We’ve seen fashion trends come and go, from the iconic 2000s tracksuit to chevron patterns. When a new trend comes by, Hollywood strikes while the iron’s hot, but without fail, there’s always been one trend that everyone and anyone can rock effortlessly. Chances are, you have a go-to in your own closet. That’s right; we’re talking about the little black dress, or LBD.
Designer Stella McCartney once said, “A little black dress is something to rely on. To fill you with confidence and ease. To have an attitude that is pure and effortless, yet sexy and classy.” And she’s right; a little black dress is the one trend people can rely on, and over the years, some of our favorite stars have not only rocked the LBD trend, but redefined it as their own.
Instead of a simple little black dress, these stars have added their own twists to it, from making it a suit dress to adding some extra poof to it. From Julia Roberts’ academic-chic dress to Elizabeth Hurley’s iconic safety pin dress, there have been quite a few iconic LBDs on the red carpet (and we still think about them daily!)
Now, of course, the ultimate LBD was Princess Diana’s revenge dress, but right now, we’re focusing on the red carpet LBD that made our jaws drop (especially at the 80th Golden Globes!) See our favorites below!
A version of this article was originally published on Dec 2022.
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Dakota Johnson at the MARTINI 160th celebration (2023)
Image Credit: Stefania M. D’Alessandro/Getty Images for Martini Dakota Johnson wowed in this black Versace column dress with a fun belt detail on the bust. Johnson then accessorized with natural waves, silver bangles and black heels.
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Kimberly Perry at the Academy of Country Music Awards (2023)
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores for PMC. At the 2023 Academy of Country Music Awards, Kimberly Perry looked as gorgeous as can be in this cutout, chainlink silver accented and caped LBD.
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Eva Longoria at the Gold House Annual Gold Gala
Image Credit: Getty Images Eva Longoria stunned in this updated and sleek take on the LBD while walking the carpet for second annual Gold Gala hosted by Gold House.
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Margaret Qualley at the 2023 Met Gala
Image Credit: Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images. Margaret Qualley wowed in this lacy vintage Chanel mini-dress at the 2023 Met Gala.
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Pamela Anderson at the Mugler H&M Launch Event
Image Credit: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images Pamela Anderson gave the ultimate LBD twist when she wore this beaded lace catsuit and a black blazer on top at the Mugler H&M Launch Event.
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Chloe Cherry
Euphoria star Chloe Cherry looked stunning in this tulle dress from Alessandra Rich at the 31st Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party.
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Jessica Alba
Image Credit: Photo by Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images. Jessica Alba turned heads in her gothic ensemble at the Balmain Womenswear Fall Winter 2023-2024 show for Paris Fashion Week. On March 1, she rocked a sensational ensemble, with the wrapped, asymmetrical dress being the star of the look.
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Phoebe Tonkin at W Magazine’s Annual Best Performances Party
Image Credit: Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images for W Magazine. Phoebe Tonkin stole the show yet again with another LBD, this time at W Magazine’s Annual Best Performances Party! She wowed everyone in this glittering black YSL mini-dress.
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Janelle Monáe at W Magazine’s Annual Best Performances Party
Image Credit: Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images for W Magazine. Janelle Monáe’s daring Dundas LBD was truly a sight to see!
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Taylor Russell at W Magazine’s Annual Best Performances Party
Image Credit: Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images for W Magazine. Taylor Russell’s incredibly-chic mini leather dress from Schiaparelli was definitely one of our favorite looks from W Magazine’s Annual Best Performances Party.
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Daisy Edgar-Jones at W Magazine’s Annual Best Performances Party
Image Credit: Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images for W Magazine. Daisy Edgar-Jones’s sleek and chic mini-dress was proof that less is more!
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Olivia Rodrigo at the 2023 Grammys After Party
Image Credit: Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images. Olivia Rodrigo rocked the color black all throughout the 2023 Grammys, but we’re seriously in love with this cutout sequined LBD she wore for the after party.
