Haley Kalil made an extraordinary entrance at the 2026 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in Los Angeles on Saturday, 14 November, wearing a gigantic green ballgown made entirely of balloons. The eye-catching creation was hand-built by 20-year-old designer Finn Thompson, who transformed the network's famous slime aesthetic into an elaborate red-carpet outfit complete with a matching miniature handbag.
The influencer, also known as Haley Baylee, embraced the event's playful atmosphere with a look that was far from an ordinary evening dress. From its sculptural shoulders to its cascading balloon train, the unusual ensemble required careful construction and even had a surprising connection to another content creator.
Hundreds Of Green Balloons
The gown featured an off-the-shoulder silhouette, a voluminous high-low skirt, and a dramatic cascading train. Different sizes of green balloons were arranged throughout the design to recreate the bubbly appearance of Nickelodeon's signature slime.
The result was a dramatic combination of playful costume design and formal evening wear. Its bright lime-green colour also made the outfit instantly recognisable, while the sculptural shape gave Haley plenty of room to stand out on the orange carpet.
A 20-Year-Old Designer's Creation
Finn Thompson, a 20-year-old fashion student and balloon artist, was responsible for creating Haley's extravagant outfit. Known for turning balloons into sculptural fashion pieces, he designed the custom lime-green gown specifically for the Kids' Choice Awards.
Rather than using conventional fabric, Thompson built the elaborate silhouette using individual balloons tied together by hand. The construction extended to the intricate corset-style back, demonstrating the amount of detail involved in turning an unconventional material into a red-carpet-worthy design.
Her Matching Balloon Handbag
Haley's accessories followed the same unusual theme, with the influencer carrying a miniature handbag made entirely from twisted green balloons. The custom piece complemented the enormous gown rather than distracting from its elaborate construction.
She completed the look with clear-strapped heels and diamond stud earrings. Her beauty styling also kept things relatively understated, featuring a sleek twisted updo with loose face-framing tendrils and soft, dewy makeup that allowed the dramatic neckline and shoulders to remain the focus.
She Could Sit Down
Despite looking like it might burst with the slightest movement, the balloon gown was reportedly surprisingly lightweight and flexible. During an orange-carpet interview, Haley explained that she could even sit down in the creation without popping its balloons.
She wore a fitted lime-green strapless bodysuit underneath the elaborate structure, providing a base beneath the balloon construction. Behind-the-scenes footage also showed Thompson and his team carefully lowering the oversized gown over her head and positioning it around her outfit before she was ready to appear.
Another Influencer Inspired Her
The idea behind Haley's unusual fashion choice came from another creator's outfit. In a social media post, she revealed that seeing Kristy Sarah wearing a red balloon dress inspired her to contact Thompson about designing something special for the awards ceremony.
Haley credited Kristy for introducing her to the designer, explaining that she knew she had to reach out after seeing the red creation. She later described the finished green gown as the dress of her dreams, expressing excitement about finally wearing the custom piece to the event.
Her Previous Slime Fashion Moment
This was not the first time Haley had embraced Nickelodeon's famous green slime aesthetic for the Kids' Choice Awards. She previously wore a white Marc Bouwer gown topped with a dripping green-beaded slime-inspired headpiece, giving her another memorable orange-carpet fashion moment.
Her latest appearance took that playful concept considerably further by turning the slime theme into an entire balloon-covered ballgown. With Thompson's hand-built design and its matching miniature accessory, Haley once again demonstrated how far unconventional red-carpet fashion can go when creativity takes centre stage.
