Hollywood fashion has never been simply about who wore what — it’s about who dared to make the moment their own. As a stylist and creative director, I follow celebrity style year-round, watching how the women shaping the red carpet translate fashion into identity, influence, and cultural currency.
For The Style Crown, the women on this list share one essential quality: they are fearless and relentless in their pursuit of great style that resonates. Zendaya has already been crowned the belle of the 2026 ball, but the following women are also worthy of contention. They don’t merely wear the moment — they create it!
Teyana Taylor
Teyana Taylor earned her spot as one of the best-dressed women of 2026 by embodying a fearless, unapologetic style that refuses to be boxed in. Her fashion is defined by bold contrasts and always using her athletic physique as a canvas for art. Whether in a flowing sheer Saint Laurent trench, a now-iconic custom Schiaparelli gown with a crystal-encrusted thong at the Golden Globes, Taylor treats every red carpet as a moment of performance. Her consistency across 2026 has cemented her as a true style powerhouse.
Her influence was amplified by collaborations with fashion’s biggest names. She starred in Alaïa’s Summer-Fall 2026 campaign, sat front row as a muse for Chanel, and wore showstopping pieces from Stéphane Rolland, Tom Ford, Burberry, and Ottolinger. From custom Schiaparelli to sleek Tom Ford, Taylor doesn’t just wear designers — she commands them, infusing every look with power, sensuality, and an unmistakable signature that makes her one of 2026’s most memorable style icons.
Chloë Sevigny
Chloë Sevigny has been the undisputed queen of New York cool since the 1990s, when she was anointed the city’s ultimate “It girl”. Decades later, she remains its most instinctive and magnetic ambassador, now on a global stage. Her style has always been a masterclass in personal freedom — she doesn’t dress for a specific occasion, but for herself. She makes clothes feel lived-in, not performed.
What makes her a true 2026 icon is how she has translated that downtown New York energy into an internationally recognized, enduring signature. From a sculptural butter-yellow Calvin Klein dress at a premiere to an off-duty matching bloomer set that defines cool-girl summer style, she moves between high fashion and wondrously whimsy with total authority. Sevigny embodies a wardrobe built on instinct and movement — one that transitions from day to night with the same confident, intuitive ease that has defined her look for over three decades.
Michaela Coel
Michaela Coel earned her place among the best-dressed women of 2026 by transforming a double press tour into a masterclass in style. Simultaneously promoting two films, The Christophers and Mother Mary, she treated every red carpet as an opportunity for bold, genre-defying fashion. Her style is defined by a fearless play with texture, color, and silhouette, moving from the sharp elegance of an unconventionally buttoned Ferragamo skirt suit to the artistic flair of a beaded, fringed Loewe gown.
This sartorial journey was supported by a stunning roster of fashion houses. She frequently donned Chanel, including a beaded midi skirt and a plaid bouclé jacket from Matthieu Blazy, the architectural tailoring of Ferragamo, the contemporary edge of Courrèges, and show-stopping pieces from Sarah Burton’s Givenchy and Brooklyn-based independent designer Colleen Allen. From elegant Chanel tweeds to daring Balmain, Coel consistently showcased her versatility and keen eye, solidifying her status as one of the most compelling and authentic style icons of the year.
Hunter Schafer
Hunter Schafer is serving main character energy on every red carpet, and that’s exactly why she’s one of the best-dressed women of 2026. From the Met Gala to Comic-Con, she been giving early access energy, with a style all about high-fashion risk-taking. Schafer mixes colors that shouldn’t work or throw on a sheer dress with wild prints, and she always pulls it off seamlessly.
Her designer roster is stacked: she’s repping Prada as a house ambassador and face of their campaigns, turning heads in custom Cavalli and Schiaparelli, and consistently flexing fresh-off-the-runway Marc Jacobs. She is known for highlighting new and emerging designers too, including Steve O. Smith, whose ‘wearable art’ dress was pure main-character energy. Schafer doesn’t just wear clothes — she makes every look a mood, and we are living for it.
Lupita Nyong’o
Lupita Nyong’o has elevated the 2026 red carpet to an art form, transforming the press tour for The Odyssey into a masterclass in mythological glamour. Channeling the power of Helen of Troy, she delivered a run of looks that were consistently intentional, elevated, and breathtakingly diverse. From a sculptural gold Nicholas Oakwell gown at the New York premiere to a fiery coral Chanel creation in Paris and a breathtaking sheer Christian Cowan number in London, each look was a deliberate nod to ancient Greek elegance, styled to perfection by Micaela Erlanger.
Lupita has been a red carpet staple for years now, and continues to dominate with her ethereal choices. What makes her style so compelling is the refusal to be predictable. She seamlessly mixes high-low with Aldo sandals or elevates a look with statement Sabyasachi jewelry, proving her style is not just about the clothes, but about a singular, fearless vision.
Chase Infiniti
Chase Infiniti is the Gen Z style chameleon we didn’t see coming, and honestly? We’re obsessed. The ‘One Battle After Another’ breakout star owned 2026 awards season like she’d been doing this for decades, serving looks that went from ethereal lavender princess at the Oscars to artsy primary-colored drama at the Met Gala.
What makes Infiniti #ThatGirl isn’t just the designer moments — it’s her versatility. One week she’s doing balletcore realness in a corseted tutu dress, the next she’s channeling old Hollywood glamour in a pink feathered boa moment. She treats every red carpet like a playground, working with her style team to push boundaries and have fun with fashion. And the best part? She’s just getting started — the Chase Infiniti era is officially here, and we’re so here for it!
