The 20 Best- and Worst-Dressed Celebs at the 2026 Oscars
Tom + Lorenzo are here to analyze the highs (and lows) of 2026 Oscars fashion.
It’s Oscars night! We won’t call it Hollywood’s prom night because that’s such a tired cliché at this point. Instead, we’d rather look at it as the Olympics of Fashion, a veritable cage match of gowns and tuxes fighting for your attention and for the honor of being picked—by us, of course—as one of the best of the night. For the 2026 Oscars, we’re happy to report that the style mood was celebratory and glamorous, with lots of sparkle and color on the red carpet this year. Were there one or two disasters? Maybe! Let’s go to the carpet.
Jessie Buckley in Chanel
When the Hamnet star hit the red carpet in this stunner, we both said the same thing: “Now that’s a Best Actress winner’s gown.” Regardless of whether you’re a frontrunner, it’s never a bad idea to show up to an awards show looking like you expect to be giving a speech that starts off “I’d like to thank…” The pink-and-red color combo is eye-catching and just different enough to make her stand out. Her hair and makeup are perfect for it. She looks like a star.
Wunmi Mosaku in Louis Vuitton
The Best Supporting Actress nominee and star of Sinners has been dazzling all throughout awards season, unveiling one eye-popping gown after another and giving something of a master class on dressing a pregnant body in ways that are glamorous and sexy. This color looks amazing on her, and as always, her hair practically makes the look. We love the neckline, but we’re not as in love with the shoulder cutout or the fact that the textile looks stiff and heavy.
Zoe Saldaña in Saint Laurent
It’s incredibly rare for us to compliment any gown that could double as sleepwear, but sometimes a lingerie-inspired style lands on the right wearer. This is chic and sexy. The skirt drapes beautifully. She’s always had a sleek, minimalist style and we like that she didn’t over-style the look or try to pile on too much in the way of accessories. That stunning necklace is all the look needed.
Rei Ami in Rahul Mishra, Audrey Nuna in Thom Browne, EJAE in Dior
We’re not usually fans of theme-dressing, but we figure the singers of the Best Original Song “Golden” get to show up to the Academy Awards dressed in three drop-dead gorgeous gold looks if they want to. We love Audrey’s dramatic skirt and squared-off shoulders, Rei’s amazing embroidered coat, and EJAE’s glamorous gown. They’ve been so great about dressing themselves with distinction while showing up looking like a unified group.
Elle Fanning in Givenchy
Forever a Disney princess. We’ve been covering the Sentimental Value star and Best Supporting Actress nominee’s style literally since she was a little girl and we always wondered if and when she’d finally abandon the princess styles she’s been sporting for her whole career. And while we always prefer when she opts to stay away from pale colors and white, this fantasy gown looks so pretty on her that we don’t blame her for working that princess look forever. She was born for these kinds of dresses.
Rose Byrne in Dior
We’ll say it: The star of If I Had Legs I’d Kick You and Best Actress nominee had the best look of the night. This is chic, surprisingly elegant for an Oscars gown, and graphically interesting. You don’t see a lot of florals on major awards red carpets, so when someone sports a dramatically pretty one like this, it really stands out. The styling is perfection, with that gorgeous necklace and the sophisticated chignon.
Wagner Moura in Zegna
Because sometimes, we’ve got to give a shoutout to quiet, unassuming elegance. The Best Actor nominee and star of The Secret Agent characterized his award season style with impeccable, elegant suiting. We love the beautiful cut of the jacket and the unusual shirt collar and brooch. We don’t love how long the pants are. Seriously, you couldn’t get those hemmed?
Renate Reinsve in Louis Vuitton
We get such a kick out of how the Best Actress nominee and star of Sentimental Value approaches the red carpet: respectfully but not too seriously. She keeps her choices simple and fuss-free, choosing not to get too caught up in trends or glamour. And while we sometimes think her style preferences lead her down some boring roads, we thought this simple strip of a gown was dramatic and well-suited to her. This is an instance where the clean and low-key styling makes perfect sense.
Chase Infiniti in Louis Vuitton
The One Battle After Another star has had a great year on the red carpet, showing a preference for gowns with dramatic silhouettes or unusual features. This dress fits that bill, but the skirt is visibly weighed down on one side and she had a little trouble dragging it around the red carpet. Still, the color is very pretty on her and she looks amazing.
