Only one nominee can take home a little golden trophy in each category at the 98th Annual Academy Awards. But on the Oscars red carpet, a special group of nominees, winners, and guests gets to share the 2026 best-dressed title. And for anyone who's watched this year's awards season circuit, from the Golden Globes to the BAFTAs to the Actor Awards, the standouts from the Oscars will look very familiar.
Many of the names worthy of an Academy Award for their red carpet style have been refining their signature look over the past three months of speeches and step-and-repeats. Tonight, they delivered the pinnacle of their personal style. First came the eventual Best Actress winner Jessie Buckley in custom Chanel referencing the late, great Grace Kelly; then came Anne Hathaway nodding to the script of the Devil Wears Prada in floral Valentino. Emma Stone, Wunmi Mosaku, and Chase Infiniti all wore Louis Vuitton—but each one tapped the atelier to play to their strengths, from an appreciation of bold colors to '90s-inspired simplicity. Teyana Taylor, long a fan of naked dresses, combined sheer fabrics with starry embellishments and an extravagant feathered skirt by Chanel. And while she technically skipped the red carpet, Zendaya's surprise Louis Vuitton dress deserves a shout-out too.
Ahead, catch up on Marie Claire''s edit of the 12 best-dressed stars from the 2026 Oscars red carpet. There weren't any dark-horse winners here—if you've been paying attention, you knew these women would make the list.
Teyana Taylor wearing Chanel
Teyana Taylor has leveled up her red carpet style with every stop on the One Battle After Another awards circuit. Tonight, she delivered a look that got the entire Marie Claire Slack channel to freeze in its tracks.
In her first red carpet dress by Chanel creative director Matthieu Blazy, Taylor proved that the codes of even the most traditional fashion houses can be remixed in the name of Hollywood's biggest night. Hints of feathers and sparkle can feel classically Chanel, but applying them to a semi-sheer bodice and a giant feather skirt is straight out of 2026. A Tiffany & Co. necklace featuring more than 18-carats of diamonds added almost more sparkle than the step-and-repeat could handle.
Rose Byrne wearing custom Dior Couture
Rose Byrne told Marie Claire ahead of the 2026 Actor Awards the one feeling she's chased with every red carpet look: "elegance." She got there with this strapless, beaded gown by Dior. Styled by Kate Young, Byrne pulled back her hair into a slick bun and limited her beauty to a bold, red lip, the better to draw attention toward the beaded flowers in bloom all over her corset and skirt.
Many of Dior's red carpet looks under new creative director Jonathan Anderson have included riffs on his runway collections. At Paris Fashion Week, Dior showed a Fall 2026 line-up defined by water lilies and airy blossoms. Those motifs immediately came to mind when Byrne hit the carpet; at the same time, it read like Anderson giving Byrne her flowers for her first-ever Oscar nomination.
Jessie Buckley wearing Chanel
At first glance, Jessie Buckley's entry to the best-dressed list is an expert lesson in controversial color combinations. Lipstick red and peony pink aren't an obvious pairing, but her off-the-shoulder Chanel gown makes it look effortless.
But this look isn't just about first impressions—it's about the research. Ahead of her Best Actress win, Buckley dressed the part by referencing another legend of the screen. She and stylist Danielle Goldberg paid homage to Grace Kelly's 1956 Oscars gown with this custom creation.
Chase Infiniti wearing custom Louis Vuitton
It's easy to forget that Chase Infiniti isn't just making her Oscars red-carpet debut this year; Best Picture nominee One Battle After Another is her first movie, period. But Infiniti, and styling duo Wayman + Micah, have tackled carpet after carpet like a seasoned team.
All season, Infiniti has dressed in a range of custom Louis Vuitton gowns. The streak reached its pinnacle in tonight's look: a corseted, lilac dress with a half-ruffled skirt and halter neckline. A De Beers red-carpet choker kept the look youthful and glamorous at the same time. She may not have been nominated tonight, but no one can doubt this look is the start of an illustrious red carpet career.
