Shailene Woodley had plenty to celebrate at the 2026 Emmys, but one of her outfits quickly became another reason people were talking about her. After winning her first Emmy for Paradise on 6 September 2026, during the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, the actress walked the red carpet on 14 September 2026 for the main Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony and Governors Gala in a dramatic Balenciaga couture ensemble.
The appearance marked her first Emmys red carpet return since 2017, when she attended as a nominee for Big Little Lies. This time, she arrived as an Emmy winner, making her glittering 2026 fashion comeback even more notable.
The look immediately split opinion, with some social-media users bluntly branding it 'FUGLY' while fashion coverage praised its bold styling. With sparkling gold trousers, a plunging periwinkle top and burgundy gloves, Woodley certainly made sure her long-awaited Emmys return was impossible to overlook.
Woodley Returned as an Emmy Winner
Woodley attended the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on 14 September, arriving at the Peacock Theater just days after officially receiving her first Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. She won for her performance as Annie in Hulu's post-apocalyptic drama Paradise, marking a major career milestone after her previous Emmy nomination for Big Little Lies in 2017.
Her first Emmy red carper and ceremony appearance in almost a decade made the return particularly notable. Rather than opting for a traditional red-carpet gown, Woodley used the occasion to make a much louder fashion statement with an ensemble that was impossible to miss.
The Gold Trousers Stole the Show
The centrepiece was a pair of enormous gold trousers covered in crystals and sequins, creating a glittering, wide-legged silhouette that practically swallowed the lower half of the look. They were paired with a periwinkle halter top plunging down towards her ribcage, burgundy elbow-length gloves and slingback shoes.
Woodley also wore a colourful statement necklace from Howl Jewellery, adding even more colour to an already striking combination. Her long brown hair was pulled into a low ponytail, leaving the unusual mix of shades, textures and proportions firmly in focus.
Social Media Was Not Feeling It
Some social-media users were far less impressed by the outfit, with one commenter calling it 'FUGLY' and another sarcastically asking what statement Woodley was supposedly making. A third commenter joked that the actress needed glasses, making it clear that these were individual reactions rather than an established consensus about the look.
FUGLY, but it’s HollyWEIRD, anything goes!!
— TRUTHSAYER (@TruthsayerGr) September 14, 2026
The comments also played on the idea that anything could pass for fashion on a Hollywood red carpet, with one user describing the event as a place where 'anything goes'. Those remarks reflected the more mocking side of the online response, but they did not establish that the wider public disliked Woodley's outfit.
Fashion Critics Saw a Different Picture
Fashion coverage offered a strikingly different interpretation of the same clothes, particularly the sequinned trousers. The look was described as 'undeniably chic', with the unusual trousers praised for bringing something different to a red carpet where gowns traditionally dominate.
The trousers were also identified as part of a divisive sequin-embroidered trend, meaning the unusual styling was not simply an accidental fashion choice. Woodley's look came from Pierpaolo Piccioli's Balenciaga F/W 26 haute couture collection, giving the dramatic trousers a runway pedigree behind their eye-catching appearance.
Her Carpet Look Was Changed From the Runway
Woodley's version was not an exact copy of the runway styling, either. The original presentation included an oversized coat and a bare neckline, while her red-carpet styling replaced the coat with burgundy opera gloves and added the colourful Howl necklace.
That extra styling made the outfit even more visually striking, particularly with the combination of periwinkle, gold, burgundy and multicoloured jewellery. The trousers' extremely long, flooded hem also concealed much of her footwear, adding to the dramatic proportions of the ensemble.
Her 2026 Look Was a Huge Change
Woodley's previous Emmys appearance in 2017 could hardly have looked more different. At that ceremony, she wore an emerald-green velvet backless gown with gold jewellery while she was nominated for Big Little Lies.
This time, she returned as an Emmy winner in glittering trousers, a plunging top and opera gloves, making the contrast especially obvious. Whether viewers thought the outfit was 'FUGLY' or fashion-forward, Woodley's first Emmys carpet in nearly a decade certainly did not result in a quiet return.
