From the start of her career, Anne Hathaway has been known for portraying onscreen characters with some seriously aspirational style transformations. Her breakout role in The Princess Diaries centered around her makeover from ordinary teen to princess of Genovia, and a few years later, Hathaway famously went from average college graduate to Chanel-clad fashion assistant Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada. But on the red carpet, Hathaway’s personal style transformation didn’t occur until much later.
After working with several stylists over the first two decades of her career, the Oscar-winning actress had a fashion renaissance of her own when she began working with stylist Erin Walsh. Initially teaming up in 2019 during the press tour for the television series Modern Love, the duo would completely redefine Hathaway’s sartorial presence by 2022, earning the actress an ambassadorial role with Bulgari and a Versace campaign in the process.
“Erin sees my idiosyncrasies as a strength,” Hathaway told The Hollywood Reporter of why her collaboration with Walsh works. “Maybe there was an initial confusion with me because I was introduced to the world as a teenaged princess, but I never actually connected to things that are ‘sweet’ and ‘pretty’—no shade at all for those wonderful options. I love the right risk, as does she.”
From her earliest red carpet days in Disney’s The Princess Diaries to the 2022 style transformation that put her at the front of the fashion pack, these are some of Hathaway’s most memorable red carpet moments.
2001, The Princess Diaries Premiere
To celebrate her breakout role in The Princess Diaries, Hathaway wore a simple strapless mauve dress to the Los Angeles premiere, which she accessorized with a matching clutch.
2003, Golden Globe Awards
Hathaway opted for a more elaborate gown to attend her first Golden Globe Awards, wearing a bright pink Elie Saab design that included sequin and beaded embroidery at the bust, floral appliqués and a floral watercolor train with a side slit.
2004, Ella Enchanted Premiere
Blame it on the trends of the early 2000s or, as Hathaway put it, the “stylist who shall not be named” that helped her with this Ella Enchanted premiere look; but this embroidered pink dress over jeans combo shows just how dramatically Hathaway’s red carpet style has changed in the years since.
2005, Venice Film Festival
Taking a more sophisticated direction with her styling, Hathaway wore a black, one-shoulder silhouette gown with ruffle details and satin trim along the bodice and skirt for the premiere of her film Brokeback Mountain.
2006, The Devil Wears Prada Premiere
For the New York City premiere of The Devil Wears Prada, the actress chose a bold red gown with cape sleeves and a scoop neckline.
2007, Screen Actors Guild Awards
Wearing a strapless tiered gown, Hathaway took to the stage at the 2007 Screen Actors Guild Awards to help honor Julie Andrews—whom she worked with on The Princess Diaries—as she received the Life Achievement Award.
2008, Academy Awards
Hathaway turned to the Marchesa fall 2008 collection for this one-shoulder red gown, trimmed with rosettes and accessorized simply with diamond drop earrings.
2008, Venice Film Festival
Versace would become a staple in Hathaway’s red carpet lineup once she started working with stylist Erin Walsh in 2019, but this 2008 Atelier Versace look was a major switch for the actress. Attending the Venice Film Festival premiere of her film, Rachel Getting Married, Hathaway chose this elaborate strapless gown, which included an asymmetrical hem lined with ruffles and rosettes in a mix of pale blues and greens. Hathaway also elevated her accessories for the occasion, completing the look with satin heels, a gold clutch that matched her statement necklace and cocktail ring and a slicked-back French twist hairstyle.
2009, Academy Awards
Hathaway’s Armani Privé gown at the 2009 Academy Awards was all about the sparkle with its combination of crystals, sequins and paillettes (the latter of which grew increasingly larger as they progressed down the dress).
2009, Met Gala
For her very first Met Gala, Hathaway opted for a rich plum minidress from the Marc Jacobs fall 2009 collection. Referencing “The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion” theme, the actress played up the look with smoky eye makeup and a voluminous bouffant hairstyle that seemed to reference ‘60s supermodels like Veruschka and Jean Shrimpton.
2009, Tony Awards
Hathaway added a pop of color to her Tony Awards look by pairing her black strapless Oscar de la Renta gown with open-toe heels that matched the red carpet.
