ESSENCE Festival Chief Curator Teyana Taylor’s Most Iconic Beauty & Style Moments

Teyana Taylor is part of the 2026 Essence Festival of Culture lineup. Don’t miss out—tickets here: Get Tickets

In this year alone, Teyana Taylor has proven time and again just how far >The Aunties, she’s bringing her signature taste to New Orleans. 

Up until now, it’s a taste we’ve seen through her Grammy-nominated visual album, Escape Room, characters like One Battle After Another’s Perfidia Beverly Hills, and of course, all the iconic beauty and fashion moments in between. “It’s a dream come true,” Taylor told ESSENCE at the Met gala last week. “I’ve been going down a whole ESSENCE Festival rabbit hole, honey. So, I got a lot of things to do.”

While she stopped to chat, we couldn’t help but notice her jaw-dropping Met Ball look. Channelling Anita Louise as “Titania” in Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935), Taylor wore a Tom Ford by Haider Ackermann interpretation of the ethereal, Art Deco costume originally designed by Max Rée and Milo Anderson. She danced around in the full-body look, which appeared as if strands of hair were crystals dripping from every inch of her silver-covered skin. 

It makes sense, considering she wore an Ashi Studios dress with coiffed curls gelled on at the 2026 Billboard Women In Music Awards and textured hair-like loops at Tiffany and Co.’s Blue Book Gala. There, she paired her coat with a stark red pixie cut, bright blush, and smoky cat liner. Speaking of liner, she’s long been doubling her double wing, which extends to not just her inner corner, but lower lash line like at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party.

Just like Taylor’s structured signature pixie cuts, they’re often paired with over-the-top gowns (See her burgundy BAFTA Awards gown with a pixie-reaching collar or her stop motion train at the 57th NAACP Image Awards). Even in her layered checked suiting at Thom Browne’s GQ Bowl show, her undeniable taste andsrc="https://media.essence.com/vxcjywbwpa/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2274058060-scaled.jpg" alt="ESSENCE Festival Chief Curator Teyana Taylor’s Most Iconic Beauty & Style Moments" width="400" height="600" />Teyana Taylor at The 2026 Met Gala Celebrating “Costume Art” held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 04, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images) Billboard Women In Music Awards LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 29: Teyana Taylor attends 2026 Billboard Women In Music at Hollywood Palladium on April 29, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images) Maison Valentino & Alessandro Michele “Specula Mundi” Book Launch Teyana Taylor at the Maison Valentino & Alessandro Michele “Specula Mundi” Book Launch held at Marciano Art Foundation on April 28, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by River Callaway/WWD via Getty Images) Tiffany & Co.’s Blue Book Gala NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 16: Teyana Taylor attends ‘Tiffany & Co. celebrates the launch of Blue Book 2026: Hidden Garden’ at Park Avenue Armory on April 16, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Aeon/GC Images) 98th Oscars HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 15: Teyana Taylor attends the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images) Vanity Fair Oscar Party LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 15: Teyana Taylor attends the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Mark Guiducci at Los Angeles County Museum of Art on March 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images) CHANEL And Charles Finch Annual Pre-Oscar Dinner BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 14: Teyana Taylor, wearing CHANEL, attends the CHANEL and Charles Finch Annual Pre-Oscar Dinner at the Polo Lounge at The Beverly Hills Hotel on March 14, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California.(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/WireImage) W Magazine and Dior Host Pre-Oscar Dinner BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 12: (EDITORS NOTE: This image has been retouched.) Teyana Taylor attends as W Magazine and Dior host intimate dinner ahead of the Academy Awards at Mr Chow on March 12, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for W Magazine) TIME Women Of The Year Gala WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 10: Teyana Taylor attends the TIME Women of the Year Gala 2026 at The West Hollywood EDITION on March 10, 2026 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for TIME) 32nd Annual Actor Awards LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 01: (L-R) Teyana Taylor and Rue Rose Shumpert attend the 32nd Annual Actor Awards at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on March 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.(Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images) 57th NAACP Image Awards PASADENA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 28: Teyana Taylor attends the 57th NAACP Image Awards at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on February 28, 2026 in Pasadena, California.(Photo by Julian Hamilton/FilmMagic) BAFTA Film Awards 2026 LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 22: Teyana Taylor attends the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2026 at The Royal Festival Hall on February 22, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA) GQ Bowl Teyana Taylor, Rue Rose Shumpert and Iman Tayla Shumpert Jr. at the GQ Bowl, presenting the Thom Browne Fall 2026 collection held at Legion of Honor on February 06, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Chad Salvador/WWD via Getty Images) Variety & Golden Globes Pre-Golden Globes Party Teyana Taylor at the Variety & Golden Globes Pre-Golden Globes Party, Presented by Morgan Stanley at The Polo Lounge at The Beverly Hills Hotel on January 09, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Variety via Getty Images) Saturday Night Live Schiaparelli Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2026 PARIS, FRANCE – JANUARY 26: Teyana Taylor attends the Schiaparelli Haute Couture Week Spring/Summer 2026 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 26, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo by Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images) Netflix’s “The Rip” New York Premiere NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 13: Teyana Taylor attends Netflix’s “The Rip” New York Premiere at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on January 13, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images) 2026 BAFTA Tea Party LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 10: Teyana Taylor attends the 2026 BAFTA Tea Party at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on January 10, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) 83rd annual Golden Globe Awards BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 11: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Teyana Taylor attends the 83rd annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on January 11, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/WireImage) Grand Opening of Gymkhana Las Vegas LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 16: Teyana Taylor attends the grand opening of Gymkhana Las Vegas at ARIA Resort & Casino, presented by American Express and Resy on January 16, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for ARIA Resort & Casino ) 37th Annual Palm Springs International Film Awards After Party PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 03: (L-R) Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti attend the 37th Annual Palm Springs International Film Awards after party at Parker Palm Springs on January 03, 2026 in Palm Springs, California.(Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Palm Springs International Film Society) 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 04: Teyana Taylor arrives at the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 04, 2026 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/FilmMagic) Variety Creative Impact Awards PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 04: Teyana Taylor attends Variety Creative Impact Awards and 10 Directors to Watch during the Palm Springs International Film Festival at Parker Palm Springs on January 04, 2026 in Palm Springs, California.(Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images) 37th Annual Palm Springs International Film Awards PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 03: Teyana Taylor arrives at the 37th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Awards at Palm Springs Convention Center on January 03, 2026 in Palm Springs, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/FilmMagic)TOPICS:  2026 Academy Awards celebrity beauty Oscars nominations Teyana Taylor

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