The best outfits and beauty looks from the first night of Sanremo 2026 Which is better: Arisa's total white look or Mara Sattei's classic black elegance?

Pippo Baudo’s voice doesn’t open Sanremo 2026, it resurrects it with the solemnity of a grand secular high priest of mainstream television. In an instant, the Ariston turns into a time machine: the jingle of collective memory begins, the curtain rises on the final chapter of the trilogy signed by Carlo Conti, artistic director, host, emotional tightrope walker. If the Festival is a mythological organism, Conti is its tuxedo-clad tamer. This year nostalgia is openly in play, but with gloss. The noble father Baudo is invoked, Olly returns to the stage with Balorda nostalgia (a title that sounds like a self-fulfilling prophecy), and Laura Pausini is crowned co-host in Giorgio Armani. In the background hovers the name of maestro Peppe Vessicchio, evoked with the devotion usually reserved for patron saints of standing ovations. On the Sanremo 2026 outfit front, the memo seems clear: less is more, but with pedigree. Total black triumphs, total white asserts itself, silhouettes are sculpted like academy busts, and Old Hollywood hairstyles sway under the lights as if Rita Hayworth had a backstage pass. Few glamorous saboteurs, Ditonellapiaga at the forefront, pin a pop brooch onto the lapel of nostalgia. For the rest, elegance is classic, calibrated, almost disciplined. Sanremo 2026, after all, loves order. Or at least pretends to. Then, just when everything seems to flow according to script, the real lesson in style arrives, moral before aesthetic. Gianna Pratesi, 105 years old, among the first women to vote in 1946, takes the floor and, with disarming naturalness, declares: “In our family we were left-wing, down with the fascists.” In a Festival that celebrates the past with crystals and velvet, she reminds everyone that memory is not a vintage accessory but a stance. And that, on stage, never goes out of fashion.

The best outfits and beauty looks from the first night of Sanremo 2026

Laura Pausini

Brand: Giorgio Armani

Look: Laura Pausini opens the evening in black velvet by Giorgio Armani, chosen in collaboration with her stylist Monica Serani, wearing a mermaid gown with a boat neckline and straps that graze the shoulders like a 1950s echo. On her feet, Casadei heels; around her neck, a constellation of diamonds and tanzanite from Pomellato’s 1967 collection. Her Sanremo 2026 beauty look is a hymn to gloss: ultra-long, sleek, mirror-shine hair with a central glass hair parting, soft smokey eyes, and petal-pink lips. For her second change, still Armani, this time silver and mercury embroidery from the Fall/Winter 2025–2026 collection, paired with an ethereal cape and Pomellato jewels. “I look like a butterfly,” she says. And yes, but a butterfly with an Armani wardrobe making her wings sparkle. Her final look of the night? A blue long dress with cut-out details from the Giorgio Armani Privé Haute Couture collection, covered in crystals. Blue jewels as well, again by Pomellato, this time from the Nudo collection.

Ditonellapiaga

Brand: Dsquared2

Look: Ditonellapiaga plays the coquette card in a custom Dsquared2 piece that feels born from a ménage-à-trois between Lana Del Rey, Amy Winehouse, and Creamy Mami. An oversized T-shirt with a pink bow and the title of her song Che Fastidio!, a waist-cinching black corset, and a ballerina-pink balloon miniskirt, completed by matching bow-adorned Casadei platform pumps. Fishnet tights add mischief, Miluna jewels sparkle with rubies. The bold make-up by Daniele Peluso using Mulac Cosmetics is her signature: inky black cat-eye, glitter eyeshadow, scarlet red lipstick, and matching manicure. Long voluminous chestnut hair (by Danilo Spacca) and flame-red nails by Unghiedellamadonna complete the retro aesthetic. A perfect example of an iconic beauty look dialoguing with the outfit styled by Lorenzo Oddo, like in a 1950s screwball comedy.

Michele Bravi

Brand: Antonio Marras

Look: To perform Prima o poi, Michele Bravi wears Antonio Marras: a double-breasted blazer, pleated trousers, and a shirt with an elongated collar tied nonchalantly. A collegiate dandy who, as his stylist Susanna Ausoni anticipated, references Dead Poets Society and Peaky Blinders without losing his melancholic grace. A precise side part and dollop bangs frame the face. The result? A disciplined yet poetic hair look, like a finely chiseled verse.

Mara Sattei

Brand: Vivienne Westwood

Look: On the advice of stylist Gaia Bonfiglio, Mara Sattei chooses Vivienne Westwood, Vittoria sandals by Le Silla, and a flawless blonde Hollywood bob that looks like a pre-Instagram filter. Flat waves by Salvo Filetti and Compagnia della Bellezza in partnership with Redken frame a face brightened by pink blush (Skin Idôle Juicy Blush shade 10 Pink Ôh La La) blended upward and strategic highlighter. Lancôme make-up focuses on beige tones, a sinuous cat-eye, and nude lips defined with an unexpected twist: light brow pencil (Brow Shaping Powdery Pencil 02 Blonde) also used on the lips, paired with Absolu Rouge Drama Matte 274 French Tea. The result is a romantic, ultra-glowy diva look, though one question lingers: were the nude tights really necessary?

