Tracee Ellis Ross brought sartorial drama, fashion knowledge and support to the 19th annual Harlem’s Fashion Row Fashion Show and Style Awards in New York City on Tuesday, where her brand Pattern Beauty was an official sponsor.
Ross, the 2015 recipient of the event’s Fashion Icon Award, dressed up in a fall 2026 Balenciaga couture look by Pierpaolo Piccioli for the occasion.
The ensemble featured silky black ultra wide-leg pants and a voluminous black puffed-sleeved jacket over a white tank top. Aligning with the theme of the event and the Harlem’s Fashion Row organization which supports designers of color, Ross repped Black designers through her asymmetric earrings. She wore mismatched dangling pieces from accessories brand L’Enchanteur, founded by identical twin sisters and designers Dynasty and Soull Ogu. She completed her look with sleek black pointed-toe shoes.
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Ross, who was feted as the first Hollywood Trailblazer at the 2025 WWD Style Awards, has long been admired for her fashion. The actress and businesswoman is known to embrace bold colors and interesting shapes in her wardrobe choices, which extends to her accessories, whether it’s the mismatched earrings she wore on Tuesday or the upturned Marc Jacobs pumps she wore to the designer’s show last year. How does she put it all together?
On her approach to getting dressed, Ross told WWD, “It depends on where I’m going and what I’m doing. It comes from a feeling, like do I want to feel comfortable, do I want to feel glamorous, do I want to feel elegant, do I want to feel sexy? Sometimes it starts with a pair of shoes, sometimes it starts with a favorite pair of jeans, and sometimes it starts with some drama,” she said, gesturing to her striking Balenciaga look.
Recalling the Black designers that shaped her style, Ross cited WilliWear as one big name from the past. “And right now, Maximilian [Davis at Ferragamo], I think what he’s doing is so elegant and beautiful. And Rachel [Scott] from Diotima who’s now at Proenza [Schouler]” — she concluded with a chef’s kiss to laud the designer’s work.
Speaking on stage once the programming started, Ross recalled the many times she’s participated in the Harlem’s Fashion Row event through the years, from being the 2015 Fashion Icon Award winner to joining in digitally in 2020 when sheltered in place to presenting her best friend Samira Nasr with the Editor of the Year Award in 2024.
“But tonight I am here as the founder, owner and co-CEO of Pattern Beauty, the official hair and body sponsor of this year’s celebration. From honoree to sponsor — kind of boss if you think about it, I like it.”
After performing a Lucille Ball-like jingle for her brand, Ross said, “For seven years, Pattern has been centered around Black beauty and all the ways that we express ourselves through our curls, coils and tight textures. And for 19 years, Harlem’s Fashion Row has held space for Black designers and creatives to be seen, celebrated and supported. Pattern is honored to support Harlem’s Fashion Row. We are a really good match.”