Harry Styles Lights Up the Red Carpet at the 2026 BRIT Awards in a Chanel Pinstriped Suit and Ballet Flats; harry styles Opens the Show
harry styles returned to the red carpet for the first time in three years and opened the BRIT Awards 2026 at Manchester's Co-op Live Arena, pairing a Chanel pinstriped look with a memorable shoe moment. The fashion choice linked directly to his live return onstage that night, which included a surprise duet and a string of high-energy performances.
Harry Styles’s Chanel Look
In the days leading up to the BRIT Awards, murmurs suggested Harry would choose a womenswear-focused look with a specific shoe moment. The eventual outfit — look 39 from Chanel’s Métiers d’art 2026 collection — comprised a black-and-white bouclé pinstripe jacket with matching trousers and a pale mint pinstripe cotton shirt. Chanel clinched the deal after other possibilities were imagined, including unseen Jonathan Anderson for Dior ready-to-wear and other archival options.
The Chanel choice tied into the visual direction of Harry’s latest album, Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally., with album artwork shot by Johnny Dufort. The broader fashion rollout has leaned colour-saturated — examples cited included a mustard Miu Miu jumper and a Prada bowling pin shirt and tie — and has favored accessories often labelled feminine, such as mint-green, bow-bedecked Dior mules and Elton John-adjacent sunglasses sourced by General Eyewear Vintage. The thoughtful red-carpet look acted as a warm-up for the Brits stage moment and teased what might appear on his 2026 tour.
Red Carpet and Stage Return
Harry, 32, sent fans wild with his first red-carpet appearance and much-anticipated return to the stage following a three year career break. He completed the suit on the carpet with a double breasted blazer and swapped his usual sequinned stage outfits for a subdued shirt and tie for the performance that followed.
Onstage, his first live vocal outing in his “Aperture” era was a highly choreographed number. Joined by a huge group of dancers, he strutted energetically through the routine, which included spirit fingers. Social-media reaction included bursts of praise and ecstatic reaction: "He is so back!"; "That Harry Styles BRITs performance was GENUINELY incredible we are so back !!!!"; "HARRY STYLES ATE SO HARD"; "I just love harry styles"; "HARRY STYLES IS BAAAAAACK"; and a longer response that read: "That was an EXTRAORDINARY performance from Harry Styles! The dancing, the dancers, the hands shaking, the gospel singers! He really levelled up and got a standing, screaming ovation from the audience! So unbelievably proud".
Dua Lipa’s Surprise Moment
Dua Lipa, 30, made a surprise appearance alongside Harry and was lowered onto the BRITs stage a huge disco ball. She first entered in a furry jacket before removing it to reveal a skimpy black playsuit and knee high boots, delivering a performance of Dance The Night By Barbie. Fellow musicians on the bill also played several Marc Ronson tracks and paid tribute to the late Amy Winehouse.
Other Performances and Appearances
Olivia Dean, 26, fresh off her win for Best Song Of the Year for her and Sam Fender's Rein It In, performed her solo track Man I Need in a sequinned mini dress, channeling old-fashioned glamour and showing off her vocals. Raye, who followed a record-breaking six awards at the 2024 ceremony, returned to the stage to a standing ovation in an embroidered gown with a flowing train, performing Where's My Husband and her new release Nightingale Lane. The heartbreak ballad is from Raye's forthcoming album, This Music May Contain Hope, slated for release on March 27.
Icelandic icon Bjork, 60, made a surprise appearance during Rosalia's set. She was welcomed to the stage by the Spanish songstress for a rendition of their song Berghain and ensured all eyes were on her in a blue sculpted futuristic gown paired with an equally dramatic black headpiece.
Fashion Signals and What Comes Next
The BRIT Awards night suggested a tidy fashion moment for Harry: feather boas and harlequin jumpsuits gave way to streamlined pinstripes and French-girl flats, a detail observers flagged as a directional cue for his public image this year. With Jonathan Anderson's Dior women's show scheduled in Paris on 3 March and ongoing conversations about archival and vintage sourcing, the red-carpet and stage moments at Manchester's Co-op Live Arena offered a concentrated snapshot of how the style rollout is aligning with Harry’s current musical era.
20: 27 GMT 28 Feb 2026, updated 01: 25 GMT 01 Mar 2026. By GERAINT LLEWELLYN, SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER.
