Lady Gaga To The Rescue! West Side Story’s Rachel Zegler Shares How Celebs Rallied To Help Her When Her Awards Dress Broke

Lady Gaga in House of Gucci and Rachel Zegler in West Side Story
(Image credit: 20th Century Studios and United Artists Releasing)

Lady Gaga isn’t just a pop star, entrepreneur and Academy Award-nominated actress - she’s also, apparently, a superhero. The lauded songstress was on hand at the Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, and she couldn’t help but rush to the rescue when West Side Story's Rachel Zegler ran into a wardrobe malfunction.

Rachel Zegler attended the 2022 Critics’ Choice Awards in London this past weekend weekend, where Lady Gaga and some celeb pals rallied to assist the actress when her dress broke. She shared the story of her fashion heroes on Twitter

Rachel Zegler wore a seafoam green Christian Dior Haute Couture gown that, while undoubtedly beautiful, appeared to have a minor defect. As the West Side Story star went to lavish Lady Gaga with praise, the ‘Born This Way’ singer noticed that the strap on the back of her gown was twisted. Luckily, Lady Gaga managed to quickly amend the situation with a hairpin. Alana Haim and Este Haim of the band Haim were also on tap to help out. When stars come together, great things can be accomplished - even if it's just saving a young actress from a critical fashion disaster. 

Lady Gaga, wearing an equally stunning Gucci number, was attending the Critics’ Choice Awards to celebrate her Best Actress nomination for her role as Patrizia Reggiani in Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci (a role that has also snagged nominations at the SAG Awards, the BAFTAs, and the Golden Globes). Alana Haim was also nominated in the same category for her role as Alana Kane in Licorice Pizza, while Lady Gaga’s House of Gucci co-star Jared Leto was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Paolo Gucci

Meanwhile, Rachel Zegler was nominated for Best Young Actor/Actress for her turn as Maria in West Side Story. The Steven Spielberg-helmed musical also got nods for Best Picture, Best Acting Ensemble, Best Director,and Best Supporting Actress, the latter for both Ariana DeBose and Rita Moreno, with DeBose taking home the top prize. West Side Story has garnered critical acclaim in various arenas, with the film earning a whopping seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Luckily for Rachel Zegler, Maria’s iconic white dress was not subject to the great Critics Choice Awards Dress Strap Debacle of 2022, allowing her to deliver a memorable performance for the ages. 

You can catch Rachel Zegler as Maria in West Side Story with either your Disney+ subscription or HBO Max subscription, or catch Lady Gaga in House of Gucci by renting the film on Amazon Prime Video. Are you knee-deep in the awards season festivities? Check out the rest of the 2022 Oscar nominees or discover how you can watch all of the Best Picture nominees ahead of the Academy Awards on March 27. 

Rachel Romean

Actor, singer, and occasional dancer. Likes: fashion, books, old buildings. Dislikes: cilantro, the NJ Turnpike, sneaker wedges.