Aubrey Plaza turns Chanel Coco Beach knit into Tony Awards black tie

Chanel’s Coco Beach 2026 collection is built to blur the line between vacation and evening, with striped knits, silk dresses and jersey swimsuits recast in polished, supple materials. Aubrey Plaza took that idea straight to the 79th annual Tony Awards, where a black-and-white knit from the capsule became one of the night’s sharpest examples of maternity black tie.

Plaza arrived at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, June 7, 2026, alongside Christopher Abbott, who was there as a featured actor nominee for his role as Biff Loman in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Instead of a sculpted satin gown or heavily embellished column, Plaza wore a long Chanel dress with fine white striping and a deep V neckline, a look that kept the graphic contrast of black tie while softening the formality through knitwear.

That is what made the outfit feel so current. Chanel has framed Coco Beach 2026 as a summer-minded capsule, and the collection’s official page keeps it squarely in seasonal territory rather than red-carpet dressing. On Plaza, though, the same beach-rooted logic took on a different register: the knit moved from seaside to black tie without losing its ease, suggesting how resort pieces are now being drafted into more formal wardrobes.

Jessica Paster styled the look with discipline. Rheanne White left Plaza’s dark hair in loose waves, Fulvia Farolfi balanced the face with a soft pink lip and defined eyes, and the rest of the finish stayed restrained: small drop earrings, a fine necklace, rings and red nails. The effect was less about spectacle than control, with every detail calibrated to keep the dress readable and modern.

Plaza’s recent maternity dressing has been relatively understated, and this look extended that instinct rather than overturning it. The black-and-white Chanel knit was still a statement, but it was a quieter one, the kind that makes a familiar formal code feel lighter and more wearable. In 2026, that may be the bigger style shift: soft knits and resort-coded separates are no longer stopping at the beach club, and on Plaza they were convincing enough to stand in for black tie.