Dancing with the Stars Season 35: What Julianne Hough Wore

Key takeaways

• Dancing with the Stars Season 35 premiered over two nights on ABC, Sept. 15 and Sept. 16, 2026, with Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough back as co-hosts and Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli on the judges’ panel.
• Julianne Hough’s press-night wardrobe has been the season’s most talked-about: a Tom Ford two-piece for premiere Night 2, then a $4,500 Saint Laurent lace mini dress for Viral Hits Night.
• Judge Carrie Ann Inaba has stayed in one-shoulder and asymmetric gowns; a Sept. 21 taping dress is credited to designer Marmar Halim.

Quick answer — Julianne Hough is doing the boldest dressing of Season 35 so far — a backless Tom Ford two-piece for the two-night premiere, then a $4,500 Saint Laurent lace mini dress for Viral Hits Night. Carrie Ann Inaba has leaned into structured, one-shoulder gowns on the judges’ panel. For the three closest buys to that metallic-lace look, skip to the price table below.

What did Julianne Hough wear for the Season 35 premiere?

The show split its premiere into two nights this year. For Night 2 on Sept. 16, Hough wore a Tom Ford look built from two pieces: a long-sleeve, backless cropped top and a matching skirt, both in black. She confirmed the label herself, tagging @tomford in her own recap post, and The Big Lead’s recap of the night named the same brand.

What did she wear for Viral Hits Night?

Six days later, for the season’s Viral Hits Night episode (Sept. 22), Hough switched palettes entirely: a Saint Laurent lace mini dress with a metallic olive-gold body, blue lace trim at the collar and cuffs, and a red lace hem. The dress retails at $4,500. Hough tagged @ysl in her own post, and the brand and price were separately confirmed by Yahoo Entertainment and the style-tracking site CelebMafia. Fan reaction split down the middle — some loved the unexpected color mix, others found it busy — but the dress became one of the most-discussed looks of the week.

What has judge Carrie Ann Inaba worn this season?

Inaba’s panel wardrobe has stayed close to one idea: a single dramatic gown per taping, usually asymmetric or one-shoulder, in a jewel or metallic tone. For a Sept. 21 taping, she credited the dress to designer Marmar Halim in her own Instagram caption. We are naming that brand on her own confirmation; we have not found a second outlet independently reporting it, so treat it as self-reported rather than dual-confirmed.

What are the rest of the panel and hosts wearing?

Alfonso Ribeiro has kept to tailored suiting for both premiere nights — a fitted, dark charcoal two-piece is the most consistent description across recaps, though no outlet has published a confirmed label for it. Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli round out the judges’ table in classic tuxedo-adjacent suiting typical of the ballroom, without the styling swings the two hosts get. We’re not naming brands for any of the three until a source confirms one.

How much do similar metallic lace mini dresses cost at each price tier?

Hough’s Saint Laurent dress isn’t the easiest thing to recreate at $4,500, so here are three real metallic-and-lace mini dresses in the same spirit, at three budgets.

Prices checked on asos.com, forloveandlemons.com and revolve.com (for the retrofête dress), Sept. 29, 2026, 3:16 a.m. ET. None of the three is the exact garment Hough wore; they’re the closest metallic-lace mini dresses we could find at each budget.

How do you wear ballroom-glam off the dance floor?

For how a TV wardrobe department actually builds a season’s costumes, see how DWTS ballroom costumes are built. For another host in serious rotation this month, see every Emmys 2026 dress, and for how loans, stylists and lookalikes work generally, read how TV wardrobes work.

Where else can you follow TV wardrobes this season?

We’re tracking cast wardrobes the same way across the network’s reality slate: Real Housewives of New York season 16, the Mormon Wives cast in season 5 and Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip season 5. On the daytime side, see what The View’s hosts are wearing this fall. Browse the full Reality Looks section, or compare more price tiers in Shop the Look.

FAQ

When did Dancing with the Stars Season 35 premiere? Over two nights, Sept. 15 and Sept. 16, 2026, on ABC.

Who are this season’s hosts and judges? Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough host; Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli judge.

Why don’t you name every brand? We only name a label once two independent sources agree, or the person wearing it tags the brand themselves. Several looks this season are still single-sourced, so we describe rather than name them.

Will this page be updated? Yes, as new episodes and press appearances confirm more looks.

Sources: Julianne Hough’s own Instagram captions (@tomford, Sept. 16; @ysl, Sept. 22); The Big Lead on the Night 2 premiere look; Yahoo Entertainment and CelebMafia on the Viral Hits Night dress; Carrie Ann Inaba’s Instagram caption, Sept. 21; Dancing with the Stars season 35 on Wikipedia for cast and premiere dates.