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Phoebe Tonkin at the 2023 G’Day USA Arts Gala
Image Credit: Getty. Phoebe Tonkin looked like the pinnacle of chicness and glamour in this LBD from Emilia Wickstead, which she paired with Tiffany & Co. jewelry for the 2023 G’Day USA Arts Gala.
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Anne Hathaway at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival
Image Credit: Getty. Get ready for your jaws to drop because Anne Hathaway put a sparkling spin on the LBD trend for the Sundance Film Festival. She wowed in a black Versace dress, with dark tights and matching black Versace boots.
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Nia Long at the Atlantis Royal Grand Reveal Weekend Event
Image Credit: Getty. Fatal Affair star Nia Long rocked this feather-trimmed LBD Atlantis Royal Grand Reveal Weekend event!
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Sigourney Weaver at the 2023 Golden Globes
Image Credit: Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images. Sigourney Weaver looked so stunning in this draped black Saint Laurent dress for the 80th Annual Golden Globes.
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Jennifer Coolidge at the 2023 Golden Globes
Image Credit: Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images. For the 80th Annual Golden Globes, Jennifer Coolidge brought the sparkle, drama, and old Hollywood glamour in this not-so-little black dress!
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Kerry Condon at the 2023 Golden Globes
Image Credit: Photo by Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images. Golden Globe nominee Kerry Condon was the pinnacle of chic red carpet fashion in this not-so-little custom Brandon Maxwell dress for the 80th Golden Globes.
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Margot Robbie at the ‘Babylon’ Premiere
Image Credit: Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images. Margot Robbie turned heads as she showed off her personal, elaborate style in this not-so-little black dress from Alaïa at the Babylon premiere.
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Mila Kunis at the ‘Luckiest Girl Alive’ Premiere
Image Credit: Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix. Who could forget when Mila Kunis made her first red carpet premiere in over two years in early 2022 in this all-black mini-dress from Carolina Herrera? She redefined the LBD trend by arriving in a suit-dress, which had a tulle sash wrapped around the front and poofed out in the back.
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Angelina Jolie at the ‘Salt’ Premiere
Image Credit: Photo by DAVID CROTTY/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images. Angelina Jolie came to wow when she arrived in this sparkling Emporio Armani mini-dress at the Los Angeles premiere of Salt in 2010.
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Paris Jackson at the Givenchy Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023 Show
Image Credit: Photo by Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images. Paris Jackson always shakes things up on the red carpet, showing off her ever-so-bold style, and this LBD she wore in Oct 2022 for the Givenchy Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023 show is one of our absolute favorites from her.
The “Lighthouse” singer previously told LVR about her eclectic personal style, saying, “I have had the same style since high school: a combination of Sixties, Seventies, and Nineties.”
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Julia Roberts at the ‘Jesus Henry Christ’ Premiere
Image Credit: Photo by Brian To/FilmMagic. Julia Roberts always understands the assignment, and for the premiere of Jesus Henry Christ, she kept it academic-chic in this white-collared Victoria, Victoria Beckham mini-dress.
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Rosie Huntington-Whiteley at the 2018 BRIT Awards
Image Credit: Photo by JMEnternational/Getty Images. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley also brought the sparkle with her LBD from Saint Laurent at The 2018 BRIT Awards. But what made this dress so sensational was the tulle bow detailing on the collar and her matching black accessories.
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Cindy Crawford at Vogue Magazine’s 100th Anniversary Celebration
Image Credit: Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images. Probably one of the most iconic LBDs in red carpet history was when Cindy Crawford turned heads in this form-fitting Herve Leger number at Vogue Magazine’s 100th Anniversary Celebration in 1992.
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Elizabeth Hurley at the ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ Premiere
Image Credit: Photo by Michael Stephens – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images. Now, this isn’t exactly a little black dress, but it’s arguably one of the most iconic in fashion history. Back in 1994, Elizabeth Hurley arrived at the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral in this safety-pin-clad Versace dress.
Hurley recently told Variety that she believes women should do “whatever the hell they want when it comes to fashion.” She also added how shocked she was by the worldwide attention the dress brought, “Hugh and I lived together in a tiny little one-bedroom flat without a full-length mirror, so I hadn’t even seen the [full] dress until I saw it on the papers the next day. But of course, people also didn’t know that his movie was going to be a sensation.”
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Florence Pugh at the Venice Film Festival Premiere of ‘Don’t Worry Darling’
Image Credit: Photo by Marilla Sicilia/Archivio Marilla Sicilia/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images. Florence Pugh brought the drama with her take on the LBD trend, arriving at the Venice Film Festival Premiere of Don’t Worry Darling in this caped, sparkling tulle gown from Maison Valentino Haute Couture.
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Taylor Swift at the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards
Image Credit: Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic. At the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards, Taylor Swift embraced the geometric trend and combined it with the timeless LBD trend in this sparkling, cutout Kaufmanfranco dress.
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Mariah Carey at the 1991 Grammys
Image Credit: Photo by Robin Platzer/IMAGES/Getty Images. Mariah Carey’s jewel-encrusted neckline LBD that she wore at the 1991 Grammys was the moment. In a lookbook breakdown with Vogue, Carey said while she loved the hair moment, she has one complaint about the look: the earrings. She said, “I know I was very wrong for the earring choice, but whatever, I’m not gonna disrespect the moment because I’m winning my first Grammy.”
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Penelope Cruz at the ‘L’Immensita’ Photocall
Image Credit: Photo by Pierre Suu/WireImage. Penelope Cruz knows not only how to rock a preppy Chanel look, but she knows how to be the Queen of black looks. We especially love this Clueless-esque button-down LBD.
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Nicole Kidman at the Swisse Wellness ‘Power Your Passion’ Event
Image Credit: Photo by Nicole Cleary/Getty Images. For the Swisse Wellness Power Your Passion event in 2017, Nicole Kidman reminded everyone she can make any look her own, specially this feathered0collared Marchesa LBD.
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Salma Hayek at the 20th Anniversary SCAD Savannah Film Festival
Image Credit: Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SCAD. Salma Hayek has rocked quite a few sexy LBD, but we really love this colorful, Peter Pan-collared Gucci look from 2017.
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Britney Spears at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards
Image Credit: Photo by Hubert Boesl/picture alliance via Getty Images. Britney Spears brought out her daring side back at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards when she wowed in this sensational cutout black dress!
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Keira Knightley at ‘The Duchess’ After Party
Image Credit: Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Andrew Walker/Getty Images for CHANEL Beaute. Keira Knightley is the Queen of sophisticated fashion, but back in her early career, she added some flair and sparkle whenever she could. Back at The Duchess after party in 2008, she arrived in this tufted, silk dress from one of her go-to brands, Chanel.
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Olivia Wilde at the ELLE’s 29th Annual Women in Hollywood Celebration
Image Credit: Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for ELLE. Olivia Wilde’s go-to red carpet color is black, and this puffy-skirted Vera Wang gown she rocked at ELLE’s 29th Annual Women in Hollywood celebration showed she adores the LBD trend just as much as we do!
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Naomi Campbell at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival
Image Credit: Photo by Daniele Venturelli/WireImage. Naomi Campbell was positively glowing as she brought the 1920-s glamour in this feathered LBD at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.
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Jennifer Lopez at the FOX All-Star 2014 Winter TCA Party
Image Credit: Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic. For the FOX All-Star 2014 Winter TCA Party, Jennifer Lopez shook things up with her normal dramatic red carpet looks. Instead of a puffy ball gown or a sparkling cutout dress, she gave fans a treat by wowing in this sheer leather Ermanno Scervino dress.
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Keke Palmer at Her Listening Party at the 40 / 40 Club
Image Credit: Photo by Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images. Now, this wasn’t a red carpet event, but no LBD list would be complete without mentioning this sensational velvet LBD Keke Palmer turned heads in back in 2018.
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Anne Hathaway at Hollywood Life’s Breakthrough of the Year Awards
Image Credit: Photo by Gregg DeGuire/WireImage. If we could only pick one LBD that truly defined early 2000’s red carpet fashion, it has to be Anne Hathaway’s tufted gown she wore for Hollywood Life’s Breakthrough of the Year Awards.
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