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Red carpet lovers, rejoice: The 2026 awards season is officially here.
With the Critics Choice Awards last weekend, and the Golden Globes and National Board of Review Gala just a few days away, Hollywood stars are kicking off the grand race to the Oscars in March. This season already has plenty of exciting acting talents to spot on the red carpets—including frontrunners such as Chase Infiniti, Renate Reinsve, and Rose Byrne. And better yet, all of these actors are going to be bringing stellar fashions along with them these next few months.
Glitzy is as glitzy does, for any star-studded awards season, and one enduringly popular move for stars has been to embrace more of an Old Hollywood aesthetic during their relentless campaign for a little statuette. Survey any red carpet—the Globes, the SAG Awards, the Oscars—and you are bound to see a sea of strapless gowns, sequin embellishments, and long, sweeping trains, all of which could easily be situated smack bang in the 1950s, when stars like Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Audrey Hepburn were in their heyday. The question is: in the year 2026, does Old Hollywood dressing still feel…resonant? Relevant? Invigorating?
Fashion as of late has been enjoying a refreshed sense of eccentricity, with more off-kilter silhouettes and cheeky details. There’s a wackier and more individual approach to dressing for the spotlight—Myha’la and Alexander Skarsgard come to mind. So much so, that one wonders if a sweetheart neckline or traditional mermaid train feels representative of the current fashion mood.
Then again, a sense of glamour and lavishness—two pillars of Old Hollywood, when the big film studios had big money to burn—still goes hand-in-hand with awards season dressing today, too. You still want to see a star looking like a million bucks. You want to feel the fantasy that a gargantuan train or few hundred yards of taffeta can sweep you up in. But is it possible to do so in a way that also feels fun, modern, and unexpected? Top red stylists say yes.
Behind the scenes, countless red carpet pulls and fittings have already begun, and many red carpet stylists are still going for this Old Hollywood style—but with a twist. Jason Bolden, who styles clients such as Cynthia Erivo and Michael B. Jordan, is eyeing looks that are elegant in a more whimsical way. “Old Hollywood style is classic shapes, but with bold details or prints,” says Bolden. “I look to brands like Chanel: The recent pre-fall show has so many epic references.”
Pointing to the collection that designer Matthieu Blazy debuted in New York in December, Bolden recalls a simple white chiffon tank gown with intricate silver beadwork from the runway. “These looks are so spot-on modern, but the essence of old Hollywood lives in these options,” he says.
Stylist Micaela Erlanger, who dresses clients such as Ego Nwodim and Lupita Nyong’o, adds that a present-day approach to Old Hollywood dressing involves finding frocks that have a soft and romantic quality to them. “It’s less about sharp lines or rigid structure, and more about elegance that endures,” Erlanger tells Vogue. “[I look for] fluid silhouettes, beautiful drape, and a sense of ease that feels innate rather than styled.”
Designs that are on Erlanger’s 2026 awards season mood board? She considers a sleek, corseted black jumpsuit from McQueen, or a silver Schiaparelli gown with a three-dimensional flower at the shoulder. They are pieces that have the drama of Old Hollywood, but with a clean and easy sophistication that is synonymous with 2026 dressing. “I’m drawn to pieces that feel effortless but considered, where the glamour comes from proportion, fabric, and how the woman inhabits the clothes,” says Erlanger.
Other stylists, meanwhile, bank on the much finer details. Fabio Immediato, who dresses stars such as Bella Ramsey and Joseph Quinn, says his choices often revolve around choosing exquisite fabrics, which nod to eras-gone-by glamour in a subtle way. “Old Hollywood style in 2026 isn’t about cosplay or nostalgia—it’s about selective glamour,” he says. While you may think of real furs and sequins for Old Hollywood style, he says more unexpected choice—a stealthy wool, a divine jersey, or delicate knit—can make looks feel entirely updated. “The look feels modern when it borrows the attitude of classic cinema—polish, confidence, drama—while updating the execution (fabric, fit, restraint, and context),” says Immediato.
On the menswear front, stylist Chloe Takayanagi says her leading gents can also channel the more classic era with an updated suit or tuxedo. “When I picture Old Hollywood formal menswear, I often think of well-tailored polished tuxedos styled with bowties, ties, cummerbunds, shawls, and other accessories,” she says. “You could style it similar to Haider Ackermann s resort 2026 Tom Ford collection, where we saw him use ascots in a more relaxed fashion—draped or loosely tied around the neck under polos, and knits layered beneath a suede jacket. I noticed there were also some use of fabric belts with fringe to tie a look together, which resembles a tuxedo shawl.”
On the awards circuit these next few months, then, be sure to keep an eye on the elegant dresses and suits that you see A-listers wearing on the red carpet. If styled right, you will be able to clock the celebrity looks that rightfully strike the balance between Old Hollywood and New Hollywood. The best red carpet moments of 2026, Erlanger says, should exist somewhere in between the two. “When done well, Old Hollywood doesn’t reference a moment in time,” she says. “It feels eternal.”