Mckenna Grace in Vera Wang
The Scream 7 star arrived wearing the ultimate ingénue gown. As a design, it’s not reinventing any wheels. If we were feeling less charitable, we’d say we’ve seen this gown a thousand times before. But classic looks are classic looks for a reason, and every starlet should have at least one princess moment on the red carpet—if she wants one, of course. This is flawless and she looks amazing in it.
Odessa A’zion in Valentino
The Marty Supreme star’s sexy boho style has been a breath of fresh air during awards season, injecting some youth and a sense of self-expression into setting that can sometimes come off conformist and rigid. We love that this feels sexy and glamorous, but it also feels like random pieces that she just threw on at the last minute. She’s just about the only star we can think of who can make a piano shawl skirt look fun and youthful.
Emma Stone in Louis Vuitton
With two Oscar wins under her belt, no one would blame the Bugonia star and Best Actress nominee if she wanted to take it a little easy on the red carpet this year, so we suppose we’ll have to be nice about the fact that she looks like one of the Bridgerton ladies as they head to bed for the night. White isn’t a great choice for her, those cap sleeves are weird, and she looks a little understyled without any statement jewelry.
Teyana Taylor in Chanel
The star of One Battle After Another and Best Supporting Actress nominee has an eye-popping red carpet style characterized by bodycon gowns and the kinds of complicated designs that look like they’d leave a body sore after wearing them. This gown was a bit of a surprise because it’s relatively low-key for her—which is kind of hilarious because this is a legitimately eye-popping Oscars gown. The fit is perfect and we love the sheer bodice. We’re not prone to loving big hairy skirts like this one, but it’s impressive how well it moves and the graphic quality is head-turning.
Kate Hudson in Armani Privé
The Song Sung Blue star and Best Actress nominee has been working a classic old Hollywood style all year long and she saved a whopper of a gown for the main event. This is impeccably constructed, fitted, and styled. The color looks amazing on her, and it stands out for being just a little unexpected. That jewelry is some of the best of the night. She looks like what she is: Hollywood royalty.
Timothée Chalamet in Givenchy
It’s possible that the Best Actor nominee and Marty Supreme star was coming to the ceremony a little chastened in the wake of the backlash from his comments about opera and ballet. Certainly, this is the most effort he’s put into a look all season, and he hasn’t come off this impeccable on a red carpet in a while. The suit is gorgeous, but the jewelry choices are what really make it, lending it a little bit of rock star attitude. The boots are a little too bro for our tastes, but at least they’re immaculate.
Nicole Kidman in Chanel
Nicole, we’re sorry, but we’re afraid we’re going to take our frustration with fashion’s overuse of feathers out on your dress. Too many ladies lately are walking out onto red carpets looking like they just got into a fight with a chicken. We might have been okay with either the feather peplum or the feather trimmed hem, but both in the same chicken-colored dress is too much.
Amy Madigan in Dior
Okay, if we’re being strictly honest about it, we think the jacket’s a little goofy. But the Best Supporting Actress winner and star of Weapons has been spending awards season in one interesting take on suits after another and we really appreciate the way she refuses to bend to the expectations placed on nominated actresses. We don’t love the jacket design, but we love it for her because it suits her so well and it feels like a quiet statement about who she is at this point in her career.
Michael B. Jordan in Louis Vuitton
The star of Sinners and Best Actor winner has been extremely consistent in his style choices all throughout awards season, showing a preference for impeccably fitted double-breasted suits in rich colors. It was a pleasant surprise to see him show up in an impeccably fitted black Nehru-style jacket. It was unexpected, unique, and chic. Love the buttons and the pocket chain. The whole look has a stripped-bare quality that speaks of confidence and success.
Gwyneth Paltrow in Armani Privé
We’ve got to hand it to the Marty Supreme star and living lifestyle brand. She tends to treat the trappings of stardom as somewhat beneath her, but when she wants to show up looking like a movie star, she makes it look effortless. A dress like this only works if the fit is flawless and the styling is superb. Done and done. Her hair looks fantastic and that stunner of a necklace tops off the dress perfectly. Minimalist glam done right.
Anne Hathaway in Valentino Couture
The star of The Devil Wears Prada 2 knows how to deliver a high-impact moment on the red carpet, but we’re afraid this one didn’t land for us. While the print is very eye-catching, we thought the whole look—with its mermaid skirt, massive belt, and opera gloves—came off a little stale and dated to our eyes. Given the bold graphic quality of the dress, we think she’s more than a little over-styled. The gloves and belt need to go.
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