Shailene Woodley had every reason to shine that night. She had just won her first Emmy on September 6, for ‘Paradise’, after a 2017 nomination that had slipped through her fingers. But when she stepped onto the red carpet at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on September 14, something didn’t quite work.
The outfit was by Balenciaga, designed by Pierpaolo Piccioli for the Fall/Winter 2026 Haute Couture collection: a periwinkle top with a plunging neckline, wide-leg pants embroidered in gold, and burgundy opera gloves.
On the original runway, the look was accompanied by a black cape that gave the silhouette a different meaning. Woodley decided to leave it out.
That decision, combined with a hairstyle slicked extremely close to her scalp, set social media ablaze almost immediately. The criticism multiplied during the ceremony, while she was also fulfilling her role as the event’s presenter.
Hours later, at the after-party, she appeared in a simple T-shirt over the same outfit. A last-minute correction or a gesture of indifference toward the scandal?
