Tessa Thompson’s Baby Doll Dress Is a Thoughtful Take on “Super Sensual” Dressing

You can tell that Tessa Thompson’s fashion choices are always well thought out. She’s no mere trend chaser, nor headline seeker. Instead, her red carpet picks always surprise and delight, often, with their thoughtful meaning. Take the sculptural babydoll dress she wore last night to the Critics Choice Association’s annual celebration of Black Cinema & Television in Los Angeles, for example. It was a graphic visual delight, for sure. But it also came with a captivating backstory.

Working with stylist Karla Welch, the star stepped out in one of the standout looks from designer Rachel Scott’s spring 2026 collection for Diotima. The garment had a layered effect to it, with a pink nylon bodice trimmed in purple. Over the top, she wore a molded dress made out of red faux feathers. Its hemline featured a swooped curve, a Diotima signature, while the top half was suspended by ultra-thin spaghetti straps.

Thompson, who received the Actress Award for her work in Hedda at the event, paired her runway dress with bubblegum pink sandals. The film is director Nia DiCosta’s take on Henrik Ibsen’s canonical play Hedda Gabler. On stage, the lead role’s demands are often considered on par with taking on the main character of Shakespeare’s MacBeth. A major achievement warrants a major dress.

Scott, the designer behind Diotima (and now Proenza Schouler, too) drew inspiration from the carnival in the Caribbean nation of Trinidad for her spring show at New York Fashion Week. While not literal iterations of the costumes seen at carnival, the clothes zeroed in on the ethos of the over 200-year-old tradition. “Carnival is super sensual,” Scott said prior to her show. “It’s a very erotic moment in the public sphere and it kind of resists any kind of heteronormativity.”

Thompson’s dress, with its billowing structure and warm, tropical colors, loosely nods to the Baby Doll character, a symbol of feminine power and sexuality. It’s a contrast to the character of Hedda Gabler, a woman who feels trapped in her home and marriage.