Ariana Grande, Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner Top the Critics Choice Fashion Power Rankings

As The Hollywood Reporter and Launchmetrics kick off the Red Carpet Power Rankings for the third consecutive year, the impact of walking the red carpet — or avoiding it altogether — enjoyed a klieg light of attention at the first awards show of the 2026 season, Sunday’s Critics Choice Awards.

The woman who topped the Power Rankings, for both herself and the designers she wore, should come as no surprise: Wicked: For Good‘s Ariana Grande, whose 372 million Instagram followers can cause any of her posts on that social media platform to top a million or more likes. That’s the essence of 21st-century star power.

But when stars skip the red carpet, consequences emerge in the numbers. Marty Supreme star and Critics Choice winner Timothée Chalamet eschewed a walk on the event’s black carpet with longtime girlfriend Kylie Jenner, and instead was first seen inside Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar with Jenner during host Chelsea Handler’s monologue. The lack of a carpet appearance plummeted Chalamet in the Rankings, from regular first-place finishes in 2025 to fifth place at Critics Choice, while his Givenchy suit didn’t make the cut among fashion brands. Stars undeniably are able to choose whether they’d like to walk an event’s carpet, but those with massive followings are able to garner ample attention without doing so. More on that in a moment.

The Red Carpet Power Rankings are produced exclusively as a partnership between THR and data firm Launchmetrics, which for 2026 is measuring the awards season’s five major events — Critics Choice, the Golden Globes, Grammys, The Actor Awards (formerly SAG Awards) and the Academy Awards — plus May’s Met Gala. Launchmetrics employs its proprietary Media Impact Value (MIV) algorithm to analyze and rank both brands and stars, spanning five categories: fashion, watches and jewelry and accessories, as well as the top five women and the top five men at each event. The Launchmetrics MIV algorithm assigns a monetary value to every post, social media interaction and editorial story to determine a brand’s influence and earned engagement.

What does Sunday’s Critics Choice Awards reveal about top stars and brands? Here’s a look at who made the Power Rankings and how they set the tone for the coming season.

Top 10 Fashion Brands: Alberta Ferretti Enjoys a Wicked Good Evening

Star power is evident throughout this list — and not only in Grande’s influence on the first-place finish for her custom gown by Alberta Ferretti. Many eagle-eyed fashion fans also pointed out how the pink satin dress with crystal-accented tulle overlay felt like a tribute to a gown worn by Diahann Carroll at the 1969 Academy Awards. The homage also makes sense when you consider that image architect Law Roach loves an iconic vintage reference, an idea that amps up the anticipation for what Grande will wear throughout this awards season.

Ralph Lauren’s high placement is likewise due to one woman: Elle Fanning, who chose a 2003 gold bias-cut gown from the designer’s archives. Louis Vuitton and Dior enjoy their prominent positions likely due to the number of people dressed by each house: 10 by the former, including Chase Infiniti and Joel Edgerton, while the latter outfitted seven, including Critics Choice winner Amy Madigan, Mia Goth and Leonardo DiCaprio.

If any brand defied the odds, it was Versace, the label behind one gown seen Sunday night. Kylie Jenner’s team purchased the 1996 lace and chainmail gown she wore for the Critics Choice Awards from Los Angeles-based Tab Vintage, a studio that curates one-of-a-kind archival pieces and does not loan under any circumstances. In addition to Jenner posting about the dress to her 391 million Instagram followers, Vogue also highlighted the behind-the-scenes details of her look on its site Monday morning. Combine the two, and a carpet appearance wasn’t needed to convey influence — then again, imagine the numbers if it had happened.

Top 5 Women on the Red Carpet: Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti are the Ones to Watch

Grande and Alberta Ferretti may have been an unbeatable one-two combination to top the night’s influential stars and who they wore, but if there’s anyone who promises to create thrilling style moments this season, it’s One Battle After Another‘s Teyana Taylor, who did not disappoint Sunday in her menswear-influenced look by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello. Taylor is a favorite among fashion insiders for her fearless approach to fashion, exuding an undeniable confidence in everything she wears. Among the predictions for 2026 is that she will rise higher in the Power Rankings, especially as the succession of awards shows promises that audiences will see her wearing increasingly glamorous looks.

Taylor’s One Battle After Another co-star, Chase Infiniti, also clearly loves fashion, if her Instagram feed is any indication. Her custom look in yellow crepe georgette felt fresh and modern and rightly stood out in a night teeming in black gowns and tuxedo interpretations. Those facts surely played a role in Infiniti’s third-place finish here.

