This Is How Celebrities Should Dress for Awards Season in 2026
If 2025 was the year fashion lost itself in the pursuit of virality, perfection, and speed, then 2026 is shaping up to be the year of reckoning. As the Golden Globes 2026 mark the official beginning of awards season, the red carpet is poised to become a testing ground for a new fashion philosophy—one centered on individuality, intention, and self-awareness rather than spectacle for spectacle’s sake.
Fashion, like culture, benefits from a glance in the rearview mirror. Season after season, that reflection offers clarity. And right now, the industry is standing at a crossroads.
From Virality to Identity
Last year’s red carpets felt like competitive sports. Who could go viral the fastest? Who could debut a runway look first? Who could repackage themselves into the most flawless, hyper-curated version imaginable? It was no coincidence that The Substance—a film obsessed with bodily perfection and transformation—dominated the cultural conversation during the height of awards season.
In contrast, 2026 promises a shift away from uniform perfection and toward self-definition. Not less fashion, but better fashion—fashion that reflects character rather than clicks.
Early Signals from Hollywood’s Most Interesting Dressers
Some celebrities are already pointing the way forward.
Teyana Taylor, for instance, redefined black-tie dressing late last year at the Time 100 Next gala, wearing a vertiginously cut Tom Ford gown by Haider Ackermann. It was irreverent, confident, and unmistakably hers—the kind of look that only works when personality leads the styling.
Then there’s Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner, who leaned fully into spectacle with their ping-pong-ball-orange fashion moment, proving that red carpet dressing can double as cinematic promotion when done knowingly. They understand the mechanics of fame and aren’t afraid to embrace the absurdity of it. Even better, Meg Stalter and Paul W. Downs mirrored the look in a tongue-in-cheek parody at the Critics Choice Awards, reminding us that humor belongs on the red carpet, too.
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| Jessie Buckley in Chanel at the 35th Annual Gotham Film Awards in December, 2025. Kristina Bumphrey/Getty Images |
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| Chloé Zhao at the 2026 Crtiics Choice Awards. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images |
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Jessie Buckley is making a case for restraint. Styled by Danielle Goldberg, Buckley has worn a tightly curated wardrobe of black-and-white looks from Dior, Chanel, and The Row. The clothes are immaculate, but the real triumph is that she looks like herself—an increasingly rare achievement in an era of costume-driven celebrity fashion.
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| Jacob Elordi in Bottega Veneta at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images |
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| Paul Mescal in Gucci at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images |
The same can be said for Jacob Elordi and Paul Mescal, who have quietly reclaimed classic leading-man elegance. No thirst traps, no internet gimmicks. Elordi’s leather tie and Mescal’s tuxedos layered over silky knit v-necks at the Critics Choice Awards felt modern, sexy, and grounded. Even directors are embracing authenticity: Chloé Zhao’s ethereal, witchy appearances in Lanvin and Rodarte signal that red carpet presence isn’t just for actors anymore.
A Fashion Industry in Flux
Behind these individual choices lies a fashion industry undergoing massive upheaval.
In the past year alone, nearly two dozen major luxury houses changed creative leadership. Icons like Dior, Chanel, Gucci, Loewe, and Dries Van Noten entered new eras. Giorgio Armani—one of fashion’s last great patriarchs—passed away in September at 91. Shortly after, the Prada Group acquired Versace following Donatella Versace’s departure, closing a chapter that began after Gianni Versace’s death in 1997.
Fashion enters 2026 without two of its guiding lights, and the emotional weight of that loss is palpable. Designers, celebrities, and consumers alike are recalibrating what luxury, relevance, and legacy mean now.
The Body Conversation Returns—With Consequences
Outside the industry, fashion was shaped by a more troubling shift: the resurgence of extreme thinness. Fueled by Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs, shrinking bodies became the new status symbol. Runway samples followed suit, growing smaller and more revealing. The progress of the late 2010s body positivity movement seemed to stall, replaced by nostalgia for rigid beauty standards of the past.
At the same time, age became another battleground. Deep-plane facelifts and age-defying cosmetic procedures redefined luxury itself. Youth and tininess became commodities—things that money could buy and fashion could amplify.
The red carpet reflected these shifts clearly. Naked dressing surged. Celebrities raced to wear runway samples as quickly as possible, turning premieres into what could be described as runway-to-red-carpet Olympics. Zendaya, with image architect Law Roach, continued to dominate this arena, while stylist Danielle Goldberg emerged as a parallel force through clients like Greta Lee and Ayo Edebiri.
Ambassadors, Debuts, and Fashion Musical Chairs
Designer shake-ups also reshuffled celebrity ambassadorships. Nicole Kidman transitioned from Balenciaga under Demna to the new era of Chanel led by Matthieu Blazy. Ayo Edebiri followed a similar path, moving from Loewe under Jonathan Anderson to Chanel, while Anderson himself took Greta Lee with him to Dior. Jacob Elordi remains with Bottega Veneta but is now wearing designs by Louise Trotter, reflecting the evolving alliances shaping modern red carpet fashion.
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| Paul W. Downs and Meg Staler recreate Chalamet and Jenner’s looks. John Shearer/Getty Images |
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| Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner in custom Chrome Hearts. Monica Schipper/Getty Images |
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| Elle Fanning in a Givenchy archival recreation by Sarah Burton. Arturo Holmes |
This period of transition fueled a rush to debut new designers publicly. Timothée Chalamet and Elle Fanning premiered Sarah Burton’s first Givenchy looks at the Oscars. Julia Roberts and Amanda Seyfried memorably wore the exact same Givenchy design at the Venice Film Festival, underscoring just how frantic the race for firsts had become.
What This Means for Awards Season 2026
So what should we expect as the Golden Globes 2026 kick off awards season?
Expect newly announced ambassadorships to take center stage. Expect more vintage moments—Ariana Grande’s archival fashion era is far from over. Expect the runway-to-red-carpet timeline to compress even further as men’s and couture collections debut later this month in Paris and Milan.
But above all, expect a reckoning.
The most compelling red carpet moments in 2026 won’t be about who wore the smallest dress, the sheerest gown, or the newest sample. They’ll come from celebrities who understand who they are—and dress accordingly.
The plea for this awards season is simple: be funny or be serious, be bold or be restrained—but above all, be yourself.
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