Best and Worst Dressed at Oscar’s 2026

At the Academy Awards, the red carpet is practically its own awards show. And the guessing game of who wears what is finally over. After months of speculation, fittings and predictions, the looks have landed, the photos are circulating and the social media town square is already delivering its own verdict on the winners and losers of the night.

Sunday marks the grand finale of a marathon red carpet run that began back at the Emmys and continued through the Golden Globes and the Actor Awards, formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards. If the past few months proved anything, it’s that personality is very much back on the carpet.

But what actually makes a best or worst dressed moment?

Fashion history tells us it’s not always so simple. Take Björk arriving at the Oscars in that now infamous swan dress by Marjan Pejoski. It was mocked at the time, but today it reads like pure pop culture genius. In the era of social media it would have absolutely melted the internet.

Then there’s Celine Dion in John Galliano’s backward white suit and fedora at the 1999 Oscars. Once on worst dressed lists around the world, today it feels downright visionary. It’s probably one of my personal favorites. The only mistake may have been that it was simply ahead of its time.

But let’s not get too serious. It’s just fashion, baby.

Sometimes it’s about context, culture and timing. But one thing is certain. Safe and boring rarely makes history. Seductive revealing gowns, dramatic volumes and a little bit of fashion theater are what we come to see.

This season, one star in particular delivered exactly that: Teyana Taylor, who has fully claimed the crown as the new queen of the red carpet. But she wasn’t the only one bringing high fashion this season. Nominees such as Emma Stone, Jessie Buckley and Rose Byrne have also delivered memorable style moments throughout the awards circuit, proving that this year’s Oscar carpet was never going to be short on fashion.

Below, the night’s biggest fashion hits and a few misses.