Shania Twain wears strapless panther dress at ACM Awards

Shania Twain opted against subtlety with a glittering strapless panther gown at the 2026 ACM Awards.

The country icon, 60, stepped onto the red carpet ahead of her hosting duties in a silver gown emblazoned with a black panther and embellished with floor-length ribbons.

She wore her brunette locks down around her shoulders, amping up the look with soft bangs.

Twain accessorized with dramatic leather opera gloves studded with gleaming buttons, an understated necklace and pendant earrings, and diamond-encrusted rings on each of her pinkie fingers.

At one point, she was seen posing for photographers with Academy of Country Music CEO Damon Whiteside.

Fans of the first-time host for the Academy of Country Music Awards went wild over the look on social media, with one person exclaiming, “that’s mother!”

“Flawless Queen of the whole shebang! 💅🏼👏🏼🤠🩵” another social media user gushed in the comments thread of her joint Instagram post with the ACM Awards. A third dubbed her the “Queen of country music!”

It’s not the first time the “Forever and Always” hitmaker has made a big cat statement on the red carpet.

At the 2022 People’s Choice awards, Twain revived her iconic hooded leopard look (from her 1998 “That Don’t Impress Me Much” music video) with a similar sheer style.

The Grammy-winning artist’s bold looks on the red carpet, however, haven’t always been universally embraced.

After facing online trolls for wearing two daring looks for the 2023 CMT Awards — and a dramatic red wig with a black-and-white spotted suit and enormous hat at the 2023 Grammys — she defended her fashion choices.

“For me fashion is a powerful tool that helps to convey my personality and express my creativity and other than getting to hang out with my friends for the night, it’s one of my favourite things about attending award shows!” she explained in an Instagram post at the time, featuring photos from her CMT Awards outing.

“Life is too short to wear boring clothes!!😘” she continued. “Thank you to the team behind my @cmt #CMTAwards looks ❤️‍🔥”

Amid her “Come On Over” residency in Las Vegas in 2024, the singer divulged that she enjoyed seeing what her fans wear, as well.

“I’m enjoying fashion. I’m enjoying watching the audience wear the fashion,” she told People at the time, noting that it had been “really fun.”

“I see people wearing things, even just from recent things,” she continued. “They come with colored hair and it makes me smile, makes me happy because they’re in the spirit and so we’re all in one spirit, especially in a room like this. It’s very intimate. It’s informal, and I really feel comfortable.”