Place Your Bets! These are the Designer Dresses We're Hoping to See on the 2026 Oscars Red Carpet

Fashion month may be over but that doesn't mean we're finished with the standout fashion moments as award season continues with full stream ahead. Cue the red carpet, memeable celebrity scenes, and a moment of appreciation for the film industry as the Oscars is right around the corner.

This year marks the 98th Academy Awards, held in Los Angeles at the Dolby Theatre, and a number of box office hits are predicted to win big. Sinners has already broken the record for most Academy Award nominations of any film in history, racking up an impressive 16 nominations. And Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value, One Battle After Another, Bugonia, and many more are all competing for a famous golden trophy.

Far from a cinema expert, I won't attempt to predict the winners. Although, I have used the nominations list to try and guess which famous faces will be in attendance and what they might be wearing. With so many key fashion House creative director swaps, this season will see even stronger competition between brands trying to place their products. As we've seen with Matthieu Blazy's first Chanel, fashion fans are ready to invest, after all.

Our Oscars Red Carpet Outfit Predictions:

Michelle Yeoh

Never one to shy away from an extravagant silhouette, Michelle Yeoh has plenty of fun with red carpet dressing. One of her most striking recent looks was the Iris van Herpen iridescent biolume corset dress she wore to the Wicked premiere in Singapore. Here's hoping she steps back into the brand for something extra special.

Emma Stone

Emma Stone has nominations for both Best Actress and Best Picture at this year's Oscars, so she's a shoo-in to be spotted on the red carpet. With years of red carpet dressing under her belt, we can also deduce a couple of things about her style: a love of block colour and a preference for pale shades. While she's likely to opt for Louis Vuitton—again—this straight-off-the-runway McQueen number would also fit the bill beautifully, and bring a little extra edge.

Margot Robbie

Margot Robbie and Chanel currently go hand-in-hand—she is the face of the N°5 perfume, after all—so it's a safe bet she'll be wearing the label on the Oscars red carpet. I'd like to imagine that her recent front-row appearance at Matthieu Blazy's AW26 show in Paris was for her to 'select' her next look straight off the runway, and if so, I'm hoping it's this one.

Teyana Taylor

Teyana Taylor has already kicked off her awards season dressing, attending the nominee luncheon last month as a Best Supporting Actress contender. A known Thom Browne devotee, she wore the label to the SAG Awards, so another outing feels very possible. The key question is whether she goes custom or reaches for a statement look from the Spring/Summer 26 collection.

Jessie Buckley

Jessie Buckley was also at the Oscar nominee luncheon and is up for Best Actress. As black is a go-to on the Oscars red carpet, this Dior Haute Couture piece feels like a particularly strong contender.

Kate Hudson

Kate Hudson has stepped out in a huge number of brands already this awards season—Chloé, Lanvin, Prada, Stella McCartney, and Armani included—so her Oscars dress really is anyone's guess. I'm desperate to see this Stella McCartney Autumn/Winter 26 look in action, though, so consider this me manifesting. Hudson is also nominated in the Best Actress category, her first Oscar nomination since 2001, making this an especially special night.

Wunmi Mosaku

Nominated in the Best Supporting category for her role in Sinners, Wunmi Mosaku has been a regular on the red carpet this season. So far, we've seen her in custom Ahluwalia, Louis Vuitton, Christian Siriano, Sisiano, and Zac Posen for Gap—with so many great designers vying to dress her, she's another one who's tricky to pinpoint for the Oscars. What we do know is just how much she loves a bold colour. Could it be another Ahluwalia moment?

Sarah Pidgeon

Last week Sarah Pidgeon attended the Loewe show. A hint, perhaps, at who she might be wearing on the red carpet... If so, this is the look I'm expecting to see.

Rose Byrne

You might immediately think Bridesmaids when you see Rose Byrne's name, but she's nominated for Best Actress for her role in If I Had Legs I'd Kick You. Valentino, Saint Laurent, and Prada regularly feature in her red carpet rotation, and given that Alessandro Michele's Valentino Haute Couture has already gone down such a treat with fashion fans, it's more than deserving of an Oscar outing.

Cynthia Erivo

Last year, Cynthia Erivo opted for a statement-making Louis Vuitton dress, so it's very possible she'll do the same again. Without the confines of Wicked method dressing, the red carpet world really is her oyster. And if she doesn't go custom, it's this beaded Spring/Summer 26 dress I'd place my money on.

Ariana Grande

Any avid fashion fan knows Schiaparelli truly excels when it comes to Haute Couture, and Ariana Grande opted to wear the label to last year's Oscars. If she does the same again, this is the dress that absolutely screams Glinda — even if the method dressing is well and truly over.