The 13 Best-Dressed Stars at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards Start Trophy Season Strong

The best-dressed stars at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards wanted to start the trophy circuit fresh. For the January 4 red carpet, held at Santa Monica's Barker Hangar, nominees and guests weren't content with the awards season style regulars: cupcake-shaped ballgowns, tributes to Old Hollywood, trips to a long-lost vintage collection, and so on. Instead, nominees from the year's buzziest movies (Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another) and TV shows (The Pitt, Severance, Shrinking) experimented with red-carpet suiting and new-to-them dress styles. Some genres of gowns and matching sets had been seen before these Critics Choice Awards, it's true. However, they found new life on a crop of rising talents.

Repeat attendees like Elle Fanning and Ariana Grande considered the 2026 Critics Choice Awards their chances to branch out. Fanning and stylist Samantha McMillen took an unexpected trip to an early aughts Ralph Lauren runway. Grande and Roach, meanwhile, found new dimensions for Glinda the Good-inspired pink. Then there were the debut attendees who made a strong first impression: Sorry, Baby star Eva Victor in a chicly understated Ferragamo suit; Chase Infiniti in boundary-pushing Louis Vuitton; Hamnet's Jessie Buckley in next-gen Dior.

As awards season rolls on, remember to bookmark the names on the Critics Choice Awards best-dressed list ahead. If they keep up this adventurous red carpet style streak, they'll be at the top of every ranking from now until the 2026 Academy Awards.

Elle Fanning wearing archival Ralph Lauren

In November, Elle Fanning told me she sometimes likes to take a break from the "princess"-style ballgowns she's known for. At the 2026 Critics Choice Awards, she landed on the best-dressed list by making that exact 180-switch. The Sentimental Value nominee instead turned to Ralph Lauren's archives for a sultry, liquid gold number circa Fall 2023. Once stylist Samantha McMillen added a dusting of Cartier diamonds and tousled waves, Fanning proved she can still be red carpet royalty without an over-the-top gown.

Ariana Grande wearing Alberta Ferretti

Together, Ariana Grande and Law Roach truly are unlimited. The pair kicked off Grande's Wicked: For Good awards campaign in an ethereal twist on Glinda pink. Rather than turning to Ozian vintage archives, like they have for recent red carpets, they tapped Alberta Ferretti for a custom scoop-neck gown twinkling with Swarovski crystals. The "Girl in the Bubble" didn't need an oversize ballgown skirt to look like she was floating on air; an ethereal, sheer overlay did the work for her.

Wunmi Mosaku wearing custom Zac Posen created in the Gap Studio

"New year, new experiences," Sinners star Wunmi Mosaku captioned a photo of her custom Gap Studio by Zac Posen gown for the 2026 Critics Choice Awards on Instagram. I'd like to add "New best-dressed contender" to her description. With styling by Shameelah Hicks Senat, Mosaku looked simply regal at her debut Critics Choice Awards. Her gown featured the draping that's Posen's signature, along with an ombré blue train winking at GapStudio's denim origins. Of course, this off-the-shoulder neckline and smattering of Messika diamonds doesn't look anything like the label's usual shelves.

Bella Ramsey wearing Prada

Let the Last of Us star be the first to remind you: red carpets can be so much more than glamorous gowns. Bella Ramsey delivered a Prada jumpsuit with plenty of wow factor, thanks to its layers of beaded fringe along the neckline and waist. Underneath, her bright red shirt and white tie packed an eye-catching punch. The actor has long been a fan of androgynous awards season dressing; this take brought elegance and ease in equal measure.

Jessie Buckley wearing Dior

With the 2026 Critics Choice Awards, Jessie Buckley switched up her red carpet rotation. Introducing Dior with help from stylist Danielle Goldberg paid dividends, without sacrificing Buckley's minimal (and chicly comfortable) style. The Hamnet star loves a loose, black trouser on the red carpet. Here, her refreshing alternative to a typical leading lady gown felt just as elegant with a very Jonathan Anderson drop-waist, double bow blouse on top.

Eva Victor wearing Ferragamo

There are no apologies needed for Sorry, Baby star Eva Victor's 2026 Critics Choice Awards suit. In fact, it deserves a few thank-you's directed toward Victor and stylist Danielle Goldberg. The pair sourced Ferragamo's Spring 2026 runway for a look that breathes new life into classic black tailored separates, from the oversize silhouette to the viscose scarf tied like a belt at Victor's waist.

