Gwen Stefani: Baby bump or far-out fringe?

Gwen Stefani sparkled at the inaugural gala for the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, but her fringed Ferragamo gown did little to distract attention from her midsection.

The singer is reportedly expecting her third child with husband Gavin Rossdale, but has yet to confirm the pregnancy publicly. Instead, she leaves observers to ogle her belly and come to their own conclusions.

And that’s precisely what we’ll be doing for the rest of this story.

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Accompanied by Rossdale, the mother of Kingston, 7, and Zuma, 5, hit the red carpet in a floor-length pewter gown fringed with beading. She swept up her blond locks in a high knot and wore her signature red pout. But the loose garment from the Italian fashion house still did little to hide what appears to be a growing stomach.

The pair kept smiling on the red carpet and Stefani even twirled in her fringed dress, Us Weekly reported. Stefani was photographed clutching her belly and smiling as well, but that’s far from a legitimate confirmation, by this publication’s standards.

The No Doubt singer, 44, and her husband, 47, joined Demi Moore’s table for dinner where she chatted with new dad Josh Duhamel, E! News reported, and spent the evening with friends jewelry designer Jennifer Meyer, Baby2Baby co-chairs Norah Weinstein and Kelly Sawyer Patricof, “Cougar Town” star Courteney Cox, and reality TV star-turned-designer Nicole Richie. During dinner, Richie reportedly rubbed the burgeoning belly of pregnant stylist Rachel Zoe near Stefani. Now if only Gwen were so welcoming...

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The gala was co-hosted by Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Jamie Tisch and the center’s namesake, Wallis Annenberg, who gave $25 million to build “the Wallis.” Italian tenor Ferruccio Ferragamo was one of the evening’s sponsors, and the label, whose executives and family members were also in attendance, held a fashion show and pop-up shop during the evening.
The $70-million, two-building venue sits on 2.5 acres of land at the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Canon Drive, Culture Monster reported.

Aside from enjoying cocktails and dinner, guests observed various works of art and were later directed to the Bram Goldsmith Theatre for the evening’s main event, “A Dream in an Envelope,” which starred Kevin Spacey, John Lithgow and Diane Lane and featured dancers from the Paris Opera Ballet and Grammy-winning violinist Hilary Hahn.

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Charlize Theron, Amy Adams, Jason Bateman, Camilla Belle, Maria Bello, James Caan, Abbie Cornish, Geena Davis, Jodie Foster, Marcia Gay Harden, Joe Jonas, Evangeline Lily, Lori Loughlin, Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Sidney Poitier, Tim Robbins, Dita Von Teese, Debbie Allen, Chord Overstreet, Suzanne Somers, Alessandra Ambrosio and Karolína Kurková were among the numerous celebrities also in attendance.

The first public performance at the Wallis will feature the Martha Graham Dance Company on Nov. 8 and 9.

As for Stefani’s public acknowledgment of baby No. 3? We’ll keep you posted.

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