“Best dressed” is always going to be subjective, but a look at this year’s major red carpets and award shows makes a few names impossible to ignore. Between the Golden Globes, the Oscars, the Critics’ Choice Awards, and a packed awards season overall, a handful of stars have consistently stood out — not just for wearing designer clothes, but for actually taking risks with them.
Teyana Taylor: The Drama Specialist
Teyana Taylor has become one of this season’s most talked-about red carpet presences.At the Oscars, InStyle and Page Six both singled her out for a black-and-white feathered Chanel gown that brought serious drama to an otherwise polished carpet, following a similarly bold, over-the-top silhouette at the Critics’ Choice Awards. She’s carved out a lane as the person who consistently goes bigger than everyone else — and makes it work.
Rose Byrne And Elle Fanning: The Case For Restraint
Not every standout look this year has been maximalist. Rose Byrne’s structured black Dior gown, with its square bodice and floral beading, got repeated praise for proving that a more architectural, minimal approach can hold its own against feathers and sequins. Elle Fanning has had a similarly strong season, from a full-skirted white Givenchy gown at the Oscars to a leopard-print coat and red leather skirt combination that Marie Claire called out as the best-dressed look at a recent Coach event during New York Fashion Week — proof she can pull off both fully polished and casually cool with equal confidence.
Ana De Armas And Renate Reinsve: The Minimalist Sharpness
A quieter trend running through this year’s best-dressed lists is stripped-back glamour. Ana de Armas leaned into a daring, sleeveless glitter gown at the Golden Globes, while Renate Reinsve’s cherry-red Louis Vuitton sheath at the Oscars — kept deliberately simple on accessories — was repeatedly cited as one of the season’s most striking looks specifically because of what it left out rather than what it added.
Nicole Kidman: Consistency Over Time
Nicole Kidman rarely misses, and this year was no exception — her custom Chanel gown at the Oscars, with a cinched peplum waist, got praised for the kind of “ethereal elegance” she’s built an entire reputation around over the years. Longevity matters in these conversations, and Kidman is one of the few names who shows up on best-dressed lists year after year rather than just having one standout season.
What Separates The Best From The Rest
Looking across all of this year’s major events, a pattern shows up repeatedly: the celebrities who consistently land on best-dressed lists aren’t just wearing the most expensive gown in the room. They’re the ones who commit fully to a specific point of view — full drama, full minimalism, or a confident mix of both — rather than playing it safe down the middle. Bold color, sculptural silhouettes, and either maximal embellishment or intentional restraint have defined the standout looks this year, and the stars willing to commit to one lane over a watered-down version of both are the ones actually getting remembered.
Best dressed will always come down to personal taste in the end, but the names above are the ones showing up across nearly every major red carpet recap this year — which is about as close to a consensus as fashion coverage gets.
