The 20 Best- and Worst-Dressed Celebs at the 2026 CFDA Awards

Elle Fanning in CoachTaylor Hill//Getty ImagesWhile we think a floor-length leather coat can be dramatic on a red carpet, it’s really all about what you pair it with, and we just don’t think this somewhat drab dusty pink dress does much for the look. It gives the impression she threw a coat on over a nightgown because her hotel room was on fire in the middle of the night. A coat like that needs a stronger design underneath it. Cute bag, but it doesn’t vibe well with the rest of it.Julia Fox in Miss Claire SullivanTaylor Hill//Getty ImagesWe know we should probably tut-tut her antics, but we honestly think she’s one of the most interesting people you could ever hope to invite to a red carpet event. She always delivers a look. It may not be a chic look or a high-end look or even a pretty look, but it’s always bold and leaves heads turning. What else is a red carpet for? The design gets a little sloppy at the hem, but it’s a witty and well-styled look. We just don’t love the matchy slides. The tiara is hilarious.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowLaufey in Thom BrowneLEONARDO MUNOZ//Getty ImagesIt’s very old-school debutante and she’s well-suited to it, but it sits too low on her. We certainly don’t have a problem with chic, elegant restraint in style, but we do think you need to do something with it to make it red carpet-ready. There’s nothing wrong with plainly pretty, but a metallic shoe, a pendant, some hair with a little life to it—all of these would improve the look, we think.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowKeke Palmer in Vintage Bob MackieTaylor Hill//Getty ImagesIt’s very showgirl, but that’s what you get when you pick a vintage Bob Mackie. We don’t know if any of his most celebrated divas wore this, but it’s definitely giving Cher, Ann-Margret, and Tina Turner, which can never be bad references for any look. Our only quibble is with the center slit and the hem length, but we love the gold sandals. She’s giving throwback glam and she looks great.Cole Escola in LuarTaylor Hill//Getty ImagesWe half-love this. The hair is exquisite, the jacket is beautifully tailored, and we love the delicate jewelry and lace touches. But we’re sorry to say, everything below the waist is disappointing. If anyone could make a pair of bloomers look chic, it’s probably them, but if you’re not going to commit to wearing tights with them, we don’t see the point. The pants bring the whole look down.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowBecky G in Carolina HerreraTaylor Hill//Getty ImagesThis is lovely. Polka dots are pretty trendy at the moment, and there were several takes on this red carpet, but this was our favorite. It’s a little rare to see the print rendered in anything but black and white, so this pale and pretty blue was a pleasant surprise. We’re not the biggest fans of floppy bows, but we like that this one provides a sharp contrast with the rest of the dress. The ruching is lightly applied and the styling is flawless.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowChlöe Bailey in Christian SirianoDimitrios Kambouris//Getty ImagesWe’ve been banging the “sheer dresses are played out” drum for at least a year now, but designers, stylists, and stars love them way too much. Our one rule about the style is to make it interesting, because there’s nothing worse than showing off your underwear in a boring dress. This is anything but boring. It’s borderline drag queen, but that’s not a bad thing. The feather effect on the cuffs, collar, and hem are fun and fabulous, but it’s her hair and makeup that really sell this look.Esther McGregor in Thom BrowneTaylor Hill//Getty ImagesNow that’s what we’re talking about! Why come to the CFDAs to be normal? This is an insane design, but what impresses us most about this look is how well-styled she is. Her hair and makeup are very pretty, and her jewelry choices are fairly low-key. You really don’t want your styling to be fighting the dress, which doesn’t need any help. We can’t imagine she had an easy time sitting all night, but we’re not opposed to a little suffering in order to serve a look.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowNara Smith in AltuzarraDimitrios Kambouris//Getty ImagesIf there’s one style of dress we dislike above all others, it’s the “my dress is falling off” dress. We tend to think it’s gimmicky, and we also tend to think it’s weird to pretend you’re getting undressed in public. Having said that, we’re surprised to admit how much we love this. The color story is elegant, the exposed bustier is very pretty, and we love how the blocking gives a very simple dress so much visual interest. The relatively clean and low-key styling is perfect.