Key Points
- Zendaya topped best-dressed picks in a chandelier-beaded Prada gown with a sharply modern pixie cut.
- Major fashion houses drove a red carpet defined by saturated colour, couture and experimental styling.
- Television’s flagship awards strengthened their position alongside film ceremonies as a major fashion showcase.
The latest
Zendaya set the fashion benchmark at the 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards, leading the best-dressed selection in a tulle Prada gown covered in chandelier-like beading. Her pixie hairstyle sharpened the vintage-inflected silhouette, while stars across the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles leaned into bolder colour, couture techniques and adventurous designer choices. The result was a red carpet shaped by contrasts: ivory against cornflower blue, pistachio beside monochrome, and burgundy offset by metallic oxblood and gold.
Details
- Prada partnership: Zendaya balanced the gown’s delicate tulle and elaborate beading with a cropped, contemporary hairstyle. The appearance continued her collaboration with image architect Law Roach, combining vintage references with styling designed to give the embellished Prada silhouette a cleaner, more modern edge.
- Chanel contrast: Nicole Kidman chose an ivory feathered bustier, creating one of the evening’s lightest and most textural looks. Ayo Edebiri took Chanel in a different direction, wearing a cornflower-blue and red design by Matthieu Blazy that joined strong colour with the house’s couture presence.
- Blue and lilac: Carey Mulligan wore cobalt blue from The Row, reinforcing the return of saturated shades to the carpet. Florence Pugh and Sarah Pidgeon approached the same wider colour story through lilac-toned gowns, giving softer pastels a visible place alongside the ceremony’s deeper hues.
- Fanning sisters: Elle Fanning selected a pistachio-green Ralph Lauren slip dress cut on the bias, pairing a distinctive colour with a fluid silhouette. Dakota Fanning instead opted for black-and-white Carolina Herrera, creating a monochrome counterpoint to her sister’s understated green look.
- Oxblood and gold: Cynthia Nixon appeared in burgundy Issey Miyake, while Chase Infiniti wore a metallic, studded Louis Vuitton design in a related oxblood shade. Selena Gomez shifted the palette towards gold in Louis Vuitton, extending the evening’s preference for richer colours and reflective finishes.
- Statuette styling: Megan Stalter turned the Emmy trophy itself into a fashion reference. Her full statuette-inspired look combined feathers with gilt body paint, pushing the evening’s gold theme beyond conventional formalwear and making theatrical transformation part of the red-carpet display.
- Menswear range: Menswear moved between pattern, craft and formal tailoring. Alan Cumming wore a floral navy suit, Jeff Hiller chose Bode, Gary Oldman appeared in Dior and Christopher Chung selected Dunhill, giving the men’s arrivals a broad mix of decorative and traditional approaches.
Between the lines
The concentration of Chanel, Prada, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren and other major houses reflected the Emmys’ growing weight in the fashion calendar. Colour and couture-level styling helped the television ceremony compete visually with the red carpets surrounding film’s leading awards.
What’s next
The next major awards red carpet will show whether the Emmys’ dominant elements—saturated colour, metallic finishes, couture detailing and expressive menswear—carry forward into the wider awards-season fashion cycle.
