Oscars 2026 Red Carpet: Best-Dressed Stars, Fashion Highlights & Iconic Style Moments.

Sunday’s 98th Annual Academy Awards Returns to the Dolby Theatre | 15th March By Natalie Robinson

A heartfelt congratulations to every nominee and winner at this year’s 98th Annual Academy Awards hosted by Conan O’Brien – a night in which Hollywood’s finest not only celebrated the very best in cinema, but turned the fashion voltage on the red carpet up to full. The Oscars returned to the iconic Dolby Theatre to honour outstanding achievements in film across 2025, marking the triumphant finale of a long and glittering awards season that began in early January with the Critics’ Choice Awards, swept through the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs, and culminated back in Los Angeles for the Actor Awards. For three exhilarating months, the world watched as stars and their stylists delivered moment after unforgettable moment – and a style-hungry global audience was rewarded in abundance. The Relentless team captured every standout look as Hollywood’s finest crossed the finishing line in style.

The race for Best Picture was fiercely contested, with the leading contenders being One Battle after Another, Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Sinners, and Train Dreams – with One Battle after Another ultimately taking home the coveted prize.

As ever, it was the acting nominees who generated the most electric energy – a buzz that ricocheted from the red carpet straight into the Dolby Theatre. The Best Actor in a Leading Role category was nothing short of extraordinary: Michael B. Jordan took home the gold for Sinners, triumphing over Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme), Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle after Another), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), and Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent). Jordan also claimed the Relentless best-dressed accolade on the night, commanding attention in a custom Louis Vuitton suit. His win was the perfect culmination of a historic awards season – long before the ceremony, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners had already made Oscar history, breaking the record for the most nominations ever received by a single film, with an extraordinary 16 nods, including Jordan’s best actor recognition for his mesmerising dual portrayal of identical twins Smoke and Stack.

The Best Supporting Actor category was equally compelling. Sean Penn prevailed for One Battle after Another, edging out Benicio Del Toro (One Battle after Another), Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein), Delroy Lindo (Sinners), and Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value). On the style front, the men of this year’s Oscars made a quietly bold statement – setting aside traditional tuxedos in favour of brooches, pushing the boundaries of masculinity with understated but deliberate elegance.

In the Best Actress in a Leading Role category, Jessie Buckley delivered a night to remember – collecting her Oscar for Hamnet and simultaneously securing her place on the best-dressed list in a breathtaking custom red and pink Chanel gown, described by the house as “a light pink bustier chiffon dress with a red satin leather stole.” The look drew instant comparisons to Grace Kelly’s legendary 1956 Oscars appearance – timeless, romantic, and utterly iconic. Her fellow nominees – Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue), Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value), and Emma Stone (Bugonia) – each brought their own distinctive energy to the carpet.

The Best Supporting Actress race saw Amy Madigan claim victory for Weapons, competing against Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value), Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value), Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners), and Teyana Taylor (One Battle after Another). While Madigan took home the statuette, Teyana Taylor was impossible to overlook – arriving in a stunning black-and-white gown by Chanel’s creative director Matthieu Blazy, paired with exquisite Tiffany & Co. jewellery.

As Coco Chanel famously observed, fashion fades – only style remains. Chanel, under the masterful direction of Matthieu Blazy, has undeniably dominated the red carpet this entire awards season. Yet the Oscars continue to be a stage where fashion’s greatest houses leave their indelible mark: Dior Haute Couture, Elie Saab, Giorgio Armani, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Oscar de la Renta, and Valentino among them – each house writing its own chapter in the ongoing story of red-carpet dressing.

Final thoughts? The brooch is having its defining moment – and it is the men of the red carpet who are leading the charge. Once considered a relic of a bygone era, this most storied of accessories has been reimagined and reclaimed, appearing on tailored lapels and classic suiting with a confidence that signals something far greater than a fleeting trend. This is a full-scale revival, and it shows no signs of fad(ing) away – pun intended!

Brown and black – once dismissed as a combination to avoid (like navy and black) – have emerged as the season’s most quietly sophisticated pairing. Kieran Culkin’s red carpet outfit choice reveals that these two rich, grounding tones not only coexist but also elevate one another. Expect this refined colour story to continue through to the high street. Miles Caton and Felix Kammerer have mastered the art of tonal dressing in burgundy, brown and orange, repositioning these hues as modern colour-codes for red-carpet style. And then there is cobalt blue – the undisputed colour of the season. Bold, electric, and utterly commanding, it has cut a vivid path from the BAFTA red carpet to the Oscars, looking unforgettably fabulous on Barbie Ferreira.

Scroll through the gallery below for our top red-carpet looks from the 2026 Oscars – moments of pure sartorial brilliance that are already poised to shape the high-street trends of tomorrow, bringing the magic of luxury fashion within reach for everyone.