Cast your thoughts again, if you’ll, to 2010, a time when Christian Grey hadn’t but been unleashed upon the world and Dakota Johnson had blonde hair and no fringe. Even then, Dakota Johnson wasn’t precisely an ‘unknown’—her dad and mom had been ’80s Hollywood royalty, and her grandmother is Tippi Hedren, certainly one of Hitchcock’s well-known blondes and the topic of a biopic, The Girlthat includes Sienna Miller. But nonetheless, in these halcyon days of the web, she wasn’t the Hollywood behemoth she is right now both. Naturally, this was mirrored in her garments, which, going off Getty alone, largely consisted of black skinny denims tucked into pirate boots and wafty peasant blouses. There was additionally quite a lot of dangly jewelry and billowy batwing sleeves—the woman favored a drape!
I’m—with out disclosing an excessive amount of data—across the identical age as Dakota Johnson, so I keep in mind this time all too vividly. While it won’t look it to right now’s eye, Dakota Johnson circa 2010 was dressing like the best woman in your uni city, with only a smattering of Effie from Skins—tousled hair, alabaster complexion—to actually set issues off.
Dakota Johnson 2010–2015
Even so, the makings of a Hollywood vamp had been there. At the 2012 GQ Men of the Year Party—held on the legendary gothic Chateau Marmont—she wore black reptile-effect skinny denims and a long-sleeved lace high, her bandeau bra peeking out from beneath. The following yr, on the LACMA Art + Film Gala, she arrived in an ethereal Gucci robe direct from the runway. By 2014, she was on the Met in an ink- and raven-black robe designed by Jason Wu (she was his visitor), full with satin night gloves, a slick of vermilion lipstick, and the soon-to-be-famous bangs. Her off-duty wardrobe nonetheless carried lots of the period’s tropes although: banged-up Converse, classic band tees, and the ever-present skinnies.
Dakota Johnson in 2015
Fifty Shades of Grey despatched Dakota Johnson’s star into the stratosphere, which, after all, meant extra purple carpet appearances—however that’s not to say she completely shed her grunge thrives. At the movie’s UK premiere, she layered a studded leather-based jacket over a Grecian white robe by Saint Laurent. Back in New York (and again in a pair of second-skin denims), she was noticed carrying lace-up Victoriana booties and an outsized blazer whereas out with then-boyfriend Matthew Hitt—for those who wanted proof of his indie credentials: he’d beforehand dated Alexa Chung, and there’s an entire Pinterest board devoted to him and his mop of curly darkish hair. He wears a thin tie in a couple of picture.
Dakota Johnson in 2017
Around the time of the Fifty Shades of Grey sequel, Dakota Johnson began working with stylist Kate Young, who ushered in a bolder and extra luxurious period. At the 2017 Oscars, she wore a shimmering gold robe by Gucci, styled by Young, that featured a excessive neck, lengthy sleeves, and tulip-leg slit—it was a departure from earlier purple carpet experiences and notably extra fashion-forward, insofar because it strayed from the usually attractive attire which might be par for the course at such occasions. Under Young’s course, she shifted from indie minimalism to red-carpet authority, adopting a basic Hollywood glamour that nodded to her cinematic pedigree.
Dakota Johnson 2020-2025
The years that adopted noticed Johnson and Young push the type envelope additional. They explored editorial silhouettes, textures, and a deepening relationship with Gucci’s aesthetic. At the 2022 Met Gala, Johnson appeared in a customized Gucci catsuit and cape, replete with piercing Louboutin pumps and dangly earrings (very 2010-coded). Off-duty outfits, too, turned extra elevated: sharp blazers and delicate gildings that talk to Dakota’s place on this planet of excessive style with out dropping her indie roots.
The transformation, spearheaded by Young, is about extra than simply material and labels. The gold Gucci robe on the Oscars introduced her transition to spectacle. The Met Gala catsuit signalled threat and high-fashion play. Young’s function has been pivotal—not simply choosing seems to be, however shaping Johnson’s style id. In an interview with British VogueYoung stated she needs to “represent who people are … in a way that’s also relevant in the fashion world,” and Dakota Johnson’s altering type is probably the proper instance of that. The artistry has been elevated, however there’s nonetheless a lot of Johnson’s character in every outfit; it appears like a pure evolution quite than a Hollywood star merely making an attempt on a brand new persona for measurement.
Today, Dakota Johnson’s purple carpet type is unmistakably femme fatale, with lashings of sheer lace and an enviable assortment of bodysuits and “naked” attire. A standout second got here throughout Milan Fashion Week 2023 when she wore a sheer Gucci bodysuit with an open blazer, mini skirt, and knee-high boots. More lately, on the 2025 Zurich Film Festival, she arrived in a customized cobalt-blue Gucci robe with a high-neck lace bodice and voluminous skirt, styled by Young. The result’s a wardrobe that exudes energy and sensuality. With Kate Young’s styling as a through-line, the journey from indie darling to commanding glamour not solely is sensible, it feels natural. 2025 would possibly go down because the yr that goths stormed the style scene (see Goth Girl Summer, Summerween magnificence and shortly: Gothmas), however Dakota Johnson has at all times dabbled within the sultry and the sensual.