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowCarrie Coon in PartowAdela Loconte//Getty ImagesWe’re sorry, but we simply just don’t like long, sheer overlays over miniskirts. The colors look amazing on her, but we’re not sure we’ve ever seen a dress that gave such a strong impression that it isn’t finished yet. This is like one-third of a good design, and it should’ve been left on the dress form until it was finished.Lupita Nyong’o in GapStudioUdo Salters//Getty ImagesDesigner Zac Posen has been doing a bang-up job of changing the image of Gap by putting high-end custom pieces on the red carpet that work with Gap styles and textiles. What could be more Gap than a red t-shirt and classic denim jacket? We like how the tee has been altered, and the jewelry touches really help elevate the look. It’s cute, it’s chic, and it feels like it came in off the street—in a good way.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowEmily Ratajkowski in Tory BurchJohn Nacion//Getty ImagesGo on, girl. Give us nothing. We’re surprised she picked something so sedate and relatively casual to wear, since she’s usually pretty good about serving a look. Nothing about this says “gala” or even “night.” It feels like she stopped by on her way from work. The skirt’s okay, but the top is a big nothing.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowMegan Thee Stallion in Kim ShuiAdela Loconte//Getty ImagesIt was a big night for crop tops and cutouts, and we wish we could say that we love this take, but it’s a tad over-designed. We tend to hate tassels on sight, and we can’t say this look is changing our mind. The color looks spectacular and we like the design of the bust and halter, but the fit is too tight. All of the embellishments are overdone and could have used an edit. Those hip beads look like they’d be pretty annoying all night.PinkPantheress in CoachUdo Salters//Getty ImagesThis is kind of an oddly unbalanced look. The textile is beautiful, but the design leaves it looking a little flimsy. At the very least, a slightly more interesting bandeau would have helped the look; maybe with some pleating to give it shape. We also think you need to really dress up a crop top for the red carpet so it doesn’t look too “poolside.” She needs some statement jewelry. We don’t understand the black train or sandals at all.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowRosé in Saint LaurentTaylor Hill//Getty ImagesTo us, this is an instance of a beautiful textile being used badly. It’s a rich, luxurious-looking metallic brocade that would make a fantastic coat or ball gown, but it’s too stiff for a crop top and knee-length skirt. We also don’t think it photographs all that well and the color does nothing for her.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowGracie Abrams in Colleen AllenTaylor Hill//Getty ImagesElegant, but a tad boring. Plain black gowns need smart styling to help them stand out, and while we get that she’s not really into a lot of flash in her style, this really could’ve used better jewelry and a more interesting wrap.Brittany Snow in Cult GaiaTaylor Hill//Getty ImagesThis one took us a minute. At first glance, we disliked the color and we felt the design was a little stale, but the longer we took it in, the more it started to appeal to us. The design is deceptive, because it comes across like a standard goddess gown, but the pleating and draping give it real interest and shape. We love the bold lip, which really helps set that pale green off. We might have liked a little bit more in the jewelry department, but the delicate pieces are lovely.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowZoë Kravitz in Saint LaurentTaylor Hill//Getty ImagesCan a girl ever really go wrong in a hot metallic dress and a killer pair of earrings? This is a nice change of pace for her, since she tends to go for slip dresses and sheer dresses more often than not. We love how the bodice looks like they just brushed gilt onto her. The crocodile-like texture gives it more of an old world armored feel, but the shape is pure modern sexy. Those slingbacks are gorgeous.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowDemi Moore in GapStudioTaylor Hill//Getty ImagesIt’s an impressive design, and it fits with Zac Posen’s plans to glam up the brand, but turning denim into a formal gown is always a little tricky. We tend to think it works best if you don’t overwork the textile and if you don’t make too many cutesy references to jean pockets or buttons. In other words, a dress that looks like it was made out of old jeans just doesn’t look chic to us. The bodice works, but the skirt is not great.Tinashe in Christopher John RogersTaylor Hill//Getty ImagesThis is a lot of fun and she looks great in it. We keep coming back to the same point about crop tops and bra tops on a formal red carpet: They need some oomph in the styling. To be fair, this design is bold and bright and doesn’t need too much help, but the color blocking gives it a sporty feel, and we can’t help thinking some bright bangles, a cocktail ring, and a more interesting shoe choice would really elevate this.