At the Critics’ Choice Awards last weekend — the first major red carpet of awards season — the actual black carpet ride was less about fantasy and more about momentum. The question isn’t simply who wore what anymore — it’s who won. Not just the actors and filmmakers collecting trophies inside, but the designers and stylists tallying quieter victories outside. Call it the Critics’ Choice Most Dressed race: a count of who dressed the most stars, who dressed the winners and whose looks actually landed.
By those measures at last week’s CC, Louis Vuitton dominated. Even amid internal change — including the recent exit of longtime vp, celebrity relations Maggie Jenks-Daly — the house easily outpaced its rivals, with Nicolas Ghesquière creating looks for nine attendees: Chase Infiniti, Hannah Einbinder, Erin Doherty (a persuasive case for spearmint’s return), Michael B. Jordan (oxblood on men, now officially “a thing”), Katherine LaNasa, Rhea Seehorn, Joel Edgerton, Ryan Coogler and Miles Caton. Four of them went home with awards. Vuitton may still spend more than anyone else, but volume + wins is hard recipe to argue with.
That same arithmetic now applies to stylists, especially as designers increasingly pay them directly and competition for top clients intensifies. The payoff remains familiar — status, money, brand deals — but the criteria have sharpened: sartorial success, media pickup, social traction, number of clients dressed and, crucially, how many of those clients win.
Danielle Goldberg scored on precision rather than volume, dressing winner Jessie Buckley in cool-girl Dior by Jonathan Anderson — slim trousers with a silk tunic — and then pivoting to oversized, punk-leaning Ferragamo for nominee Eva Victor. Two clients, two distinct statements.
Wendi and Nicole Ferreira dressed two winners as well: Seth Rogen in oxblood and Jacob Elordi in double-breasted Bottega Veneta, a reminder that ambassador relationships still deliver when it counts.
Ilaria Urbinati quietly posted one of the strongest tallies of the night, styling four male clients — Adam Scott, Adam Brody, Ramy Youssef and Wagner Moura — each in a different register, underscoring that range now matters as much as recognizability.
Wayman and Micah delivered arguably the single most memorable look, dressing newly minted Louis Vuitton ambassador Chase Infiniti in a sunflower-yellow cape and skirt. They also sent Teyana Taylor out in a full Saint Laurent runway look, doubling their visibility.
Karla Welch leaned decisively against maximalism, putting Mia Goth in a pared-down Dior slip gown, while Renate Reinsve opted for a simple black strapless look by The Row, despite her part-time Vuitton affiliation.
Jason Bolden helped cement oxblood as the men’s color of the season, with Michael B. Jordan’s double-breasted Louis Vuitton suit registering as both classic and commanding.
And for Rhea Seehorn’s first leading-lady nomination — which turned into a win — Jessica Paster dressed her in a bold-shouldered blackout Louis Vuitton gown that signaled arrival.
The stylist scoreboard continues to shift beyond the Critics’ Choice carpet. Golden Globe nominee Jennifer Lawrence has moved from Jamie Mizrahi to veteran Ryan Hastings, who recently took on Jennifer Aniston after her split from her longtime team and also added Anya Taylor-Joy following her departure from Law Roach.
Next up: the Golden Globes, where a larger field of nominees, presenters and press will make the Most Dressed math even more competitive — and the wins harder to fake. Let the fashion games begin!
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