Vera Wang, 76, Debuts Platinum Blonde Hairstyle at 2026 BAFTA Awards

Joe Maher/BAFTA/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

• Vera Wang debuted a bold new look as she hit the red carpet at the 2026 BAFTA Awards on Sunday, Feb. 22

• The fashion designer, 76, stepped out with a new platinum blonde hairstyle at the ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall in London

• She also rocked a floor-length white ruched dress for the occasion

Vera Wangdebuted a bold new look as she hit the red carpet at the2026 BAFTA Awards.

On Sunday, Feb. 22, the fashion designer, 76, stepped out with a new hairstyle at the star-studded ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

Wang could be seen rocking a platinum blonde look with dark roots — a major departure from her look on Saturday, Feb. 21, when she could be seen sporting long brown locks at the BAFTA Film Awards Nominees' Party.

The designer's outfit — by her eponymous brand — included a white floor-length ruched dress, accented with long black puffed sleeves. She paired the gown with black cat-eye sunglasses.

Lia Toby/Getty

As for the BAFTA Nominees' Party, Wang also made a statement in a black skin-baring bandeau top along with elbow-length black leather gloves and a fitted skirt. She accessorized with a black oversized hat and a fur wrap.

The mother of two isno stranger to making a bold statement with her styleon the red carpet.

Atlast year's BAFTA Awards, she wore a black upside-down bandeau top and a high-waisted black-and-white color block skirt with a structured peplum detail at the waist. The skirt cascaded into delicate pleats and featured a short train.

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She also debuted a new hairstyle at the time — a blunt brunette lob that just barely grazed her shoulders.

"B is for BAFTA THE BIG DAY… Here we go… good luck and congratulations to all the talented NOMINEES. XXV," Wang wrote in the caption of an Instagram post showing off the look.

She added black sunglasses and an oversized leather jacket. In another Instagram post, she wrote, "WHEN ITS LITERALLY 30 degrees farenheit………. OUTERWEAR is a REQUIREMENT! So….……..a HEAVY LEATHER MOMENT!"

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty

The bridal designer told PEOPLE ahead of her milestone 75th birthday in June 2024 that it was"a lot of pressure."

"Birthday plans are up in the air. I mean 75 is a lot of pressure," Wang shared backstage at the Fashion Scholarship Fund Gala on April 8.

She continued, "I think maybe a little bit likeWarren BuffettorQueen Elizabeth. I'm just going to keep prodding on because I feel as though I'm able to do my best work more and more. I'm really trying to respect that in me, that voice in me, that I feel very happy to be creating. That's what it's all about, really."Speaking with PEOPLEagain in July 2025, Wang shared that she felt unsure about throwing a birthday party after such a milestone year (though she eventually hosted astylish evening at the restaurant Le Relais Plazain Paris, pictures of which she posted on Instagram).

"After my 75th last year, I said, 'Maybe, you don't have to celebrate after 75,' " she told PEOPLE.

"A lot of my friends don't want to. They say, 'I'm too old.' I said, 'It's not about being old. It's about being here and living, and we should celebrate that,' " she continued, adding: "But you have to celebrate every year that you're alive. That's just how I feel."

Read the original article onPeople

byLiam Oneel

in

February 22, 2026

Vera Wang, 76, Debuts Platinum Blonde Hairstyle at 2026 BAFTA Awards

Joe Maher/BAFTA/Getty NEED TO KNOW Vera Wang debuted a bold new look as she hit the red carpet at the 2026 ...

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Conor McGregor gives more hints about UFC comeback, possible opponent

Conor McGregoris eyeing a return to the UFC Octagon based on his latest social media missives, perhaps in time for the mixed martial arts company's scheduled event at the White House in 2026.

After recently suggestinghe had been offered an opponent and a date for a comeback fight in the UFC, McGregor suggested late Saturday night over a series of tweets that the opponent he could face was "a no name" for what would be his first professional bout in five years.

"It's a no name up next for me possibly, folks," McGregor wrote on X. "And as you know, idgaf. I ACCEPT. Send the contract, lads. CONOR MCGREGORS DEAL."

ANALYST:Why Jon Jones, Conor McGregor shouldn't be on UFC White House card

McGregor issued several tweets during the UFC Fight Night 267 broadcast on Saturday, Feb. 21,according to MMA Junkie, including one with a photo of the UFC welterweight division rankings, "perhaps further confirming his return, should it happen, will be at 170 pounds." Some of the tweets had been deleted fromMcGregor's X accountas of Sunday. They come on the heels oftweets McGregor sent out(and then deleted) indicating he had been offered an opponent and date for his next fight.

McGregor's recent activity surrounding the UFC has led to speculation that his return fight could be part of the UFC card at the White House, scheduled for June 14, 2026. McGregor has previously expressed interest in being part of the event, which UFC CEO Dana White has already declared will be the most-watched event in the company's history.

