Ayo Edebiri returned to the Emmy Awards red carpet on September 14 in a custom Chanel gown that paired a pastel blue tiered silhouette with contrasting red-orange bows, bringing a distinctly colorful approach to the 2026 ceremony.
The actor attended the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles as a nominee for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance as Sydney Adamu in The Bear. Edebiri ultimately did not take home the award, with Jean Smart winning the category.
For the occasion, Edebiri worked with stylist Danielle Goldberg on the custom Chanel look. The gown was created by Chanel creative director Matthieu Blazy and was based on a design from his debut Chanel Cruise collection.
A Chanel Runway Look Gets a New Color Story
The starting point for Edebiri's Emmys gown was a black floral dress from Chanel's Cruise 2026/2027 collection, which was presented in Biarritz, France, in April. According to Harper's Bazaar, Edebiri and Goldberg had noticed the design when they saw Blazy's debut cruise collection and were interested in adapting it for the Emmys.
The original runway design featured a sleeveless V-neckline, a full midi skirt and oversized bows positioned at the front and back. For Edebiri's custom version, Blazy changed the color palette, creating the dress in blue with a contrasting vermillion-red bow.
The finished gown retained the design's voluminous, tiered construction while introducing a stronger contrast between the cool-toned dress and the warm-colored bow. The Los Angeles Times described Edebiri's red-carpet appearance as a two-tone, tiered Chanel dress, while W Magazine highlighted the contrasting orange bow that extended behind her.
The custom work also required considerable time. Harper's Bazaar reported that the Chanel gown took 163 hours to make, with detailed stitching and pleating incorporated into the finished design.
That production detail gives some context to the difference between the runway version and what appeared on the Emmy carpet. Rather than simply wearing the original Chanel design, Edebiri received a version specifically reworked for the occasion.
The Blue-and-Red Look Was Finished With Mikimoto Pearls
The gown's dramatic color combination continued into the styling. Edebiri wore Mikimoto jewelry, including pearl pieces, while silver footwear completed the ensemble.
Her beauty look was also kept relatively polished. Chanel's official red-carpet beauty page describes the makeup as a luminous look with neutral eye tones and a tonal nude lip, using Chanel products including Les Beiges eyeshadow and Rouge Coco lipstick.
The accessories and beauty styling allowed the custom Chanel gown to remain the primary focus of the appearance. The red-orange bow provided the strongest color contrast, particularly from the back, where it extended beyond the blue skirt.
Edebiri's 2026 appearance also marked her return to the Emmys after she did not attend the 2025 ceremony. Her nomination was her latest recognition for The Bear, the series that previously earned her the 2023 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
With The Bear having concluded with its fifth and final season earlier in 2026, the Emmy nomination gave Edebiri another opportunity to represent the series at the ceremony. On the fashion side, her Chanel appearance offered a particularly detailed example of how a runway design can be reworked through color, construction and custom craftsmanship for a major red-carpet event.
The final result stayed close to Blazy's original Chanel design while giving it a new identity through the pastel-blue color and contrasting red-orange bow. For Edebiri, the 2026 Emmys look was less about adding unnecessary embellishment and more about allowing the unusual color pairing and layered construction to define the gown.
