13 Runway Looks Vogue Editors Want to See on the 2026 Awards Season Red Carpet

This morning, the 2026 Golden Globes nominations served as the starting pistol in the sprint to the Oscars. While awards season began, unofficially, with the Gothams and Governors Awards, the marquis awards are always the biggest red carpet spectacle.

Here at Vogue, we’ve been keeping a close watch on the spring runways and pre-fall collections (all before the nominees were announced) and making mental notes of what could make for standout red carpet looks. But now that the Golden Globes race is filled with fashion-forward nominees—from Jennifer Lawrence and Eva Victor in lead categories to Teyana Taylor and Elle Fanning in supporting—we’re all the more invigorated.

Global fashion features director Nicole Phelps, for one, is dreaming of a Chloé Zhao Oscar—and what she’d wear for the occasion. “When Chloé Zhao accepts her Oscar for Hamnet (what a movie!), I’d like to see her in this Michael Rider for Celine cape top and trouser look,” she says, referencing spring 2026, look 54. “Zhao isn’t a gown girl, but she is a boss lady, which is why this alternative black tie outfit is so full of potential for her.”

Meanwhile, Christian Allaire—Vogue’s senior fashion style writer—knows exactly what he wants in a red carpet look after years of red carpet best dressed dispatches. “For me, a stellar red carpet often strikes the right balance between a super clean silhouette plus some sort of dazzle factor. This McQueen look has it both,” he says, nominating a fiery, hipbone-baring dress from Seán McGirr’s spring 2026 runway. “It’s extremely timeless and Old Hollywood, yet that intricate, tinsel-like fringing gives it instant wow factor. It’s a bit edgy, dark, and romantic—less of a prim and proper approach that you would expect for an awards season gown.”

Unsurprisingly, Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel is high on the list (surely it’s only a matter of time before someone snags the strapless beaded dress Loli Bahia wore on the Métiers d’art runway in New York City), as is Haider Ackermann’s Tom Ford. Senior editor Laia Garcia-Furtado is keen to see some Ann Demeulemeester representation, while Irene Kim is eager for Demna’s Gucci. Still, we always welcome independent and under-the-radar brands like Christopher John Rogers, Heirlome, and Kiko Kostadinov.

Here, see what Vogue editors want to see on the 2026 awards season red carpets—and stay tuned for a couturified update come January.