The Moment
The 2026 Golden Globes were barely over at The Beverly Hilton before the real sport began: the afterparty outfit Olympics across Sunset Tower, Chateau Marmont, and every invite-only room in between.
Out front at Nikki’s bash, Paris Hilton floated in looking like a very expensive human disco ball: a see-through, floor-length gold and silver sequined ombre gown that clearly showed a white bra underneath, styled with a chunky sparkly choker and black sunglasses. According to event photos and party reports from January 12, the 44-year-old heiress was all smiles as she headed inside.
Jennifer Lopez took the same glitter memo and cranked it up to “hope this tape holds.” She chose a bronze sequin dress that, per the fashion write-ups, had fans whispering about a possible wardrobe malfunction if she dared to sneeze too hard.
On the quirkier end of the carpet, Tallulah Willis showed up in a matching polka dot dress and crop top with polka dot tights; Natasha Lyonne looked like she’d been teleported from a ’90s school dance at Netflix’s party; and Audrey Nuna, the K Pop Demon Hunters star, straight-up wore slippers to Michael Braun’s afterparty. Somewhere, a stylist is still breathing into a paper bag.
Teyana Taylor left Chateau Marmont wrapped in a huge graffiti-covered coat, while the unofficial color of the night for the “I actually want to sit down and eat dessert” crowd was white. Malin Akerman stepped out in a sharp white mini dress and matching clutch, Eiza Gonzalez glowed in sleek white as she exited Chateau Marmont, and Emma Stone opted out of frostbite entirely in a fuzzy white cardigan and long cream skirt.
Add in Priyanka Chopra in satin at another private bash and a very polished Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons walking arm in arm, and you had the full range: from naked sparkle to Netflix-and-chill glam.
The Take
I’ll say it: the afterparty looks are now more interesting than the main Golden Globes red carpet. This is where the masks slip a little. People stop dressing for the HFPA and start dressing for their group chat.
Paris Hilton’s see-through sequined gown? That’s not about subtlety. That’s about leaning fully into her legacy as the woman who practically invented the 2000s “naked dress” and deciding, in her forties, that she doesn’t have to retire the bit. Is it practical? No. Is it on-brand cosplay of her own nightlife history? Absolutely.
Jennifer Lopez’s bronze, blink-and-it-slips dress lives in that same fearless zone. We all know J.Lo will risk a seam for a headline. But there’s a fine line between daring and distracting, and this one reads like a reminder that comfort is still considered optional for women over 50 in Hollywood. I admire the nerve; I’m also tired just looking at it.
Meanwhile, the so-called “worst dressed” list here mostly translates to: women having fun. Tallulah Willis in head-to-toe polka dots? It’s weird and a little costume-y, yes. It’s also the sort of outfit you wear when you’ve decided vibes matter more than looking sample-size sleek. Audrey Nuna in slippers is basically the logical endpoint of that thinking. She understood the assignment: it’s 1 a.m., the Spanx hurt, you choose arch support over approval.
The quiet winners of the night were the women in white. Malin Akerman’s structured mini and Eiza Gonzalez’s simple, elegant dress prove you don’t need a cut-out and a double-sided tape budget to look modern. And Emma Stone shuffling out in a fuzzy cardigan was the mood of every person who has ever left a formal event thinking, “I wish I’d brought a sweater.” That’s not sloppy; that’s luxury. True power dressing is knowing you’re allowed to be warm.
Afterparty fashion is like the Sunday morning of a big weekend: the makeup’s still on, the heels might be in your hand, and what you choose to wear tells the truth about who you are when the performance winds down. The sequins get the attention, but the cardigans and coats tell the story.
Receipts
Confirmed
Elle Fanning, Dakota Fanning and Paris Hilton at the Golden Globes afterparty in Chateau Marmont.
Elle and Dakota production company will release a TV show based on Paris memoir. pic.twitter.com/8C2mz8dVTm
— Elle Fanning Media (@efanningmedia) January 13, 2026
- Paris Hilton wore a see-through gold-and-silver sequined ombre gown with a visible white bra, silver choker, and sunglasses arriving at Nikki’s party at Sunset Tower Hotel, as shown in accredited event photos and a fashion recap published January 12, 2026.
- Jennifer Lopez attended Golden Globes afterparties in a bronze sequined dress noted by outlets for its risk of a wardrobe malfunction, based on red carpet and departure photos from the same night.
- Tallulah Willis appeared in a matching polka dot dress and crop top with polka dot tights; Natasha Lyonne wore a retro, school-dance-style dress at Netflix’s afterparty; Audrey Nuna wore slippers to Michael Braun’s afterparty; and Teyana Taylor left Chateau Marmont in a large graffiti-covered coat, all documented in event photography from the 2026 Golden Globes afterparties.
- Malin Akerman, Eiza Gonzalez, and Emma Stone were photographed in white-focused looks: Akerman in a statement white mini dress, Gonzalez in an elegant white dress, and Stone in a fuzzy white cardigan and long skirt.
- Additional images from the night show Priyanka Chopra in a satin dress and Kirsten Dunst with Jesse Plemons looking polished and coordinated while leaving an afterparty.
Unverified / Opinion
- The labels “best dressed” and “worst dressed” are subjective judgments, not factual rankings.
- Any interpretation of why a celebrity chose a particular look (comfort, branding, nostalgia) is opinion, not a stated motive from the celebrity.
Sources (human-readable): Red carpet and afterparty photography from the 2026 Golden Globes in Los Angeles (January 11-12, 2026); U.S. tabloid fashion recap of Golden Globes 2026 afterparty looks published January 12-13, 2026.
Backstory (For Casual Readers)
The Golden Globes are one of the big Hollywood awards shows held every January, known as much for champagne-fueled tables and wardrobe risks as for the trophies. After the main ceremony at The Beverly Hilton, studios, streamers, and designers throw separate afterparties across Los Angeles. Those parties are where celebrities change into second (or third) outfits and the dress code loosens.
Paris Hilton is the hotel heiress and reality star who helped define early-2000s club fashion. Jennifer Lopez needs no introduction: singer, actress, and red-carpet risk-taker. Emma Stone just keeps stacking major roles and awards, while Eiza Gonzalez and Malin Akerman are regulars in action films and prestige TV. Teyana Taylor is a singer, dancer, and style chameleon; Natasha Lyonne is the dry, sharp-witted star of Russian Doll; Tallulah Willis is the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore and an artist in her own right. In other words: this is a very media-trained group that knows every outfit will be judged by strangers eating leftovers on their couch.
What’s Next
Awards season rolls on, which means more opportunities to see who sticks with the sheer-and-sequin era and who leans into cozy rebellion. We’ll likely see some of these same names at upcoming shows and afterparties, and it will be interesting to track whether the “comfort but make it glam” looks (like Emma Stone’s cardigan or Audrey Nuna’s slippers) spread, or if the industry doubles down on barely-there gowns for every age bracket.
Stylists are already taking notes. Expect to see more thoughtful outerwear, more “second looks” that favor movement over misery, and maybe, just maybe, a few fewer dresses that require a structural engineering degree to zip up.
Where do you land on these Golden Globes afterparty looks: are the sheer sequins still fun, or are you rooting for the cozy-cardigan era to win?
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