Melissa Rivers Shares Her Thoughts on the Best and Worst Looks from the 2026 Golden Globes
The Golden Globes 2026 launched the red carpet season on Sunday night, showcasing a striking mix of fashion statements, including two daring nude dresses worn by Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Lawrence. Alongside these bold choices, attendees also displayed more classic, restrained looks in elegant black and white.
Melissa Rivers, fashion expert and former host of “Fashion Police,” remarked, “I think there’s a good possibility that leading up to the granddaddy of them all, the Oscars, we’re going to see color starting to walk back down the carpet.” Rivers noted that many of her top fashion choices, including Ariana Grande, Emily Blunt, Selena Gomez, and Colman Domingo, opted for monochromatic styles in black and white. However, she expressed confusion over certain outfits, such as Teyana Taylor’s revealing Schiaparelli gown and Jenna Ortega’s fringed Dilara Findikoglu ensemble.
Rivers provided her insights on the best and worst-dressed celebrities from the event.
Ariana Grande
According to Rivers, Grande’s gown managed to evoke her signature style while maintaining a chic black aesthetic. “This was one of my first big ‘wow’ moments because she still wore a very Ariana dress and still had the ponytail, but in black. That sent a sartorial message. I loved that she was like, ‘Still me, in black. Let’s go.’”
Emily Blunt
Rivers described Blunt’s outfit as “painfully chic,” noting, “Just beyond chic.”
Selena Gomez
Rivers praised Gomez’s Chanel gown for its vintage appeal, commenting, “She’s been looking great; the Chanel, which was very vintage-looking, with the white and the black and the red lip. The entire package! Not a hair out of place.”
Amanda Seyfried
Rivers noted that Seyfried’s attire exuded a “very modern Grace Kelly” vibe, adding, “Very movie star. Easy and pretty, [with] so little jewelry. It just worked.”
Kate Hudson
Rivers commented on Hudson’s vintage-inspired look, saying, “She brought me vintage Kate Hudson — it was like, ‘Welcome back!’ Just perfect. And Kate makes everything look like it’s actually comfortable. She’s one of those women that wears the dress; the dress doesn’t wear her.”
Dakota Fanning
Rivers remarked on the competition between the Fanning sisters, stating, “We had the battle of the Fanning sisters. Elle is a fashion darling; she pulls off fashion, and has since she was very young, but Dakota took the win last night. In photographs, you don’t necessarily see it — but when she moved, the fabric, the beading, the fit was breathtaking. It was a masterpiece.”
Colman Domingo
Rivers praised Domingo’s style, stating, “He never looks like he’s trying; it just makes sense on him, and that’s because he has a sense of style and what works on him. If you’re not gonna go traditional, he’s now, I think, the men’s standard of how to do fashion-forward [looks] correctly.”
Jennifer Lawrence
Commenting on Lawrence’s ensemble, Rivers expressed her ambivalence: “I am so sick of the naked dress. It never seems to go away, and it needs to be retired for a while. But I loved that we all went, ‘Holy s—t, that’s Jennifer Lawrence?’ It’s so different for her that I kind of loved that she went the opposite direction.”
Jennifer Lopez
Rivers critiqued Lopez’s outfit, stating, “She and Beyoncé do the naked dress better than anybody, [but this] just didn’t work for me. Sometimes a dress just doesn’t work! I thought the embroidery was really heavy, and that exaggerated mermaid hem … I felt like she just went, ‘Oh, I’ll put this on.’”
Teyana Taylor
The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images
Rivers offered a mixed review of Taylor’s look: “From the front, when she walked in, I’m like, ‘done.’ Then when she turned around and had added the bow, I’m like, ‘no.’ I can’t imagine that Schiaparelli sent it that way. That felt like a stylist said, ‘Let’s put a little pin here.’”
Parker Posey
Rivers expressed her confusion about Posey’s outfit, saying, “I just don’t understand. It was too much! There was so much going on.”
Jenna Ortega
Rivers was less than impressed with Ortega’s look, stating, “The goth thing … I don’t get it. I don’t like it. I want to see her in something different. I want her to surprise me in a good way.”
Walton Goggins
Reflecting on Goggins’ outfit, Rivers stated, “Walton Goggins, who I have met — so lovely, so nice, so real — last night, [that gold shirt] literally hurt me in my soul.”
