How Stars Reimagined Hollywood Glamour on the 2026 Actor Awards Red Carpet

2 min read

“Oh, I understood the assignment. And I graded myself an A+ before anybody else could,” Sheryl Lee Ralph wrote on Instagram for last night’s Actor Awards. The Abbott Elementary star was referring to the night’s theme as set by ELLE, “Reimagining Hollywood Glamour From the ’20s and ’30s,” and the Josephine Baker-inspired look, complete with a white boa, that she chose to wear to the event.

She was far from the only attendee drawing from the Old Hollywood well last night. One Battle After Another breakout and 2025 ELLE Women in Hollywood honoree Chase Infiniti wore a custom Louis Vuitton ensemble, including a flapper-worthy headpiece. According to the brand, the hand-knit gown featured 92,000 crystal beads and took nearly 300 hours to complete (with the headpiece taking 40 hours.)

Demi Moore in Schiaparelli couture and Harry Winston jewelry.

Demi Moore paid homage to Elsa Schiaparelli in a ’30s-style gown with an elaborate tulle bustle/train combo, a couture piece by the house’s creative director Daniel Roseberry. Chase Sui Wonders pulled from the chinoiserie inspiration of the time period with her Miss Sohee gown, while Rose Byrne’s simple, glittering Chanel nodded at the 1920s, a time frame the brand’s artistic director Matthieu Blazy has channeled in recent collections. And both Claire Danes (in Prada) and the evening’s host, Kristen Bell (in Georges Hobeika Couture) opted for Art Deco-inspired beading to both accent their looks and subtly adhere to the theme.

Jessie Buckley in Balenciaga and Jessica McCormack jewelry.

Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Balenciaga was a standout brand of the evening, perhaps unsurprisingly given the designer’s love of Old Hollywood-style exuberance. Love Story star Sarah Pidgeon found a way to split the difference between the ’90s minimalism of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and the night’s sartorial directive with a simple drop-waisted gown from the house, while Jessie Buckley wore a custom design featuring a dramatic white veil.

Jenna Ortega in a Christian Cowan slip dress and Jimmy Choo shoes.

Several of the looks also made reference to the delicious lingerie-inspired loungewear featured onscreen on stars like Jean Harlow, notably Jenna Ortega in a Christian Cowan slip dress and Parker Posey in pink marabou-trimmed Gucci.

Gwyneth Paltrow in Belperron earrings.

Others made their statement through jewelry, like Gwyneth Paltrow with her 1930s-vintage Belperron turquoise earrings, Kate Hudson in bespoke Emily P. Wheeler featuring an antique Desert diamond, and multiple stars (Teyana Taylor, Chase Sui Wonders, Kathryn Hahn, Quinta Brunson) selecting Tiffany & Co. pieces from the Jean Schlumberger and Bird on a Rock collections. Ralph certainly wasn’t the only star student last night.