After Party Darlings : Designers Who Dominated the Vanity Fair 2026 Oscar Party

After the Academy Awards ceremony, the real center of gravity shifts. The Vanity Fair Oscar Party was born from a precise moment when Hollywood’s social map was about to shift.

 As former editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair, Graydon Carter recalled, “The first year we did it very small because I was worried we’d fail. But we had really interesting people, from Mick Jagger to David Hockney and Billy Wilder, alongside Nancy Reagan and Betsy Bloomingdale.” Before then, the Oscar after-party was dominated by a short-sized octogenarian 5’2 top agent, Swifty Lazar, who guarded the guest list fiercely and ruled over the only relevant soiree in town. 

The Rise of the Vanity Fair Oscar Party

The shift only became possible after Lazar’s passing, and it wasn’t a polite passing of the baton—it was a takeover. Carter stepped in, partnering with Peter Morton to build something looser, bigger, and impossible to ignore.

 By 1994, with guests like Prince, Kurt Russell, and Goldie Hawn, the night had transformed into after-hours glamor filled with conversation, movement, and visibility—everything Lazar’s tightly controlled parties were not.

As Bob Colacello put it, “It was the most glamorous party. Swifty Lazar's parties—they were much smaller. The Vanity Fair party was an extravaganza.” Socializing was encouraged and stars could get what they really came for: to see and be seen. Fashion changes come in; stiff soirees go out.

Vanity Fair Oscars 2026 Party

Present day, the Vanity Fair Oscars party rolls out the silver carpet—slick, knowing, a little undone. 

It’s in that shift—from formality to freedom—that the after-party red carpet finds its edge, and where a new set of designers comes to dominate the night. Jackets are shrugged off (sometimes literally), demi- and semi-couture pieces appear on the scene as if they’ve been waiting all night, and the stars finally start to have fun. 

Figure-hugging silhouettes and shorter trains, built for comfort and languid socialising, take over the night.Less “award winner,” more “I’ve arrived. Now watch me enjoy it.”  

The designers who dominate the Vanity Fair 2026 Oscar Party understood one thing: after the ceremony, approval goes out the window, and every star channels her inner Socialite on the scene with as much attitude as the silver carpet can take. After Party Darlings, indeed.

N.B: For this feature, we only reference designers with 2+ notable looks to show crossover influence following Couture Week in January.

Tamara Ralph

One of the most visible couture houses of the after-party was Tamara Ralph. Stars wearing Tamara Ralph included:

Suki Waterhouse

Simone Ashley

Rita Ora

Jessica Alba

Pink Panthress

Ryan Destiny

Selma Blair

Givenchy

 

Kaia Gerber

Elle Fanning

Prada 

Bella Hadid

Felicity Jones

 

Chanel

 

Kendall Jenner 

Nicole Kidman

Teyana Taylor 

Paul Mescal and Gracie Abrams 

 

Quenlin Blackwell

Jessie Buckley 

Balenciaga 

 

Demi Moore

Rachel Sennott

Naomi Watts

Grace Gummer

Alexander McQueen

 

Kylie Jenner

Paloma Elsesser

Louis Vuitton

Alysia Liu

Renata Reinsve

Wunmi Mosaku

Chase Infiniti

Alana Haim

Danielle Haim

 

Gucci

Karlie Kloss

Kim Kardashian

Laura Harrier

 

Kate Hudson

 

Keke Palmer

Elie Saab 

 

Abby Champion

 

Mindy Kaling

 

Tom Ford

 

Lulu Tenney

Troye Sivan 

Lux Pascal

Saint Laurent

 

Zoë Saldaña

Olivia Rodrigo

 

Dior

 

Robert Pattinson

 

Mia Goth

Anna Taylor-Joy 

Phoebe Tonkin [Vintage Galliano]

 

Ejae K

Rose Byrne

Valentino

 

Emma Chamberlain

Myha’la Herrold

Maude Apatow 

Connor Ives

Dree Hemingway

Emily Ratajkowski 

Selby Drummond

 

Bruno Cucinelli

 

Paul Anthony Kelly

Rege-Jean Page

Amber Valetta

Revolve

Marisa Abela

Amelia Gray

Designers Worn Throughout Oscar Night

Some celebrities remained loyal to the same fashion house across both the ceremony and the after-party, including Louis Vuitton and Chanel, showing strong crossover brands.

Remaining in the same house throughout the night often signals strong stylist relationships and a certain ease with the brand’s silhouettes—the kind you don’t need to second-guess at midnight.

The Gist

Across both red carpets, heritage houses maintained their dominance, while emerging couture ateliers like Tamara Ralph continued to redefine the after-party fashion landscape.

The Vanity Fair silver carpet is where Hollywood’s after-party comes alive: freedom replaces formality, designers stake their claim, and stars step fully into the night’s unapologetic glamour.

Welcome to the After Party, Darling.

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by Editor-in-Chief, Jennifer Youngmann 

Jennifer "AJ" lives in Paris 7 with her partner, Louis and oversees the all-female editorial team. When she is not running around central Paris covering luxury brand trunkshows, indie designer showrooms, runway shows;  she loves to take long walks around the Seine, write music and binge watch silly sitcoms.