The 2026 Oscars red carpet opened at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood Today with a fashion story that had been building all season. After the Golden Globes delivered a parade of saturated, high-voltage color in January, Hollywood’s biggest night took a softer turn. Pastels emerged as the defining palette of the evening, with several of the night’s most talked-about looks arriving in shades of lilac, blush and butter yellow.
The shift was not accidental. Fall 2026 runway collections from Chanel, Chloé and Acne Studios had already previewed a spring-leaning, Easter-adjacent sensibility, giving stylists a range of soft-toned options to draw from. On the Oscars carpet, that influence landed clearly.
The standout pastel looks
Chase Infiniti, a breakout from the Oscar-nominated film One Battle After Another, wore a tiered ruffled lilac gown from Louis Vuitton with a sweeping train. The look was among the most photographed of the evening and extended a strong run of red carpet moments for Infiniti throughout the awards season.
Felicity Jones opted for a classic silhouette in a buttery yellow Prada gown, a quieter choice that read as refined and intentional against the more elaborate looks surrounding her on the carpet.
McKenna Grace brought a different energy entirely. Her pastel pink princess ball gown, paired with a drop diamond tennis necklace, drew immediate comparisons to Gwyneth Paltrow’s iconic pale pink Ralph Lauren moment at the 1999 Academy Awards. The reference felt deliberate and landed well.
The broader fashion picture
Beyond the pastel trend, the carpet offered a wide range of approaches to Oscars dressing. Lead actress nominee Rose Byrne arrived in a strapless black gown with white flower appliqué, a strong and structured look that matched the seriousness of her nomination for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.
Renate Reinsve, nominated for best actress for her performance in Sentimental Value, chose a sleek red dress with a thigh-high slit, one of the sharper and more confident silhouettes of the evening.
Sinners actor Li Jun Li delivered a showstopping red gown with a high slit and long train, continuing a season of memorable red carpet appearances. Sinners cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who could become the first woman to win in the cinematography category, arrived in a striking long coat. Sinners production designer Hannah Beachler wore a flapper-inspired dress that nodded to the film’s 1930s Mississippi setting.
Among the male attendees, lead actor nominee Wagner Moura arrived without a tie, a deliberate departure from traditional Oscars formality. Kieran Culkin, last year’s supporting actor winner and a presenter at this year’s ceremony, opted for a brown blazer rather than the standard black tuxedo. Shaboozey, performing as part of the evening’s musical programming, wore a classic black suit.
Nominees and presenters who made an impression
Zoe Saldaña, last year’s supporting actress winner and a presenter at Today’s ceremony, wore a black lace dress that reinforced her standing as one of the most consistently polished dressers on the circuit. Misty Copeland arrived in a tutu-inspired blazer ahead of her performance during the Sinners musical tribute. Ballet dancer and performer Copeland was part of the live rendition of the Oscar-nominated song “I Lied to You.”
Costume designer Ruth E. Carter, nominated for her fifth Oscar for Sinners, arrived in a black gown with a white train. The choice carried its own quiet statement from one of the most decorated costume designers in film history.
Marlee Matlin attended with her husband Kevin Grandalski. Matlin won the best actress Oscar in 1987 for Children of a Lesser God and remains the youngest winner in that category.
The 98th Academy Awards ceremony aired live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre, hosted by Conan O’Brien for the second consecutive year. The carpet itself required approximately 2,400 hours and more than 400 workers to assemble, covering 25,000 square feet at 900 feet long and 60 feet wide.
