Cameron Diaz’s best red carpet looks ever: All the times she won best dressed
Don’t call it a comeback, though Cameron Diaz has officially returned to the red carpet, making her first appearance on the crimson carpet on Wednesday, January 15, after a decade-long hiatus from Hollywood.
As she stepped out for the Berlin premiere of her new Netflix film Back in actionshe turned heads in a full Gucci look with a decidedly laid-back twist that was right in line with her eternally cool California girl aesthetic. She ditched the high heels and opted for penny loafers from Gucci, teaming them with dark denim mom jeans and a sheer blouse, then threw on an oversized coat for an extra layer of swagger.
But former model Diaz, 51, has always been a standout on the red carpet, and her celebrity colleagues have long praised her directional style, a unique brand of poetic bohemian that consistently sets her apart.
In her Fashion May 2003 cover story, Diaz’s Charlie’s angels costar Lucy Liu said of her friend’s wardrobe: “For Cameron, it’s an art form, and it’s all about transformation and change – like turning a skirt into a tube top. Something can cost $10 or $10,000, either way, if she feels comfortable with it. She makes sure it works. She defines her own fashion, and people follow it.”
During her meteoric rise in Hollywood, her red carpet aesthetic read like a masterclass in ’90s minimalism. She was a fan of all-black, little black dresses that accentuated her mile-long legs and she added a sassy red heel to simple black pants with a halter top and a cardigan draped over her shoulders. She favored a bright hat, a midriff-baring crop top, and lots (and lots) of blue eyeshadow — looks that would feel right at home on today’s Gen-Z style stars.
As she got bigger roles, she occasionally found herself on the worst-dressed list. At the 2002 Academy Awards, she wore an Emanuel Ungaro Haute Couture kimono dress that is now considered ahead of its time.
‘Cameron was a collaborator. She was always open to mixing designers. She looked beautiful in clothes and she was a delight. Cameron was ahead of everyone,” said her stylists at the time, Clare And Nina Hallworthhave said. “She wore what felt right.”
More than two decades later, a look back at some of her best looks will be definitive proof that Diaz was always a red carpet winner. Take a look back at 17 of our favorite Diaz moments from 1997 below My best friend’s wedding New York City film premiere of 2007’s ‘Poiret: King of Fashion’ Costume Institute Benefit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
