If the 2026 Golden Globes offered any early indication of where red carpet fashion is heading, it is not towards exuberance, experimentation or chromatic risk. It is towards restraint. And, more specifically, towards black and white.
Pantone’s declaration of Cloud Dancer as Colour of the Year appears to have filtered directly into Hollywood’s collective consciousness. The night was defined by disciplined minimalism and tonal severity, as an overwhelming number of attendees converged on monochrome with near-religious commitment.
The looks were far from dull, but they were telling. In an era of TikTok awards, influencer saturation and unprecedented access, the red carpet no longer feels like the place for a stunt. It is the place to be immaculate, to be controlled, to honour the institution.
Selena Gomez arrived in a black velvet bustier gown that took Chanel 323 hours to construct, adorned with over 200 white flowers crafted from feathers, organza and silk chiffon. It was undeniably beautiful, though carefully engineered, its softness meticulously placed against an otherwise resolutely stark silhouette.
Ariana Grande, abandoning her Glinda-era pastels, appeared in custom Vivienne Westwood, her inky black, textural gown structured with a fitted bodice and bell-shaped skirt that ballooned at the waist.
Sculptural and severe, it read less as a personal pivot and more as a visual echo of Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba, a continuation of the Wicked aesthetic rather than a departure from it.
Jenna Ortega remained committed to gothic romanticism in custom Dilara Findikoglu with dramatic cut-outs and beaded fringing, while Miley Cyrus followed suit in a black sequin Saint Laurent gown, punctuated by her newly debuted cushion-cut diamond engagement ring.
Charli XCX, Julia Roberts, Teyana Taylor, Mia Goth and Lisa (among many others) also all wore black, while Pamela Anderson styled herself in crisp white Ferragamo, proving that even deviation remained within bounds.
Against the sea of black and white, there were brief flashes of colour. Tessa Thompson wore a dazzling Balenciaga gown by Pierpaolo Piccioli, while Jessie Buckley, who took home Best Female Actor in a Film – Drama, wore a pale blue satin Christian Dior dress.
Kylie Jenner, bypassing the red carpet entirely, revealed her custom Ashi Studio gown and Lorraine Schwartz diamonds on Instagram, rendered in a molten gold hue.
The Golden Globes arrive in the wake of a heavily publicised fashion month in September, which saw an unprecedented number of designers step into new creative roles at major houses. With so many brand identities in flux, the red carpet has become a space of hedging. Monochrome is safe. Minimalism is legible. When everything is in transition, neutrality reads as stability.
The naked dress, predictably, has not gone anywhere. Jennifer Lawrence’s custom Givenchy confirmed that sheer remains a red carpet mainstay, though the mood has shifted. The transparency is softer, the execution more romantic, the intent more discreet.
On the menswear front, the return to classic tailoring was striking. The days of playful experimentation appear to be on pause, save for the occasional flourish. Statement lapels, brooches and beadwork attempted to inject personality, with Wicked director Jon M. Chu wearing beaded pins of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, charming in sentiment if slightly on the nose.
All of which raises an uncomfortable question. Is this minimalism a genuine aesthetic shift, or a collective retreat into safety? There is elegance in restraint, certainly, but there is also risk in uniformity. For an industry supposedly in the midst of creative renewal, the overwhelming return to black and white reads less as confidence and more as caution.
