Vera Wang made a striking debut on the red carpet at the 2026 BAFTA Awards, dazzling the star-studded ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall in London on Sunday, February 22. At the age of 76, the fashion designer arrived with a new hairstyle that was a departure from her previous look.
Wang was seen rocking a platinum blonde look with dark roots, a major change from her long brown locks that she wore at the BAFTA Film Awards Nominees' Party on Saturday, February 21. Her outfit, designed by her eponymous brand, consisted of a white floor-length ruched dress with long black puffed sleeves. She accessorized the gown with black cat-eye sunglasses, completing the look with an air of elegance and sophistication.
At the Nominees' Party, Wang also made a statement in a black bandeau top that revealed skin, elbow-length black leather gloves, and a fitted skirt. She accessorized with an oversized black hat and a fur wrap, adding to her chic and bold style.
The mother of two is no stranger to making a bold statement with her style on the red carpet. Last year at the BAFTA Awards, she wore a black upside-down bandeau top and a high-waisted black-and-white color block skirt with a structured peplum detail at the waist. The skirt cascaded into delicate pleats and featured a short train. She also debuted a new blunt brunette lob that just barely grazed her shoulders.
In an Instagram post showing off the look, Wang wrote, "B is for BAFTA THE BIG DAY… Here we go… good luck and congratulations to all the talented NOMINEES. XXV." She added black sunglasses and an oversized leather jacket to complete the outfit. In another Instagram post, she wrote, "WHEN ITS LITERALLY 30 degrees Fahrenheit………. OUTERWEAR is a REQUIREMENT! So…………a HEAVY LEATHER MOMENT!"
The bridal designer told PEOPLE ahead of her milestone 75th birthday in June 2024 that it was "a lot of pressure." "Birthday plans are up in the air. I mean 75 is a lot of pressure," Wang shared backstage at the Fashion Scholarship Fund Gala on April 8. She continued, "I think maybe a little bit like Warren Buffett or Queen Elizabeth. I'm just going to keep prodding on because I feel as though I'm able to do my best work more and more. I'm really trying to respect that in me, that voice in me, that I feel very happy to be creating. That's what it's all about, really."
Speaking with PEOPLE again in July 2025, Wang shared that she felt unsure about throwing a birthday party after such a milestone year (though she eventually hosted a stylish evening at the restaurant Le Relais Plaza in Paris, pictures of which she posted on Instagram). "After my 75th last year, I said, 'Maybe, you don't have to celebrate after 75,'" she told PEOPLE. "A lot of my friends don't want to. They say, 'I'm too old.' I said, 'It's not about being old. It's about being here and living, and we should celebrate that.'" She continued, adding: "But you have to celebrate every year that you're alive. That's just how I feel."