Top 5 Men on the Red Carpet: Jacob Elordi Earns Big for Bottega Veneta and Cartier

Jacob Elordi — and, by association, the label he wore, Bottega Veneta — can thank Chalamet’s lack of a carpet appearance, because it surely helped vault the Frankenstein star into the top spot, with an MIV of $1.4 million. In a black double-breasted custom suit with black shirt and tie, Elordi looked terrific both on the carpet and during a brief table-to-stage banter during Handler’s monologue, in which they debated his height (he’s 6 feet, 5 inches). The influence also extended to Elordi’s gold jewelry by Cartier; the Aussie actor was announced as a Cartier ambassador in October at the same time he appeared in a campaign photographed by Sofia Coppola. With a third-place finish and MIV of $527,000 for one evening, Cartier surely must be pleased with their latest ambassador choice.

Amid a sea of dark suits, Sinners star Michael B. Jordan stood out beautifully in burgundy, a custom double-breasted suit by Louis Vuitton, paired with Christian Louboutin boots and David Yurman jewels. Jordan is another star we’re sure to see between now and Oscar night, and his choice for the season’s first awards show indicates a love for tailoring that will serve him well between January and March.

Top 10 Jewelry & Watch Brands: Sarah Snook Puts Chopard in the Spotlight

When Sarah Snook captured the Critics Choice Award for best actress in a limited series or movie for Peacock’s All Her Fault, viewers at home took notice of the emerald jewels she paired with her Akris tuxedo — particularly her earrings, crafted of 33.91 carats of emeralds and 11.39 carats of white diamonds, set in 18-karat white gold. A Critics Choice nominee for Song Sung Blue, Hudson likewise wore Chopard, including a diamond necklace that paired well with her red Stella McCartney dress, but Hudson also didn’t walk the carpet and wasn’t seen until late in the broadcast. Fold in the Chopard jewels also worn by Leighton Meester, Danielle Brooks and Grace Mckenna, and it’s unsurprising the jewelry house enjoyed a first-place finish with an MIV of $2 million.

Like Alberta Ferretti, Swarovski owes its strong placement to Grande, who is a brand ambassador for the legendary crystal house. The tulle overlay of the Wicked: For Good star’s gown was embroidered with Swarovski crystals, as the Italy-based fashion house highlighted in an Instagram post, while Grande also wore custom-created diamond earrings, which Swarovski has been offering as a collection of lab-grown stones since 2022. Together that earned Swarovski an MIV of $1.5 million.

With an MIV of $1.4 million, Tiffany & Co. earned a solid third-place ranking as it dressed a variety of stars, including Teyana Taylor, Amanda Seyfried, Chase Sui Wonders and Meghann Fahy, who raved about her diamond ring, a Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany design, on the carpet.

Top 5 Accessory Brands: Christian Louboutin

Grande and Jordan likely also influenced Christian Louboutin’s first-place finish among accessory brands, as they both wore the designer’s red-soled shoes and boots alongside Kate Hudson, Justin Hartley, Adam Scott and Tyler James Williams.

Louboutin and Jimmy Choo traditionally have jockeyed for first and second positions in the Power Rankings, a trend that should continue through 2026. At the Critics Choice Awards, Kristen Bell, Kaley Cuoco, Odessa A’zion and Janelle James were among the stars seen in Choo’s shoes. Manolo Blahnik’s third-place finish, meanwhile, can be credited to Fanning, as well as Amy Madigan and Emily Mortimer.

The fourth- and fifth-place finishes can be viewed as surprises, until you dive deeper into why they made the cut. Several stars carried evening clutches by Los Angeles-based Tyler Ellis, whose Italian-made clutches were seen being carried by Keri Russell, Ali Larter, Ginnifer Goodwin and Jessica Biel. Speaking of the nominated star of The Better Sister, Biel is the likely reason Stuart Weitzman scored the fifth place ranking among accessories, as she paired the brand’s Nudistcurve black platform sandal with her breezy and elegant Lanvin gown, resulting in an MIV for Weitzman of $34,100.

Next up: the 2026 Golden Globe Awards, airing live Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and streaming on Paramount + Premium. Most if not all of the stars seen at Critics Choice should be seen at the Beverly Hilton Sunday evening, their style games elevated to the next level in this awards-season progression. (Note: Golden Globes producer Dick Clark Productions is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge that also owns The Hollywood Reporter.)