Fashion
Our Final Power Ranking Of The 2026 Awards Season’s Best-Dressed Stars
See how the list shook out after a whirlwind last weekend.
We did it, Joe. We made it to the end of awards season! The restless hands of celebrity stylists and ateliers around the world can finally come to a halt as we take stock of their months-long efforts. It was one custom dress (and suit) after another for the top ten most stylish stars, who tired themselves out promoting their films in hopes of picking up more hardware at the Oscars. Celebrities gave us one (or two) final red-carpet moments on the last big night, and with that hard work in mind, we are ready to wrap up our power ranking of the season’s flyest guys and girls.
The season was defined by individuality. Indeed, the girls who stayed in our top two spots knew what they liked and went with it all season. Three of our favorites — Eva Victor, Renate Reinsve, and Emma Stone — all went ultra-minimal in looks that skimmed their bodies and let the handiwork do the talking. Chase Infiniti was indubitably the breakout star of both One Battle After Another and the red carpet this year, securing a Louis Vuitton contract and flaunting her ethereal beauty at every step. Our favorite real-life Disney princess Elle Fanning held steadfast in her place near the top of our list in miles of tulle and satin, and one actress snuck in at the last minute. As for the rest of the rankings? Keep scrolling to see the final, be-all-end-all list of the best-dressed ladies and gentlemen of the 2026 awards season.
10Odessa A’zion
Previous ranking: N/A
A’zion is a last-minute addition to our list; she hasn’t popped out to much this awards season, but when she has, it’s been unmistakably Odessa. Just like Teyana Taylor, she styles herself, the better to help her looks feel 100 percent her. This Valentino Couture worn at the Oscars feels youthful, fresh, and different from the gorgeous gowns seen on the majority of girls her age. She’s a true individual, for which we have no choice but to clap and make room for her on this ranking.
09Timothée Chalamet
Previous ranking: 4
The man behind the most viral movie marketing of the year knows his fashion. Did his ballet and opera comments bar him from getting his first Oscar? Who knows, but his all-white looks at the Oscars and respective afterparties were fun and swag-filled final hoorahs for the ping pong king. This Chrome Hearts at the Vanity Fair party is particularly cool without feeling too try-hard. (We’re just happy he didn’t wear orange.)
08Chase Infiniti
Previous ranking: 3
The breakout beauty of awards season is a Louis Vuitton girl through and through. She’s delighted at every turn with fashion that is playful and dramatic. Her one-two Vuitton punch at the Oscar and Vanity Fair afterparty were not our favorite looks she’s worn all season, but her beautiful, age-appropriate glam kept us coming back for more. We know we’ll see much more of her in what is sure to be an illustrious career.
07Jacob Elordi
Previous ranking: 9
Not only is Elordi a first-time Oscar nominee with his role as the monster in Frankenstein, he’s also launching his blockbuster-hunk era as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. He’s a Bottega Veneta baddie through and through, wearing almost exclusively Louise Trotter’s dapper designs, and it’s virtually impossible for him to look bad in anything. He ended the season with a dandyish look that proves 1. the mullet isn’t going anywhere and 2. men need to wear more waistcoats, stat.
06Eva Victor
Previous ranking: 5
Victor’s directorial debut, Sorry, Baby, is one of NYLON’s favorite films of the year, and their streamlined approach to dressing has found its fit with both Loewe and stylist Danielle Goldberg. They won big at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, scooping Best Screenplay (and Naomi Ackie took home Best Supporting Performance for her turn in Victor’s movie), and while they didn’t secure an Oscar nom (sad!), they kept their spot on this list with stunning dresses all season long. The final hoorah in the form of this breastplated Loewe made us smile.
05Jessie Buckley
Previous ranking: 7
Winning has never looked so good. Buckley was stylist Danielle Goldberg’s fashion darling this season and the only sure winner before Hollywood’s biggest night. She won every major award for her devastating turn in Hamnet, and shot up two places for this impeccable pink-and-red Chanel gown. Her looks were classic glamour with pitch-perfect makeup and jewelry. Less was always more for Buckley, the better to not distract from the golden trophies she picked up along the way.
04Renate Reinsve
Previous ranking: 9
The Norwegian actor best known for her work with Joachim Trier secured an Oscar nom for her tear-jerking performance in Sentimental Value, and her relationship with Louis Vuitton meant lots of custom dresses that are works of architecture in themselves. She wore the most simple stitch of hot-red fabric at the Oscars, and in anyone else’s hands it might feel contrived, but Reinsve delivers with beautifully demure glam and those legs! It takes a lot of effort to look this casual, cool, and HOT.
03Emma Stone
Previous ranking: 6
Stone is now in the all-time greats conversation (if she wasn’t already previously) with her fifth acting nomination at the Oscars. She also shot up to a place on the podium with her final effort in another stunning beaded Louis Vuitton piece. Her low-key ‘90s vibe, with barely a pattern or color in sight all awards season, let her natural beauty shine and proved she is the queen of minimalism. Her dresses didn’t work hard, but her Nina Park glam and bob certainly did.
02Elle Fanning
Previous ranking: 2
Fanning, like Reinsve, delivers a grounded, striking performance in Sentimental Value, and also knows how important humanity is in her fashion. She rounded out her awards season in two custom Givenchy by Sarah Burton gowns; we are particularly enchanted by the black strapless gown that encapsulates her thesis statement for getting dressed all season. The looks harken back to Audrey Hepburn and other Old Hollywood legends, and her porcelain skin and hair bring all the fashion into the 21st century. She is the princess of the night anywhere she goes, and it’s never once been boring.
01Teyana Taylor
Previous ranking: 1
Is anyone surprised to see her in this position? Nobody had more fun shapeshifting for every premiere, event, and award ceremony this season than Taylor. She went from vixen to fashion darling and back again, showing off her infamous washboard abs — and genuine love for fashion. At every turn, there was something different for every occasion, whether in men’s Saint Laurent at the Critics’ Choice Awards or gravity-defying Tom Ford at the Grammys. She ended the season with two bangin’ Chanel looks and the top prize, proving you don’t need a signature look to make an impact.
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