Demi Moore wearing custom Gucci
Feathers shaped up to be a major 2026 Oscars red-carpet trend. Demi Moore was first to soar onto the step-and-repeat in her custom Gucci dress. Stylist Brad Goreski said Moore wanted to feel like a "work of art" while serving as an Academy Awards presenter. Between the raven-black plumes grazing her chin and the flecks of emerald green glimmering in her skirt, we say, mission accomplished.
Wunmi Mosaku wearing custom Louis Vuitton
Nine months pregnant, and on the 2026 Oscars red carpet? Sinners star Wunmi Mosaku makes it look easy. With Louis Vuitton providing a mermaid-green gown and stylist Shameelah Hicks tailoring it to perfection, Mosaku showed an entirely new dimension of maternity style while celebrating her nomination.
Mosaku has worked with a mix of Nigerian designers and maisons like Louis Vuitton throughout awards season. Tonight, she paid homage to the Nigerian diaspora with an intricate up-do inspired by her heritage. Tomorrow, Marie Claire will have even more details on the making of her gown in an exclusive edition of our column, The Close-Up.
Anne Hathaway wearing Valentino
Anna Wintour declined to comment on Anne Hathaway's 2026 Oscars red-carpet dress when they presented the Best Costume Design award side by side. Marie Claire is happy to step in. The actress cleverly nodded to her Devil Wears Prada character, Andy Sachs, in an all-over floral gown by Valentino. For those who don't have the movie memorized, it's clearly a nod to one of one of the film's most famous lines—cementing "florals for spring" as anything but "groundbreaking." But at the Academy Awards, Hathaway and her Bulgari high jewelry proved blooms are a seasonal requirement on the red carpet.
Audrey Nuna wearing custom Thom Browne
K-Pop Demon Hunters star Audrey Nuna has worn Thom Browne all awards season long for a sentimental reason: Her grandfather was a garment manufacturer, and Thom Browne was one of his clients. Now, she's paying tribute to her family's legacy in fashion with Browne's most unexpected design yet.
The house is best known for preppy jackets and a palette of red, white, gray, and navy, extending from trompe-l'œil dresses to a recent Asics sneaker collaboration. But the 2026 Oscars, where K-Pop Demon Hunters would eventually win Best Animated Picture, deserved something out-of-the-ordinary. So Nuna instead convinced the house to try a gilded golden bodice, with sequins dripping onto a voluminous skirt. Here, flipping the script more than pays off.
Emma Stone wearing Louis Vuitton
It's a guarantee at every single awards show: Emma Stone and stylist Petra Flannery will turn out a custom Louis Vuitton look. While we know who Stone will wear, we can't always predict what the duo will turn out. The Bugonia star's dress for the 2026 Oscars was a welcome minimalist swerve: short-sleeved, coated in pailettes, and entirely open in the back. According to E! News, the dress required 600 hours of handwork to complete. It shows: It's a work of understated art.
Elle Fanning wearing custom Givenchy by Sarah Burton
Elle Fanning is proof that second is the best: The 2026 Oscars are only her second-ever, and she's delivered an even more memorable Givenchy gown than last year's debut. Once again working with stylist Samantha McMillen and Givenchy creative director Sarah Burton, Fanning chose a princess gown in every sense of the phrase. From the ballgown skirt to the hand-placed wisteria-petal detailing and Cartier jewels circa 1903, Fanning looked like red-carpet royalty.
Odessa A'zion wearing Valentino
Odessa A'zion has spent her Marty Supreme press run in deliberately undone looks with couture labels, from Armani to tonight's Valentino. She brought a bohemian sensibility to the 2026 Oscars red carpet in a jacket spangled with celestial embellishments, accented with studded sleeves. The final touch? She told E! News the look wouldn't have been complete without "throwing on" layered necklaces by Pandora.
Zendaya wearing Louis Vuitton
Most years, Kylie Jenner is the only celebrity sneaking into the Oscars late. But for the 98th Annual Academy Awards, the title of most fashionably late arrival went to Zendaya. After Law Roach teased her arrival, Z joined The Drama co-star Robert Pattinson to present the award for Best Director in a custom Louis Vuitton gown. A recent streak of bridal white dresses ended in favor of a chocolate brown, minimalist dress, featuring a slanted, single shoulder and draping along her hips. Simple, elegant, and very much worth the wait.
