Shailene Woodley’s Emmys Red Carpet Look Has the Internet Completely Split & Laughing
Red carpets rarely go by without at least one outfit dominating the online conversation more than the actual ceremony itself. Between designer risk-taking and celebrity styling choices, awards season has a way of turning fashion into its own competitive category, complete with instant public verdicts.
This year’s Emmy Awards delivered exactly that kind of moment, and it came from an actress making her first appearance at the ceremony in nearly a decade. The timing made the outfit choice feel even more significant, arriving just as she stepped back into a spotlight she hadn’t occupied in years.
Shailene Woodley returned to the Emmys red carpet for the first time since 2017, when she’d previously been nominated for ‘Big Little Lies,’ and her outfit choice this time around split viewers almost immediately. The actress wore a look from Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Balenciaga Fall/Winter 2026 Haute Couture collection, pairing a plunging periwinkle halter top with gold sequin-beaded wide-leg trousers.
Shailene Woodley steps out in style at the Emmys before winning Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for “Paradise.”
— Variety (@Variety) September 15, 2026
Variety On the Carpet sponsored by @thesocialmovie pic.twitter.com/xFFEQysr6V
Rather than replicating the runway version of the look, which had originally been shown with an oversized black hooded cloak, Woodley swapped that piece out for burgundy leather opera gloves and a colorful gemstone necklace crafted from Venetian glass by HOWL Jewelry. Her hair was slicked back into a low ponytail, completing an ensemble styled by Karla Welch that immediately became one of the night’s most talked-about looks.
Shailene Woodley at the 78th Emmy Awards. 📷 pic.twitter.com/rqAtejR86A
— Film Crave (@_filmcrave) September 14, 2026
Reactions online ranged from confusion to outright criticism almost as soon as photos began circulating. One commenter on Vanity Fair’s coverage wrote, “What in the kitchen gloves arts & crafts is going on here?” while another user on X put it more bluntly, saying the outfit’s fit and color combination lacked shape and featured “such a confusing choice of accessories.”
Not everyone landed in the critical camp, though. Some fans embraced the boldness of the choice outright, with one commenter writing, “Omg I think this outfit is fun!” Others fell somewhere in the middle, with a Page Six commenter offering a more measured take: “I have very mixed feelings about this outfit. All nice pieces, odd together.”
The divide extended into more formal fashion coverage as well, with outlets noting that while the individual pieces carried real quality, the overall execution didn’t quite land the way the designer’s original runway vision had. Woodley herself seemed unbothered by the reaction, later throwing a t-shirt over the look while attending a post-Emmys after party.
Shailene Woodley pulled up to the Emmys in Balenciaga straight from the Fall 2026 Couture runway. 👀🖤 #SSD pic.twitter.com/r4ZvykloJl
— SIMONSAYSDRIP (@simonsaysdrip) September 15, 2026
Amid all the fashion discourse, it’s worth noting that Woodley’s appearance came attached to real career news. She won her first-ever Emmy, taking home Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Annie, a former Graceland tour guide, in Hulu’s ‘Paradise,’ with the award handed out at the Creative Arts Emmys the week before the main ceremony.
That win made her Monday night return to the red carpet especially meaningful, even if most of the conversation afterward centered on her outfit rather than her achievement. For an actress stepping back into the Emmys spotlight after such a long absence, both the win and the wardrobe choice ensured she left with plenty to talk about either way.
What did you think of Shailene Woodley’s Balenciaga look at the Emmys?
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments.
