From pops of vibrant color to feathers galore, the Oscars 2026 red carpet was full of fabulous fashion moments — if not much sartorial risk-tasking.
“There were very few big swings and misses; everybody looked really pretty,” Melissa Rivers tells Page Six Style.
For the “Fashion Police” alum and daughter of the late, great Joan Rivers, “standouts” on Sunday’s step-and-repeat included Rose Byrne’s “gasp-worthy” Dior dress embroidered with flowers, Gwyneth Paltrow’s “sophisticated” Giorgio Armani Privé gown and Teyana Taylor’s playful black-and-white Chanel look. Elle Fanning in white Givenchy and Kirsten Dunst in tiered black Celine, however, stood out as “disappointments.”
Below, Rivers breaks down her favorite (and least favorite) looks from this year’s Academy Awards.
Rose Byrne
“So good; a gasp-worthy moment. She looked amazing.”
Teyana Taylor
“There’s no one right now on the carpet who can work a look like her. We haven’t seen someone be able to work a dress like that since Jennifer Lopez. And she’s having fun — as is Rose Byrne. They’re enjoying it, and I think that comes through as well.”
Jessie Buckley
“She came dressed to win. Pretty shoulders, clean hair, tasteful jewelry. It’s all about the picture holding your Oscar. She knew she was going to win — or figured she was going to win — and the whole dress was geared towards that, and it was all the right choices.”
Gwyneth Paltrow
“Vintage Gwyneth! It harkens back to when she wore the white [Tom Ford] cape dress [at the 2012 Oscars]. The perfect cut. Just so sophisticated.”
Ava DuVernay
“She had a full-fledged fashion moment. The shoulders, the tiny waist, the hair, the jewelry. I’m not saying she hasn’t looked good in the past, but this was a moment.”
Anne Hathaway
“[Her] dress was really pretty; I did not like the gloves. That particular dress, I felt, didn’t need it. But obviously Anna [Wintour] thought she did, so I’m not gonna argue with the boss!”
Leonardo DiCaprio
“For the guys, no matter what you do, no matter how fashion you are, you’re just not gonna get past him and George Clooney.”
Elle Fanning
“First of all, we’ve seen this look all through awards season. I just felt she looked washed out, and that’s the problem. And she’s such a fashion girl! I wanted that big fashion moment for her.”
Kirsten Dunst
“Nine times out of 10, she’s wearing something that I look at and I go, ‘Oh my God, that’s something I would pick to wear.’ And she was wearing Celine, one of my favorite designers. And it just, to me, went wrong. I don’t know if it was the proportions — I think that could’ve been it — but for me, it fell flat.”
Pedro Pascal
“Brooches are back! Do I love the [lack of jacket] in general? No. Can he pull it off? Yes.”
Emma Stone
“Loved the color, loved the dress — I just didn’t necessarily think it was an Oscar dress. I could see that at the Actor Awards, the Golden Globes or any of the other 200 awards shows in between. It was just a little too simple.”
Kathy Bates
“Best she’s ever looked. And it’s not easy walking the carpet with all of these young, gorgeous, 20-feet-tall [women]!”
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