Gracie Abrams and Paul Mescal Make Red Carpet Debut at the 2026 BAFTAs

gracie abrams and Paul Mescal arrived arm in arm at the 2026 BAFTAs at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London, sharing a kiss on the red carpet as Mescal stood nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of William Shakespeare in Hamnet. The public moment formally marked the couple’s first official red carpet appearance together.

Gracie Abrams in Chanel from Matthieu Blazy’s 2026 Métiers d’art

A longtime ambassador of the French label, Gracie Abrams wore a Chanel dress drawn from Matthieu Blazy’s 2026 Métiers d’art collection: a black sleeveless design trimmed with teal-blue beading and embellished with aquatic motifs in shades of red and brown. The open back highlighted her extra-short bob—described elsewhere as a dark pixie cut—and she accessorized with long diamond earrings and a statement diamond ring. She paired the look with black pointy-toe heels described as kitten-heel pumps and matched her nails in a deep-brown polish; she kissed Mescal on the cheek on the carpet.

From a casual McCartney premiere to the BAFTAs kiss

Earlier this week the pair made their first official public appearance together at the London premiere for Sir Paul McCartney’s upcoming documentary, Man On The Run, where they kept it casual in baseball caps and winter coats. The BAFTAs appearance comes nearly two years after they were first seen together, and the couple have been dating since 2024, having been spotted together from city streets to festival sites and in gracie abrams’ social media posts.

Mescal’s nomination and past BAFTA win

Mescal arrived for the ceremony dressed in Prada by Felicity Kay, wearing a black suit and white undershirt; he rolled his sleeves, left his jacket unbuttoned and open, kept the collar of his white dress shirt relaxed, and folded over his cuffs while stopping for photos with Abrams. He was nominated tonight for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Hamnet and previously won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Actor in 2021 for Normal People.

A star-studded Royal Festival Hall red carpet

The BAFTAs at the Royal Festival Hall also featured other high-profile attendees and fashion moments. Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner were among the guests, and Prince William and Princess Kate were in attendance; one write-up noted that "love was truly in the air. " Jessie Buckley won big at the BAFTAs in Chanel, and fashion coverage named Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Camille Charrière and the Princess of Wales—who wore a blush-toned custom Gucci—among notable names seen at the event. Separate highlights mentioned Dakota Johnson, Margot Robbie and a piece on Meghan Markle’s Old Hollywood gown as part of broader red-carpet conversation.

A personal note and what comes next

In a recent Instagram post, Abrams celebrated both Paul and a close friend named Clemmy, captioning the image: "My whole heart!!!!!!!!! I love February 2… Happy birthday, I love you both more than words could ever describe. Thank you for making everything better. " Tonight’s BAFTAs appearance felt to observers like a moment to celebrate Mescal’s nomination and to make the couple’s relationship publicly official on the red carpet. It is unclear in the provided context what their next public appearance will be.