Arden Cho's 2026 Oscars Gown Is a Call for Young Korean Girls to "Unapologetically Take Up Space"

This is The Close-Up, where the biggest names in entertainment explain the story behind their latest personal style statement.

KPop Demon Hunters star Arden Cho has spent all of award season reimagining her character's signature colors. Her lavender Vivienne Westwood dress at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards, she tells Marie Claire from her Oscars glam chair, was "very Rumi-coded." Once the 2026 Academy Awards finally arrived, Cho gravitated away from the Best Animated Feature-winner's palette and toward "something more for myself."

The Korean-American actor pauses mid-makeup application to reveal Rumi—the fierce yet vulnerable lead singer of K-pop girl group Huntrix—still had a spot on her red carpet mood board. She questioned, "Do we go purple? Do we go gold? Do we do these things that feel like a nod to Rumi?" in the build-up to award season's grand finale. Ultimately, Cho made her Oscars debut in Korean label Miss Sohee, which honored both her and Rumi's heritage.

Cho shifts her chair to admire "the sculpted corsetry and meticulous hand embroidery" of her Oscars dress. "The first thing I thought when I saw it was, 'This reminds me of a traditional Korean hanbok,'" she says, gazing at the cherry blossom and bird appliqués atop each voluminous, carpet-grazing sleeve. "[Miss Sohee's] work brings in so much Korean heritage and blends it with modern Western couture," she explains. Wearing a Korean designer while KPop Demon Hunters became the first Korean animated film to win Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song was quite literally "historical."

Cho wants this moment to "encourage young Korean girls that we can be loud, bold, and unapologetically take up space," she shares. She calls herself a "shy girl," one that's conscious of being "too much." But with the help of stylist Katie Qian, a first-generation descendent of Chinese immigrants, Cho didn't hold back at the Oscars.

Beneath the moss green sleeves emerges a strapless, nearly-naked gown, which transforms from black lace to bedazzled fishnet-esque scallops. "It has a really sexy, tighter silhouette underneath and then, the sleeves are the drama moment where it feels a bit more grand," Cho says.

It couldn't be more different from her wedding dress, which she started searching for while planning her Oscars look. Trying on endless gowns—both award show- and wedding-worthy—taught Cho about different silhouettes, styles, and "how far to push the fashion and the comfort." Some designs, while glamorous, are made for "standing, not sitting," she laughs. Cho hasn't said yes to a wedding dress just yet, but she'll resume shopping with a new wealth of knowledge. The perks of attending the Oscars are endless, it seems.

No "princess moment" would be complete without a suite of diamonds, courtesy of Messika. "It's so funny because [the collection is] actually called Once Upon a Time," she says. The Miss Sohee gown left her collarbones free to display Messika's Firebird Necklace.

Over 100 carats of marquise-shaped diamonds create the collar-style silhouette, before a detachable five-carat, cushion-cut pendant dangles from the center. "The [matching] Firebird earrings feel really strong and powerful, but they're not too dramatic," Cho adds, as to not outshine her necklace.

Above all, 고급스러워 (gogeubseuleowo) is "the vibe we're going for, which feels elegant, but we didn't try hard," Cho says. A Korean makeup trend called 굽굽 (gubgub) was the cherry on top. "It means being a little baked, but not like what Americans think is a baked makeup style," Cho shares. "In Korea, they're using [toasted], muted, and moody colors mostly for eyes." Makeup artist Sangwon “Sang" Jeo and hair stylist Steven Mason gave the K-beauty trend an Oscars twist with a glossy nude lip and "Hollywood waves," respectively.

Even Cho's getting ready ritual is authentic to her. Her dog, a Pekingese-Shih Tzu mix named Chewy, took breaks from sunbathing to try sitting on her Oscars Miss Sohee. (No wonder the "main character" has 50,000 followers on Instagram.)

If there was any award show to debut her "most elevated" dress, it's the 2026 Oscars. Cho's Miss Sohee did exactly what an Oscars look should do: Stay true to her personal style while embodying the affair's glamour. It also marked the latest chapter in Cho's career of spotlighting Asian designers, including Cong Tri, Le Thanh Hoa, and Sebastian Gunawan.

Miss Sohee's design will always be the gown Cho wore when KPop Demon Hunters made Oscars history. It's only right a Korean creation was her plus-one.

Photographer Ssam Kim | Stylist Katie Qian | Hair Stylist Steven Mason | Makeup Artist Sangwon “Sang" Jeon | Location Hollywood Hills