2011, Golden Globe Awards
In another shimmering number from Armani Privé, Hathaway’s Golden Globes look proved slightly more daring with its open back.
2011, Academy Awards
While co-hosting the 2011 Academy Awards with James Franco, Hathaway sported multiple looks throughout the broadcast, from a Lanvin tuxedo to a Vivienne Westwood gown. But to kick off the evening, Hathaway turned to her friend Valentino, who outfitted the actress in a strapless red dress. The elaborate train was accented with rosettes, and Hathaway complemented the Old Hollywood-style look with diamond jewelry, a matte red lip and a polished low knot with face-framing pieces.
2011, One Day Premiere
At the New York City premiere of her film, One Day, Hathaway matched the gold sequin trim on the bodice of her strapless Alexander McQueen gown with a gold clutch and gold Christian Louboutin heels.
2012, New York City Ballet Gala
Still sporting her pixie haircut from her then-forthcoming film, Les Misérables, Hathaway accompanied Valentino to the New York City Ballet fall gala in an ethereal printed gown from the designer’s fall 2012 couture collection.
2013, Golden Globe Awards
The 2013 award season marked a turning point in Hathaway’s career, as she would sweep the Best Supporting Actress category across every major award show ceremony. At the Golden Globes, the Les Misérables actress celebrated her win in a strapless Chanel column gown that was covered in sequins.
2013, Academy Awards
Though Hathaway had originally planned to wear Valentino to the Academy Awards (where she took home the Best Supporting Actress Oscar), the Les Misérables star made a last-minute switch when she found out another actress would be wearing something similar. With just two hours before the red carpet, Hathaway decided on this powder-pink Prada gown instead. The satin design included an open back with detailed straps, and Hathaway accessorized with an elaborate floral Tiffany & Co. necklace.
2013, Met Gala
Before growing out her pixie, Hathaway had one more hair makeover up her sleeve, debuting a platinum blonde color at the Met Gala. To complement her edgier look for the exhibit’s “Punk: Chaos to Couture” theme, the actress chose a vintage black Valentino gown that included sheer paneling and feather-trimmed long sleeves.
2014, Met Gala
The following year, Hathaway embraced a minimalistic look at the Met Gala in a strapless Calvin Klein gown that included a square neckline, cutout detailing along the bodice and a slitted skirt.
2015, Met Gala
Hathaway shared that her hooded gown at the 2015 Met Gala was inspired by the Buddha. The golden cap-sleeved design was custom Ralph Lauren, which Hathaway and her then-stylist Penny Lovell chose to accessorize with matching Giuseppe Zanotti heels, a clutch bag and a stack of Repossi earrings.
2016, Vanity Fair Oscars Party
While pregnant with her first child, Hathaway attended the Vanity Fair Oscars party in a black and gold embellished Naeem Khan gown.
2017, Colossal Premiere
For the New York City premiere of her film Colossal, Hathaway turned to the Armani Privé archives in a design from the spring 2006 collection. The detailed black gown included elements like an open back and tiers of sequin-accented ruffles, but it was the sculptural neckline that Hathaway chose to show off by keeping her hair pulled back in a low knot.
2018, Met Gala
In her most dramatic Met Gala look yet, Hathaway wore a Valentino-red ball gown from the fashion house’s spring 2018 couture collection, which included an open back with bow detailing at the neckline. But it was the golden quills that were expertly arranged to create a halo-like effect around the actress’ French twist hairstyle that referenced the gala’s theme; “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.”
2019, Golden Globe Awards
While briefly working with stylist Law Roach, Hathaway wore custom Elie Saab to the 2019 Golden Globe Awards. Inspired by the designer’s spring 2019 collection, the bespoke leopard print gown included a mix of sheer and metallic elements along the bodice and a thigh-high slit on the voluminous skirt.
2019, Modern Love Premiere
Hathaway and stylist Erin Walsh began their creative partnership while the actress was promoting the television series, Modern Love. Pregnant with her second child at the time, Hathaway brought some unexpected twists to maternity red carpet style, such as this one-shoulder cream top and white pants combination from Oscar de la Renta.
2020, Critics’ Choice Awards
A gold sequin Atelier Versace design made for a glamorous moment for Hathaway at the 2020 Critics’ Choice Awards. The glittering gown included a plunging neckline and oversized sleeves, and Hathaway added a modern twist to the Old Hollywood-inspired look with mismatched Messika earrings.