Florence Pugh
Florence Pugh has officially entered her ‘soft power’ era — and it’s taking her places. In 2026, she’s traded maximalism for precision Prada suits, clean lines, and monochromatic tailoring that exudes quiet luxury at its finest, and honestly? It’s giving!
But Pugh still has that dramatic flair when she so chooses to present it. A fringed Tamara Ralph gown at the Spider-Man premiere? A lime-green Elie Saab moment that stopped traffic? She’s serving versatility, and she’s owning every single look. Whether she’s fronting Max Mara campaigns or shutting down body shamers with a single red-carpet appearance, Pugh proves that true style is about wearing the clothes — not letting them wear you. She’s the moment, and she’s always ready for her closeup.
Nico Parker
Nico Parker is giving old Hollywood glamour that is equal parts ethereal and structured — a definitive ‘less is more’ vibe. Whether she’s in a sleek satin ribbon Schiaparelli number or a delicate embellished Chanel ensemble that screams timeless chic, Parker allows the clothes to speak for themselves while keeping her accessories minimal and her skin glowing like she just walked off a Lancôme set (which she’s the youngest global ambassador for — no big deal).
Her style is this perfect blend of femininity and edge, mixing flirtatious silhouettes with architectural moments that just work. And the best part? She’s completely owns her look from head to toe, and her stylists serve her well. Parker is proving she’s not just a nepo baby — she’s the real deal, and her fashion era has only just begun.
Olivia Dean
In a year of maximalist red-carpet moments and internet-breaking stunts, Olivia Dean has quietly and decisively claimed her place as one of 2026’s most compelling dressers. Her fashion education has been a masterclass in the kind of old-school diva glamour we didn’t realize we were missing. Dean’s wardrobe is a love letter to the stage icons who came before her — Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston — but filtered through the lens of a London-cool-girl who knows a feathered Chanel confection is just as powerful as a pinstripe suit. It’s the kind of effortless, modern vintage that feels both referential and utterly fresh.
What makes Dean a true sartorial force is her refusal to be put in a box, whether musically or fashionably. The Grammy-winning soul singer possesses a style that never serves as a costume; it’s an extension of her music — romantic, playful, and built to move. In an era where so much fashion feels engineered for a single viral frame, Dean’s style is built for the long game, proving that true style, like real soul, is timeless.
Jodie Turner-Smith
Jodie Turner-Smith has reached gold star status on internation red carpets quicker than just about any star, commanding each one she saunters across. In 2026, she has solidified her status as one of fashion’s most fearless risk-takers, serving looks that range from the architectural to the utterly unexpected without ever missing a beat. Whether she’s stunning in a grey mirror-paneled Burberry dress at London Fashion Week, turning heads in a glossy red crocodile-embossed power suit that could stop traffic, or making even a sheer plaid top on a farmers market run look editorial , she understands the power of a statement.
What makes her so compelling is her refusal to be predictable. She’s just as comfortable in daring Schiaparelli cutouts styled by Law Roach as she is in razor-sharp Marc Jacobs tailoring. Her non-negotiable is intention — every look, whether a red-carpet spectacle or an off-duty errand, is deliberate. In a year of shifting trends, Turner-Smith remains a singular force, proving that true style lives in the detais.
Gemma Chan
Gemma Chan understands the magic and power in her duality and is known for serving a masterclass in restraint: a sculpted Khaite leather skirt with a frayed wool top, or a clean Calvin Klein cotton dress that’s pure minimalist perfection. Her style isn’t about chasing a single aesthetic— it’s about knowing exactly when to be the showstopper and when to let the architecture of the clothes do the talking.
What makes Chan so compelling is this effortless range. She’ll pivot from a structured Hermès leather look to a playful Miu Miu tiered halter gown without missing a beat, and she’s equally comfortable off-duty in elevated basics like a ’90s-coded trouser skirt with a zebra-print bag. Styled by the industry’s best, she’s proven that true fashion fluency isn’t about a signature look — it’s about having the vocabulary to speak every fashion language fluently, and never sounding anything less than chic.
Keke Palmer
Keke Palmer is the ultimate fashion chameleon, serving that girl-next-door-meets-sassy-sista-ethereal vibe that has us absolutely weak. In 2026, she proved she can go from high-street cool to urban upscale in a single heartbeat, and honestly? We’re still recovering. Whether she’s in a dreamy, ethereal gown that gives full Disney princess energy or a streetwear moment that screams “I’m that girl,” she does it with a confidence that’s entirely her own. She’s not just wearing the clothes — she’s having a conversation with them, mixing high and low with the kind of effortless swag that can’t be taught.
From rocking a red-hot mini by Kim Shui with her signature sass to blessing our feeds in a flowery Reformation dress that’s pure girlfriend material, Palmer’s style is a masterclass in versatility. She’s proving she can be aspirational and approachable all at once, blending New York grit with down-to-earth charm. And the best part? She’s never afraid to take risks — from sexy rubber numbers to classic feminine silhouettes, she’s always pushing boundaries and serving looks that make us want to cancel our plans and re-evaluate our entire wardrobe. KeKe is the moment, she’s the movement, and she’s stealing all our hearts.
Who Will Continue to Reign?
As 2026 heads into its last quarter, one question lingers on every fashion lover’s mind: who will continue to reign? The women on this list have proven that true style isn’t just about the gown — it’s about the confidence, the risk, and the story behind every look. From Teyana Taylor’s show-stopping Chanel moments to Chase Infiniti’s ethereal glamour, these stars have redefined what it means to wear the crown. But fashion waits for no one, and as a new awards season approaches and fresh talent emerges, the fashion world will be watching. Who will step up, who will take risks, and who will claim the throne next? The crown is never permanent, but the legacy of those who wore it well?
That lasts forever.
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