet? At last night’s SAG Awards, Indigenous actor Cara Jade Myers had the very best one. The Killers of the Flower Moon star delivered an epic twirl for the cameras in her vibrant Jontay Kahm dress, which featured a sheer mesh bodice with golden beads, as well as a flowy, fringed silhouette that was all fabricated with pink and orange ribbons and yarn—a design made for movement. Myers tells Vogue she simply wanted to do the striking design justice. “Jontay’s dresses are absolutely amazing—they’re artworks,” Myers says. “I knew I wanted to wear one of his dresses; we’ve been talking since August of last year. They’re modern and structural, yet based off of our culture and regalia. His work brings a completely different vision of what Native couture is.”

Kahm—who is a rising Plains Cree designer from Mosquito First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada, but is now based in New York—is fast becoming a Hollywood favorite, with Lily Gladstone also wearing one of his feathered tops earlier this month. The designer’s work references traditional regalia, incorporating elements such as feathers and ribbons that are typically worn by powwow dancers into designs that are voluminous and avant-garde. For Myers’s colorful ribbon dress at the SAGs, titled the “Sudden” dress, Kahm was inspired by the shawls worn by fancy dancers. “It’s a Native American dance often performed by women, characterized by vibrant regalia and intricate footwork,” says Kahm. “Ribbons are incorporated for their visual appeal, adding movement and symbolism to the dance. They can represent elements like nature, spirits, or personal stories—enhancing the cultural significance of the performance.”

Photo: Getty Images