25 best-dressed women at the Woman of the Year 2026 Gala

Designer labels? Not necessarily. Personality? Absolutely.

The women at our Woman of the Year 2026 gala arrived in looks that felt distinctly their own — whether it was a striking silhouette, an unexpected styling choice or a look that just felt unmistakably theirs. And while black will always have its place on the red carpet, we loved seeing so much white this year. Crisp, elegant and anything but predictable, white is one of those timeless colours that never really goes out of fashion — and, when styled right, can feel every bit as sophisticated as it is fresh.

We also spotted high-street pieces that could easily pass for elegant eveningwear, proving once again that it’s not always about the price tag; it’s all in the styling. Nicole Liel, we’re looking at you — you absolutely knocked it out of the park, and those shades? Even better.

Then there were the traditional garments given a modern, refreshing spin. Sadhana Rai and Sarah Bagharib, yes, we’re talking about you. Both showed how culturally rich pieces can feel completely of-the-moment when styled with the right attitude.

And then, there was pink. Her World Woman of the Year 2026 Tan Su Shan asked her friends to come dressed in the colour — pretty and feminine, yes, but with plenty of power behind it. The result brought a softer kind of confidence to the evening, proving that pink can be every bit as striking as it is beautiful.

Because the best-dressed aren’t always the women wearing the most recognisable names or the fanciest gowns. They’re the ones who make the clothes feel like them. Here are the 25 women who did just that.

Munah Bagharib in Canadian label Jadore Evening

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Dr Patricia Yuen in Pois and Van Cleef & Arpels

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Nicole Liel in Zara

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Rachel Lim in a Love Bonito (soon-to-be-released) dress

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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 Sadhana Rai in a Stylemart sari

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Beatrice Chia-Richmond in Maria Grochvogel

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Trina Liang-Lin in Roland Mouret and Bulgari

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Sulian Tan-Wijaya in Cartier and Bulgari jewellery

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Sarah Bagharib in a self-styled keffiyeh

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Cheryl Wee in Alexander Mcqueen and Sass & Bide

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Nathania Ong in Vietnamese label Tiela

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Maggie Chan in American label Rebel, from Rentadella

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Simone Heng

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Preeti Nair

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Paige Parker in Mode O Days bespoke cheongsam, Olympia Le-Tan clutch and Cartier jewellery

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Shireena Shroff Manchharam

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Leanne Robers in The Missing Piece

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Veronika Linardi in Van Cleef & Arpels jewellery

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Lynn Yeow De-Vito in Gabriela Hearst

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Farhanna Farid in Asos

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Diane Palmer in Retrofête and Alaia

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Eugenia Ye-Yeo in Australian label MISHA

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Bipasha Minocha in Indian label Tarun Tahiliani

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Brie Benfell in Australian label Nicoletta, from Rentadella

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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Rachel Wee in Vietnamese label LANE Ci

Credit: Photography: Athirah Annissa, Art direction: Adeline Eng

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