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McGregor, 37, has not competed since a July 2021 loss toDustin Poirier. McGregor broke his leg in the fight and underwent surgery. He was slated to return to the Octagon for a June 2024 fight with Michael Chandler, but McGregor suffered a broken toe ahead of that bout and has not been scheduled for another fight since then.

McGregor attempted to be part of Ireland's presidential election last year butwithdrew his candidacyafter not meeting the requirements to be included on the ballot.

McGregor became one of the UFC's biggest attractions beginning in 2008, and the first fighter to hold UFC championships in multiple divisions simultaneously (featherweight and lightweight). He has a 22-6 career record and a controversial reputation outside the mixed martial arts arena.

McGregor was found liableby a jury in Dublin and ordered to pay nearly 250,000 Euros in December 2024 after Nikita Hand filed a lawsuit alleging McGregor and another man, James Lawrence, had sex with her without her consent in 2018. McGregor was also sued last January by a woman who alleged McGregor sexually assaulted her after Game 4 of the 2023 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets at the Kaseya Center in Miami.

Previously, he pleaded guilty to assault over a 2019 incident in whichhe punched an elderly man during an argument inside a Dublin bar.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Conor McGregor hints at UFC comeback, says opponent could be 'no name'

byLiam Oneel

in

February 22, 2026

Conor McGregor gives more hints about UFC comeback, possible opponent

Conor McGregoris eyeing a return to the UFC Octagon based on his latest social media missives, perhaps in time for t...

Read More

'He would have been on this team': USA hockey pays tribute to late Johnny Gaudreau after gold-medal win

MILAN — They gathered on the ice, two dozen of the best hockey players the United States has ever produced, all of them with wide smiles on their faces and gold medals around their necks having justbeaten Canada 2-1 in an overtime thriller. They carried the American flag with them, but they carried something else, too: a Team USA jersey emblazoned with the No. 13 on the back, the name of Johnny Gaudreau embroidered along the shoulders.

It felt good to have a jersey for Gaudreau,who died in a shocking traffic accident 18 months ago, out there in the team's finest moment. But it didn't feel quite right.

And then Matthew Tkachuk and Zach Werenski went to the stands and hoisted up Gaudreau's two oldest children, Noa and Johnny Jr., and brought them out onto the ice. In that perfect moment, all of American hockey smiled through tears.

"To have Johnny and Noa out there," Dylan Larkin said afterward, "it just felt right."

Johnny Gaudreau was one of the best hockey players of his generation, a prolific scorer, seven-time All-Star and member of the NHL's Quarter Century Team. On the night of Aug. 29, 2024, he and his brother Matthew were riding bikes near Oldmans Township, N.J. It had been a good day; they were in town for their sister Katie's wedding the next day. But around 8 p.m., the two were struck by a car making an illegal pass. The brothers were pronounced dead at the scene, and the driver was charged with vehicular homicide.

Gaudreau's death devastated the hockey world, including so many members of Team USA. "We miss him on the ice dearly," Brady Tkachuk said. "He would have been on this team."

Throughout its international competitions over the past two years, Team USA has brought along a Gaudreau jersey as motivation, inspiration and comfort. The No. 13 jersey hung in American locker rooms during the 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2025 IIHF World Championships, a testament to Gaudreau's love of international hockey.

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Just prior to the start of the Olympics, Gaudreau's family released a statement noting just how much he would have loved to be a part of these Games.

"In that final summer, John was training harder than ever, with his dad, pushing himself to be in the best shape of his life," the family wrote in a statement. "He was determined to earn his spot on that Olympic roster. While it breaks our hearts that John won't be there to live out that dream, we know he will be so very present with Team USA and all of his close friends competing throughout these games."

Larkin said that maybe the Gaudreau brothers were here in some way after all, helping Team USA on a spiritual level. "Somehow," he said while laughing, "they put a spell around our net where the puck didn't go in."

Members of the Gaudreau family, including Johnny's widow Meredith, parents Guy and Jane, and 10-month-old son Carter, have attended the past two United States hockey games. Cameras captured them in the crowd Sunday in tearful celebration.

"He's touched everybody on the ice, everybody in Team USA's lives," Brady Tkachuk said. "We just wanted to show the Gaudreau family our support. He was so near and dear to a lot of us."

"We miss him and we love him and we love his family," Larkin said. "We can't wait to celebrate with them."

"He's had a big impact on a lot of guys in our room. A lot of guys grew up with him, played with him, spent a lot of time with him," Team USA captain Auston Matthews said, adding that the jersey was "just a subtle reminder that him and his brother, they're with us in spirit."

Nothing will replace Johnny and Matt Goudreau in the lives of all who loved them. But thanks to Team USA, his children will have a treasured memory honoring their father. And thanks to the gold-medal win, his memory will live on as long as there's American hockey.

byLiam Oneel

in

February 22, 2026

'He would have been on this team': USA hockey pays tribute to late Johnny Gaudreau after gold-medal win

MILAN — They gathered on the ice, two dozen of the best hockey players the United States has ever produced, all of them ...

Read More