Kelsea Ballerini favored a customized iteration of a Roberto Cavalli design on Sunday night for the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nev.
The “Cowboys Cry Too” singer turned to the Italian fashion label’s spring 2026 ready-to-wear collection for her look. The dress featured some nods to the 1990s and early aughts, with a scoop neckline and thin straps.
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Throughout the dress, a gilded gold laurel leaf motif cascaded throughout the material, adding fabric contrast and harkening back to the spring collection from which Ballerini’s dress took inspiration. A corset detail at the back of the singer’s look gave the silhouette of the dress a more streamlined, sensual appearance to boot.
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As for jewelry pieces, Ballerini went mostly minimal, save for a few dainty rings and earrings. The singer’s hair was tousled with natural waves that cascaded down her back. Makeup highlights included bold brows, a smokey eye and a glossy lip.
The look on which Ballerini’s 2026 ACM Awards arrival carpet design was based on made its runway debut as part of Milan Fashion Week in September 2025. Curated by creative director Fausto Puglisi, the collection swapped out Cavalli’s oft colorful styles for a monochromatic approach.
“The metallic runway shone like a candy wrapper, and nearly every outfit, down to the flat sandals with their curving snake details, came in a shade of gold,” Samantha Conti wrote in WWD’s review of the collection.
Highlights from the collection included “gowns dipped in rose gold sequins, or covered in gilded laurel leaves. There were shimmery red carpet styles, too. One looked like it was covered in gold spray paint while another had a coral design picked out in shiny beads at the front. The final exit was a long, airy princess dress in muted gold tinged with silver,” Conti wrote.
The 61st Academy of Country Music Awards were held Sunday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, with Shania Twain taking the stage as a first-time host. The ceremony, streamed live on Prime Video, featured performances by Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, Blake Shelton, Kane Brown and Cody Johnson. Megan Moroney went into the show with the most nominations, at nine, followed by Lambert with eight and Ella Langley and Wilson with seven each.