Dargen D'Amico

Brand: Mordecai

Look: For Ai Ai, Dargen D’Amico wears a custom Mordecai by Ludovico Bruno kimono-style double-breasted suit made eccentric by a trompe-l’œil print inspired by Italian herringbone parquet. Styled by Rebecca Baglini, the look is completed with customized Vibram shoes by @fabeasy and Swarovski-covered sunglasses. One of the most experimental outfits of Sanremo 2026, layered, tech-detailed, ironic.

Arisa

Brand: Des Phemmes

Look: In total white, Arisa enchants in a body-hugging Des Phemmes dress hand-embroidered with 1,300 crystal drops, 108 hours of work, creating a chandelier effect. Casadei stilettos and Crivelli jewels amplify the light. Old Hollywood waves frame a mauve-toned face and sculpted brows. Styled by Rebecca Baglini, the look is elegant and retro, polished to the last crystal, as if Jean Harlow had booked a ticket to the Ariston.

Elettra Lamborghini

Brand: Tony Ward

Look: Baroque and sparkling. Elettra Lamborghini wears a Tony Ward gown with golden embroidery on the bodice and a front slit over a sheer underskirt studded with luminous applications. Styled by Marco Ferrari and Ellen Mirck, she pairs it with a glitter-heavy silver smokey eye and semi-wet mermaid waves created by Claire Essoa using ghd tools. A make-up glitter visible even from the last row.

Patty Pravo

Look: Patty Pravo descends the Ariston stairs in high-neck black, almost monastic, if not for the jewel-embroidered sleeves. Long wavy blonde hair, oversized graphic eyeliner, bold contouring. Her graphic beauty look is a signature that spans decades. If Sanremo is collective memory, Patty is the sustained note still vibrating when everything else has faded.

Levante

Brand: Giorgio Armani

Look: Levante chooses precious essentialism in a custom Giorgio Armani strapless longuette fully embroidered with champagne and silver crystal pavé. Gianvito Rossi metallic mules and Damiani jewels complete the look. Styled by Lorenzo Oddo. Her beauty look, wet-textured eyes, glossy lips (the combo is Lip Power Matte #207 + Prisma Glass Icy Plumper #36), radiant complexion by make-up artist Valentina Raimondi with Armani Beauty, is a study in sophisticated monochrome minimalism. Soft waves frame a vintage-inspired lob. Minimal, yes, but aware that the best light never blinds. Levante is as beautiful as ever, but perhaps we were used to dresses and beauty looks with greater visual impact.

 Serena Brancale

Look: With stylist Carlotta Aloisi, Serena Brancale opts for a measured restyling: goodbye blonde, hello warm brunette; goodbye excess, hello white halter-neck gown with an open back. A neat bob, luminous glow blush, glossy balm-like lips. A minimal chic beauty lesson in subtraction.

Malika Ayane

Brand: Jil Sander

Look: A custom Jil Sander gown under creative director Simone Bellotti: long black silk taffeta with deep V-neckline, central slit, and white contrast hem detail. Coordinated pumps reinforce sartorial precision. Sleek hair, smokey eyes, black manicure, an outfit that could have dared more. She has other evenings to leave us breathless.

Tredici Pietro

Look: For his Sanremo debut, Tredici Pietro chooses an oversized total black suit: wide double-breasted jacket, soft trousers, white shirt, dark tie. Plum sporty shoes add a contemporary twist, nude-frame glasses and tousled curls keep it youthful. Tiffany & Co. HardWear collection adds metallic accents. A balance between rigor and generational spirit, with a tender echo of dad Gianni. Styled by Gaia Bonfiglio.

Bambole di pezza

Brand: John Richmond

Look: Bambole di Pezza bring coordinated pink power by John Richmond: five different styles, chromatically harmonized. Platform loafers by Cult, Cruella-style two-tone pixie cuts, fiery red layered hair, Y2K aesthetic, dark lipstick, punk attitude. Styled by Susanna Ausoni. One of the most identity-driven looks of the night.

Maria Antonietta and Colombre

Brand: Tom Ford for Colombre 

Look: Maria Antonietta builds a temporal bridge wearing a tailored replica of the dress Nada wore in 1969 at the Ariston performing Ma che freddo fa: white mini dress with puff sleeves and floral inserts, Forte_Forte boots, omnichord in hand. Red hair with bangs and glitter make-up complete the poetic homage. Beside her, partner in life and art Colombre wears an archival Tom Ford suit and a T-shirt illustrated by Davide Toffolo, cartoonist and frontman of Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti, paying homage to Dino Buzzati, the writer from whose short story he takes his stage name. Too cool and too cute.

Ermal Meta

Brand: Trussardi

Look: Ermal Meta wears Trussardi: a striped stretch silk satin duster coat, oversized suede trousers, lava-colored flocked denim boots. The antique pink shirt with neck ribbon is hand-embroidered with the name “Amal,” homage to Palestinian girls mentioned in Stella stellina. The calligraphy is his own. Rebellious curls do the rest. A look that literally stitches message into fabric. Styled by Nicolò Grossi.

Fulminacci

Brand: Ami Paris

Look: Fulminacci opts for Ami Paris: a gray double-breasted wool coat, white shirt, and just-bold-enough purple tie. Elegant, almost academic, but with a chromatic detail that breaks the discipline. Something feels slightly off, though. Perhaps he’ll do better in the coming nights.