Jessica Williams wearing custom Bora Aksu

At press time, Shrinking star Jessica Williams and stylist Sarah Slutsky hadn't yet shared the designer behind Williams's white gown set with a hem-length black ribbon. By the morning, Williams confirmed London-based label Bora Aksu was behind the piece.

Either way, a first glance said it was both best-dressed worthy and consistent with the comedian's approach to awards season. Williams told me herself at the 2025 Emmys her red carpet style is "easy but somewhat glamorous." A stark gown with bold-yet-feminine accents definitely strikes that balance.

Audrey Nuna wearing Marc Jacobs

Critics Choice Awards viewers used to know Audrey Nuna for lending her voice to the Kpop Demon Hunters cast. Now, they also know she's a fashion force to be reckoned with. She skipped past safe red carpet gowns for a Marc Jacobs Spring 2025 look sourced by stylist Danyul Brown. It's defined by larger-than-life circular shoulders and an even more sculptural skirt, set over quirky curved shoes, trademarks of Jacobs' recent fascination with doll-like clothing. While the palette is all-black, this look is definitely "Golden" in the eyes of fashion girls.

Ginnifer Goodwin wearing Giorgio Armani

No red carpet is complete without a nod to the forefather of modern celebrity style: Giorgio Armani. Ginnifer Goodwin and stylist Katie Bofshever made sure the maestro's legacy was represented with this high-neck gown from the Fall 2020 collection. Mere months after the legendary designer's passing, any glimpse of his work is a reminder of how well he understood A-list clients' desire to dress the part. Here, his mastery is evident in the abstract florals created by abstract sequins coating Goodwin's gown.

Britt Lower wearing Bottega Veneta

Louise Trotter's debut Bottega Veneta collection had every fashion editor wondering who would wear it first—and which pieces they'd pull from the runway. A few months later, Severance star Britt Lower joined the list. She paid homage to her series' eerily minimalist palette with this winter white dress-over-pants combination pulled from the Spring 2026 runway. Her only modification? Trading the catwalk's extra-fluffy slide sandals for a sleek pair of pumps.

Ego Nwodim wearing Carolina Herrera

The fashion start of Ego Nwodim's post-Saturday Night Live era is no laughing matter. Before she could tell red carpet reporters why she really exited the series, her Carolina Herrera gown's hip-high slit—topped with a demure black bow—said that she's all-in on her pivot away from late night. If more looks like this are guaranteed at her future appearances, I'm all-in on Nwodim's next red carpet chapter.

Chase Infiniti wearing Louis Vuitton

The 2026 Critics Choice Awards wasn't merely Chase Infiniti's first event of 2026. It marked her first Best Actress nomination of the season, for her role in One Battle After Another. Stylists Wayman and Micah understand that a debut nomination deserves an award-worthy wardrobe to go with it. (Especially for a client who's never fronted a major film before: The more top-tier designers she can secure, the more seriously the industry will take her.)

They turned to Louis Vuitton, a house that's helped Chase Infiniti's style star rise alongside her reputation as an emerging talent, for a twist on the dominant awards season shade. Instead of a typical trophy-inspired gold, they selected a buttery yellow for Infiniti's ab-baring two piece set. With its cape-like draping and floor-grazing hem, the crop top and matching skirt made Chase Infiniti look like a best-dressed list veteran.

Kylie Jenner wearing vintage Versace

Okay, she isn't an official 2026 Critics Choice Awards nominee. But Kylie Jenner's supporting role as girlfriend to Marty Supreme star (and actual nominee) Timothée Chalamet continues to generate some of the awards circuit's most talked-about looks. Last night, she arrived fashionably late in a vintage Versace gown sourced by stylists Alexandra and Mackenzie Grandquist from Tab Vintage. The Fall 1996 dress by Gianni Versace Couture is the sort that naturally pulls focus, on account of its painted-on silhouette and intricate floral sequins. (Tailoring by Rae Moore Studio ensured it fit like a glove.) No wonder Jenner follows this formula when she's joining Chalamet everywhere from the Golden Globes to his many premieres.