Mariah Carey has officially defrosted, and apparently, Christmas now comes with a Gucci dress code. The unofficial Queen of Christmas is starring in the Italian luxury brand’s 2026 holiday campaign, arriving in faux fur, oversized sunglasses, and enough designer accessories to make Santa reconsider his wardrobe.
Directed by Spring Breakers filmmaker Harmony Korine, the campaign features Carey’s 1994 holiday juggernaut, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” because naturally, the soundtrack was never going to be anything else.
The campaign unfolds inside a lavish hotel, where employees prepare for Carey’s grand entrance. Christmas decorations are everywhere, the accommodations are suitably extravagant, and the guest of honor arrives wearing pieces from Gucci’s Butterfly special collection.
The butterfly motif is particularly fitting for Carey, whose 1997 album Butterfly remains one of her defining releases. Nearly three decades later, the singer is still incorporating the imagery into her personal style, this time with Gucci handling the accessories.
And Gucci isn’t exactly being subtle about the merchandise. The accompanying holiday collection includes shimmering Starlet, Gucci duffle, and GG Marmont bags, alongside the suede Paparazzo bag. Horsebit loafers, Ace sneakers, Vittoria pumps, monogrammed boots, and winter accessories round out the offerings.
Korine, whose filmography also includes Gummo and The Beach Bum, previously collaborated with the fashion house on its 2019 Duck Duck project.
Carey’s Gucci appearance follows her annual Nov. 1 announcement that the Christmas season has officially begun. This year’s installment of her now-traditional “It’s Time” videos opened with a reference to Chick, the alternative rock project she recorded during the 1990s, before giving way to the familiar holiday extravaganza.
The annual ritual has become almost as recognizable as the song itself, which has continued to return to the charts more than 30 years after its original release.
Of course, even the Queen of Christmas occasionally faces a challenge to her throne. Last December, Wham!’s “Last Christmas” knocked Carey’s signature anthem out of the top spot on the Billboard Global 200, interrupting a streak of December chart dominance dating back to the ranking’s 2020 debut.
Andrew Ridgeley celebrated the achievement on Instagram, calling it “the best Christmas gift we and George could ever have wished for.” George Michael’s team also marked the occasion, writing, “George adored Christmas, and he would have truly loved seeing Wham! back at No. 1 this year.”
But Carey has considerably more than a chart position on her Christmas calendar. Her 2026 Christmastime tour hits the U.K. Nov. 27 in Birmingham, England, before heading to London’s O2 Arena on Nov. 30, Manchester’s Co-op Live on Dec. 2, and Malta on Dec. 8.
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