A Simple Bow Is the Best Accessory on the Red Carpet

Actresses walking a red carpet tend to wear one major accessory, and that accessory is usually a diamond. Or multiple diamonds, if we’re being honest. This award season, however, a classic bow is a chic, elevated touch that the red carpet’s most fashion-forward loved.

At the Golden Globes, the Golden Globe red carpet Best Supporting Actress nominee Michelle Williams wore a velvet ribbon tied around her neck—a simple but sophisticated styling trick that was the perfect complement to her short bob. Meanwhile, Globes presenter Sienna Miller also got notice for her ways with a DIY ribbon, by tying her high ponytail up with a bow. A lot of wow factor for an accessory whose price clocks in at a decimal point of the cost of a diamond.

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that both of these fashion-forward ladies share Kate Young as a confidante when it comes to red carpet dressing. The powerhouse celebrity stylist has worked with both actresses for quite some time; while both possess a keen sense of personal style, Young has a knack for getting her A-listers to try something new and unexpected on a red carpet where so many looks are so predictable.

“With Michelle, I wanted something at the neck—but a diamond necklace felt heavy-handed,” Young said. “I thought the ribbon added a little femininity and felt cool.” Indeed it did: The off-the-shoulder silhouette of Williams’s Louis Vuitton lace dress begs for just that.

Meanwhile, Sienna Miller’s look featured many elements one wouldn’t necessarily see together in one outfit. The high pony, ribbon, ladylike pearl necklace and bracelets, and the sporty, ab-baring Micheal Kors Collection dress—Miller carried it all off with aplomb. “For Sienna, we were thinking of these old pictures of Brigitte Bardot,” Young explained. “[We] wanted to bring a little of that feeling by using pearls and a bow in the hair.” It was a way to wear girlish accessories in a new, modern way. And her ribbon was the hero detail: “The trick is to not make it look super smooth or perfect,” added Earl Simms, who did Miller’s hair for the big event. “The important finishing touch: put in your black bow and tie loosely.”

Fellow nominee Riley Keough, styled by Jamie Mizrahi, opted for a Chanel dress and also wore her hair tied back in a black ribbon bow.

At the 2017 Academy Awards, Williams was at it again, this time wearing a custom Louis Vuitton halter dress, with a loose bow at her neck. Former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo, joined in on the trend, wearing a tiered, beaded Marchesa dress with a ribbon belt at her waist.

So, it’s official: ribbons are the red carpet accessory of the moment. Shop the look below:

Watch a video interview with Michelle Williams: