Gracie Abrams’ Chanel Red-Carpet Turn and What Fans Should Read Between the Looks After Paul Mescal’s BAFTA Nod
For fans and fashion followers, Gracie Abrams’ appearance alongside Paul Mescal at awards season feels like a deliberate, low-key moment rather than a flashy statement. Gracie Abrams arrived at the 2026 BAFTAs to celebrate Mescal’s nomination while keeping her look supportive and quietly detailed; earlier in the week the pair had also posed together at the London premiere for Sir Paul McCartney’s documentary Man On The Run, a pattern that matters to those tracking both private life and personal style.
How this matters for fans and style watchers — Gracie Abrams’ choices as a signal
Here’s the part that matters: the pairing reads as two complementary public personas. For fans of gracie abrams, the Chanel choice reinforces her existing relationship with that house while making a clear decision to center the evening on Mescal’s nomination. The real question now is whether future photo calls will follow this same rhythm — elevated but intentionally understated.
Public appearances that shaped the arc before the BAFTAs
The couple’s first official photo call together came earlier this week at the London premiere for Sir Paul McCartney’s upcoming documentary, Man On The Run, where they kept things casual in baseball caps and winter coats. They have been seen together since 2024 — spotted on city streets and at festival sites — and have appeared together on Abrams’ social media posts. In a recent Instagram post, Abrams celebrated both Paul and her close friend Clemmy, writing that she loves February 2 and thanking them for making everything better, adding that she loves them more than words can describe.
At the 2026 BAFTAs: where they stood and what happened
The BAFTAs evening took place at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London. The pair made what was called their red carpet debut as a couple, arriving arm in arm and sharing a kiss; at one point Abrams kissed Mescal on the cheek. Mescal was nominated for a supporting acting prize for his portrayal of William Shakespeare in Hamnet — a nomination he attended the night to celebrate. He previously won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Actor in 2021 for Normal People, a detail that framed much of the evening’s attention on him.
Outfits and small details that shaped the snapshot
Mescal leaned into a relaxed formal look: a black Prada suit with a white dress shirt, his jacket left open and sleeves folded or rolled for a casual finish; the suit is noted as Prada by Felicity Kay in one account. Abrams chose Chanel — a piece tied to Matthieu Blazy’s 2026 Métiers d’art collection in one description — a black sleeveless dress trimmed with teal-blue beading and aquatic motifs in shades of red and brown, with an open back called out in that description. Another account described her in a floor-length Chanel gown paired with kitten-heel pumps. Accessories were deliberately minimal: long diamond earrings and a statement diamond ring, black pointy-toe heels, and deep-brown nail polish were all noted across accounts. On hair, descriptions differ between a dark pixie cut and an extra-short bob; unclear in the provided context which is definitive.
- They have been publicly seen together since 2024 and made a first official public appearance at the Man On The Run premiere earlier this week.
- They made a red carpet debut at the 2026 BAFTAs at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, arriving arm in arm and sharing a kiss; Abrams also kissed Mescal on the cheek.
- Mescal’s BAFTA nomination was for his role as William Shakespeare in Hamnet; he has a prior BAFTA Television Award win from 2021 for Normal People.
- Abrams chose Chanel — described in one account as a Matthieu Blazy 2026 Métiers d’art piece — while Mescal wore Prada (noted in one account as by Felicity Kay).
It’s easy to overlook, but the combination of casual earlier appearances and a carefully balanced red-carpet look signals conscious management of public moments rather than an abrupt reveal.
Wider scene and brief timeline
The BAFTAs evening included other notable attendees in the room that night, including Timothée Chalamet, Kylie Jenner, Prince William and Princess Kate. A short timeline from the details provided: Mescal won a BAFTA Television Award in 2021; the two were first seen together in 2024; earlier this week they attended the premiere for Man On The Run in London; and they made a red carpet debut as a couple at the 2026 BAFTAs.
Key signals that could confirm a longer-term shift: more coordinated appearances, repeated fashion house alignments, or continued social posts that pair their public and private moments. If you’re wondering why this keeps coming up, it’s because the mix of awards-season attention and consistent social visibility shapes both fan expectations and how stylists position future looks for each of them.
Key takeaways:
- Both casual and formal moments have been documented: baseball-cap premiere photos and a formal BAFTAs red-carpet debut.
- Mescal’s nomination for Hamnet was central to the evening; Abrams’ styling read intentionally supportive.
- Chanel and Prada were the named houses in different accounts; details about designers and looks appear across descriptions.
- They have shared public moments since 2024 and have integrated those moments into social posts and public premieres.