The Best Dressed Stars at the 2022 Critic’s Choice Awards

Selena Gomez. Photo: Getty

Everyone has an opinion when it comes to fashion, but at the Critic’s Choice Awards, all the differences in perspective lead to fascinating style moments. Unlike the Academy Awards, which prioritize allusions to Old Hollywood or the Grammys where outré glamour reigns supreme, the CCA’s aren’t defined by a single aesthetic. As such, celebrities are free to express themselves in myriad ways, and this year they did just that. The guests who poured into Los Angeles’ Fairmont Century Plaza walked the red carpet in pieces that spoke to their personalities, projects, and a spirited sense of fun that permeated the entire event.

All the freedom allowed guests to bring the runway’s most daring pieces to the fore. Squid Game breakout Hoyeon Jung arrived in a baroque Nicolas Ghesquière designed Louis Vuitton look complete with bustle. Selena Gomez wore a custom creation from the same house. Still, her red silk halter-gown with built-in cape went in the opposite direction embracing classicism of awards season tradition and the oh-so-grown-up sophistication Gomez has gravitated towards of late.

Moments of pure fantasy added to the excitement with Hacks’ Jean Smart bringing the sequin encrusted mermaid-skirt from Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Valentino Spring Couture collection to the carpet. Likewise, Margaret Qualley’s frothy tulle Chanel Couture nodded to the star’s ballet beginnings without verging into pastiche. The flights of fancy continued thanks to Elle Fanning and her sparkling 50s’ style Oscar de la Renta cocktail frock, Zoey Deutch’s ruffle-laden magenta McQueen serving 80s’ prom realness, and the exuberant presence of comedienne Nicole Byer and her neon pink Christian Siriano gown.

Elegant, avant-garde, and downright joyous weren’t the only options and some of the CCA’s best moments came when guests decided to create looks that incorporated all three ideas. Case in point: Jodie Turner-Smith and Joshua Jackson, who waltzed onto the carpet in and hers Gucci looking like the ultimate power couple.