‘Law & Order’ Star, 62, Is Almost Unrecognizable in Sequins
Olivia Benson, is that you?
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay is ditching her usual pared-down, modern aesthetic for red-carpet style ahead of hosting the Emmys on Monday.
The 62-year-old actress wore a head-to-toe sequin suit in a Los Angeles press preview for the Primetime Emmy Awards on September 10.
“Walking on sunshine,” she captioned photos of the outfit on Instagram, followed by a sun emoji.
The 62-year-old actress attended a press preview for this year's Primetime Emmy Awards in a dazzling sequin suit and matching pencil skirt.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Hargitay, a four-time Emmy winner herself, is preparing to host the Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, Sept. 14, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. She will be the first woman to host the ceremony since actress Jane Lynch hosted in 2011.
For Thursday’s press preview, the police procedural star wore a structured LaQuan Smith jacket with a matching slit pencil skirt—a far cry from her usual laidback, darker-toned ensembles.
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Hargitay accessorized her look with white suede pumps and oversized sunglasses, and wore her wavy brunette bob parted down the middle.
Fans quickly praised the sparkly look.
One wrote, “Shine bright like a 💎,” while another said Hargitay was “making the whole place SHIMMER.”
Fans were excited to see Hargitay in a different look from her practical cop outfits on "Law & Order." Pictured here is Hargitay as Captain Olivia Benson and co-star Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler in "Law & Order: Organized Crime."
Virginia Sherwood/PEACOCK
Another fan wrote, “The song choice. The suit. The sparkle. Absolutely no notes,” implying that the look was perfect.
The sequins mark a departure from Hargitay’s typically simple and polished wardrobe, as well as the practical suits and coats she frequently wears as Captain Olivia Benson on SVU.
"Law & Order" star Mariska Hargitay poses in a black dress at the unveiling of her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013. The actress stunned fans on Thursday for departing from her usual simple style.
Mario Anzuoni/REUTERS
The actress is also coming off an eventful Emmy weekend, having won two awards at the 2026 Creative Arts Emmys for My Mom Jayne on Sept. 5.
Hargitay, a mom of three children herself, made the documentary about her late mother, actress Jayne Mansfield, who died at 34 in a car crash when Hargitay was just three years old.
In the documentary, the SVU star opened up about discovering at 25 that Las Vegas entertainer Nelson Sardelli was her biological father—not Mickey Hargitay, the man who had raised her.
The film won Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special, while Hargitay won Outstanding Directing for a Documentary or Nonfiction Program.
Earlier this month, Hargitay won two Creative Arts Emmys for her documentary "My Mom Jayne," honoring the life of her late mother, actress Jayne Mansfield. She was three years old when she got in a car crash that killed her mom, the driver, and Mansfield's boyfriend, Sam Brody. Bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay (pictured on the left), who raised her, was not present at the time.
Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
Hargitay won her other Emmy in 2006, when she won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Benson on SVU.
In 2019, she also won a News & Documentary Emmy Award for Best Documentary for her work as a producer on I Am Evidence.
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