When Hollywood Meets Hungarian Design: The Museum of Applied Arts’ Hilarious Golden Globe Fashion Roast
If you’ve ever stared at a fancy red carpet gown and thought, “Wow, that looks exactly like a 19th‑century teapot,” congratulations – you’re ready for the Museum of Applied Arts’ annual Golden Globe fashion roast. Every year, right after the Hollywood glitter settles, the museum’s staff does something gloriously nerdy: they scroll through the red carpet photos, then dive into their own collection to find historical objects that look suspiciously like what the stars were wearing. And honestly? It’s pure genius.
For foreign tourists visiting Budapest, this is the kind of quirky, self‑aware cultural moment that makes the city so lovable. It’s not just about serious art and history – it’s about a museum that knows how to laugh at itself, at fashion, and at the fact that sometimes, a celebrity’s “avant‑garde masterpiece” really does resemble a fancy salt shaker.
The Great Golden Globe Fashion Match‑Up
This year, after the 2026 Golden Globe awards, the Museum of Applied Arts once again proved that they’re the internet’s most stylish art historians. They posted a series of side‑by‑side comparisons: on one side, a glamorous Hollywood star in a jaw‑dropping outfit; on the other, a carefully chosen piece from their own collection that looks like it could be the star’s long‑lost cousin.
Take Jennifer Lawrence, for example. She showed up in a barely‑there, shimmering “naked dress” that had everyone talking. The museum’s response? “Ah yes, very nice… reminds us of this elegant 1890s stemmed glass from our ceramics collection.” And honestly, they’re not wrong. The delicate curves, the way the light catches the surface, the sheer impracticality of it all – it’s basically the same energy, just with fewer sequins and more historical significance.
Then there’s Selena Gomez, who arrived in a look that screamed “expensive, but also slightly like a hat from 1905.” The museum nodded wisely and matched her to a vintage hat from their textile and costume collection. The resemblance is uncanny, like someone took a perfectly normal early 20th‑century hat, gave it a modern makeover, and sent it to the red carpet. It’s not a diss – it’s a compliment wrapped in a very polite, very Hungarian “we see what you did there.”
When Stars Look Like Kitchenware (and Literature)
The museum’s funniest observations come when they compare entire couples or outfits to everyday objects. Kevin Bacon and his wife Kyra Sedgwick showed up looking so coordinated and elegant that the Museum of Applied Arts decided they were basically a matched set of salt and pepper shakers. Not just any shakers, mind you – the fancy, decorative kind that sit on a formal dining table and make you feel like you’re in a period drama. It’s a brilliant comparison: polished, symmetrical, and somehow both timeless and slightly ridiculous.
Image source: Museum of Applied Arts
And then there’s Snoop Dogg. The museum looked at his outfit and said, “Yep, that’s definitely an old leather‑bound volume of Ady Endre’s collected poems.” Which, if you think about it, is actually a perfect description: dark, slightly mysterious, covered in textural details, and carrying a certain weight of cultural importance. It’s not every day that a rapper gets compared to a classic Hungarian poet, but in Budapest, that’s just Tuesday.
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The Museum That Roasts Fashion from Behind Closed Doors
Here’s the funny twist: the Museum of Applied Arts has actually been closed for several years for a major renovation, so you can’t just walk in and see these objects in person. But that hasn’t stopped the staff from being active online. From behind the scenes, they keep their social media alive with clever posts, virtual tours, and, of course, their annual Golden Globe fashion roast.
For tourists, this means that while you can’t currently step inside the stunning neo‑Moorish building with its glass roof and mosaics, you can still enjoy the museum’s personality and sense of humor from afar. Their Golden Globe post is basically a mini‑virtual exhibition: a chance to see highlights from their collection of ceramics, glass, textiles, and decorative arts, all framed as a playful commentary on modern fashion.
Why This Is Still a Must‑Follow for Tourists
Even though the Museum of Applied Arts is closed, it’s still worth keeping an eye on their social media if you’re planning a trip to Budapest. Their Golden Globe post is a great way to:
- Get a taste of Hungarian design culture before you even arrive.
- See how historical objects – vases, glasses, hats, books – can feel surprisingly modern and relevant.
- Understand that Budapest’s museums aren’t just about dusty old objects – they’re about connecting the past to the present in the most entertaining way possible.
And when the Museum of Applied Arts finally reopens (hopefully not too far in the future), you’ll already know exactly which objects to look for: the stemmed glass that looks like Jennifer Lawrence’s dress, the hat that matches Selena Gomez’s style, and the “Snoop Dogg book” that’s actually a classic Hungarian poetry collection.
How to Make the Most of the Golden Globe Roast
If you want to get the full “Golden Globe meets Hungarian design” experience, here’s how to do it like a local:
- Time your visit around a major Hollywood awards show (Golden Globes, Oscars, Met Gala) and check the Museum of Applied Arts’ Facebook page first. They usually post their fashion comparisons within a day or two, so you can walk through the galleries (virtually, for now) with a cheat sheet of “this is the Snoop Dogg book” and “this is the Jennifer Lawrence glass.”
- Use their post as a fun way to learn about Hungarian applied arts – ceramics, glass, textiles, and bookbinding – and how these traditions still influence design today.
- Don’t miss the main hall under the glass dome in photos and videos – it’s the perfect spot to imagine how your own outfit would be matched to a historical object. (Spoiler: if you’re wearing jeans and a t‑shirt, you’re probably a 1950s enamel mug.)
A Museum That Doesn’t Take Fashion (or Itself) Too Seriously
What makes this annual tradition so special is that it’s not mean‑spirited. The Museum of Applied Arts isn’t mocking the stars – they’re celebrating the fact that fashion, at its best, is art, and that art, at its funniest, can look like a celebrity’s outfit.
For tourists, it’s a reminder that Budapest is a city that loves beauty, history, and a good joke. Whether you’re into haute couture or just enjoy a museum that knows how to meme, this little Golden Globe fashion roast is a tiny, delightful window into the city’s clever, stylish soul.
So next time you’re in Budapest and the Golden Globes are on, do yourself a favor: watch the red carpet, then check the Museum of Applied Arts’ page. You’ll leave with a better understanding of design, a few good laughs, and the satisfying feeling that yes, sometimes, a Hollywood star really does look like a very fancy salt shaker.