Irina Shayk’s Floating Breastplate Is Downright Angelic

The Issey Miyake breastplate is one of fashion history’s most provocative pieces, but Irina Shayk put a downright angelic spin on it on Thursday night. Walking the blue carpet at the WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards, the supermodel stepped out in a version that was absolutely ethereal.

Featured as the opening look on the fall 2026 runway, the ivory dress takes a classic column silhouette to sculptural extremes. While the skirt is minimal and precise, the molded bodice is a work of abstract art, with rounded edges and a smooth finish. At the back, excess white fabric cascaded down the sides of Shayk’s body, reimagining the breastplate through delicate draping.

Introduced as part of the fall 1980 collection, the first Issey Miyake breastplate toyed with the relationship betwee clothing and the body. The original design was decidedly sexy and found a quick fan in the always provocative Grace Jones. Shayk’s version, by new creative director Satoshi Kondo, is less structured and more abstract. It’s also softer: trading molded acrylic for lacquered layers of Japanese washi paper. It’s dainty and smooth instead of rigid and armor-like.

Breastplates have been a red-carpet favorite in recent years, and 2026 was no different. They can serve a narrative purpose, from Zendaya’s Greek goddess–worthy Schiaparelli look for The Odyssey premiere to Teyana Taylor’s many shield-like iterations while promoting One Battle After Another. For red-carpet provocateurs, they create an instant statement, which explains why nearly every Kar-Jenner at the Met Gala wore some version of the structured bodice.

But while those examples often feel severe, Shayk’s recent take on the trend is soft, dreamy, and entirely otherworldly. Just like that, the breastplate has entered a new, dressed-down era.