2022, WeCrashed Premiere
A bright blue color made Hathaway’s David Koma cutout dress an even bolder look at the Los Angeles premiere of WeCrashed. To match the black bralette that could be seen peeking out of the asymmetrical silhouette, Hathaway added a black clutch and Aquazzura pumps, while Bulgari jewelry completed the look.
2022, Armageddon Time Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival
Hathaway’s first Cannes Film Festival proved to be a truly memorable occasion, as the newly-named Bulgari ambassador debuted the luxury jeweler’s Mediterranean Reverie necklace, which featured a massive 100,000-carat blue cushion cut sapphire. Equally as impressive was Hathaway’s custom Armani Privé column gown, which the actress referred to as her “dream dress.”
2022, ELLE Women in Hollywood
As one of the honorees during ELLE’s 2022 Women in Hollywood event, Hathaway chose to make a sparkling statement by pairing a beaded and sequined navy gown from Ralph Lauren with Bulgari’s diamond Serpenti necklace.
2023, Valentino Show
Part of Hathaway’s style transformation with Walsh included sitting front row at fashion shows for designers like Armani, Versace, Michael Kors and of course, Valentino. For the latter’s spring 2023 couture show in Paris, the actress sported head-to-toe leopard print with a sequin minidress, embellished tights, matching Valentino Locò bag and cat eyeliner for good measure.
2023, She Came To Me Premiere
A few weeks later, Hathaway was back in Valentino—this time at the Berlin International Film Festival for the premiere of her movie, She Came to Me. Choosing a sheer black tulle dress studded with black bows, the actress styled the spring 2023 couture collection look with leather opera gloves and black stilettos that included tiny bows at the heels.
2023, Met Gala
Shortly after starring in the campaign for Versace’s Icons collection, Hathaway attended the Met Gala with Donatella Versace in a bespoke design that blended signature elements of the Italian fashion house with those of the exhibit’s honoree, Karl Lagerfeld. “I wanted to create a gown to celebrate a conversation between Karl and Versace,” Versace told Vogue of paying homage to both Lagerfeld and her brother, Gianni Versace. “The dress is a tribute to our shared ‘90s experience—tweed, pearls, and camellias mixed with safety pins, slashes and a corset.” A soft smoky eye in shades of brown and a voluminous blowout that was partially pinned up with a camellia from a Versace collection in the ‘90s complemented the look, which was made complete with multiple pieces of jewelry from Bulgari.
2023, CFDA Fashion Awards
To host the CFDA Awards, Hathaway chose two looks: a denim bustier and dramatic skirt from Ralph Lauren, followed by a red lace Rodarte gown from the spring 2018 collection.
2023, The Fashion Awards
At the London-held Fashion Awards, Hathaway arrived in support of designer and friend Valentino, who was being honored for his contributions to fashion. Naturally, the Academy Award-winning actress opted for a Valentino design, selecting a spaghetti-inspired couture gown from the fashion house’s 1993 collection.
2024, Screen Actors Guild Awards
For her mini on-stage reunion with her The Devil Wears Prada costars Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt, Hathaway paid homage to her most famous onscreen character in cerulean blue. “We wanted to take it back and throw a bit of a curveball,” Walsh told The Hollywood Reporter of their very intentional choice, which also included a belt (IYKYK). “How about a little nod of archive cerulean blue Versace on the occasion of her presenting with some old friends?” she said. For Hathaway’s Screen Actors Guild Awards look, Donatella Versace turned to the archives for an off-the-shoulder silhouette from the Atelier Versace spring 2015 couture collection, which featured keyhole detailing at the bodice and a thigh-high slit along the skirt. Styled with Bulgari jewelry that included a Serpenti necklace, Hathaway’s look was made even more impressive as she got ready to attend the award show in a private suite at the airport, having flown from Milan to Los Angeles just hours before the ceremony.
2024, The Idea Of You Premiere
To attend the world premiere of her film, The Idea of You, Hathaway wore an embellished minidress from the Patou spring 2024 collection, which was styled with Aquazzura platforms and Bulgari jewelry.
