Dakota Fanning's Stunning Style Transformation Through The Years

Now 30, Dakota Fanning has been in the movie industry since she was seven. It was then that she garnered major attention for her role in "I Am Sam," even receiving a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, making her the youngest in SAG history to do so. Since then, Fanning has evolved from child star to bona fide Hollywood actress who's worked with the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Denzel Washington, Steven Spielberg, and Nicole Kidman — although pretty much everyone has worked with Kidman at this point.

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As someone who came of age in the public eye, we've not only gotten to see Fanning go from a kid to an adult, but we witnessed her style transformation along the way. "I like to have it be an ever-evolving thing, but I do think I end up coming back to somewhat of a timeless sort of effortless, classic [look]," Fanning told Vogue Australia in 2020 regarding her style. "Basics are my go-to, that was something my mom [sic] has always instilled. When I was in high school and doing [my] graduation picture, I wanted to wear something that was kind of specific and she was like, 'You should wear something that's timeless ... so you'll look back on it and it'll be a lasting image.' That's kind of been how I look at my style, as something that doesn't look too specific to the time." Whether she's heeding her mom's advice or playing with the current trends, Fanning has made her mark on the fashion world. 

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Adorable in champagne-colored satin

In December 2001, a seven-year-old Dakota Fanning attended the premiere of "I Am Sam" in a satin dress and, of course, stole everyone's heart — both on screen as Sean Penn's daughter and on the red carpet with her dress, gift-shaped bag, and magnetic charm. "My first red carpet memory is the 'I Am Sam' premiere. It was my first film, therefore my first premiere," Fanning told Tatler Asia in 2017. "I wore a satin champagne colored dress with capped sleeves. I had a purse that was black patent and shaped like a present, which I thought was very chic. I am sure I still have it somewhere. I do not really look back and cringe too much, definitely more of a warm nostalgia."

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Sweet teen in a bubble hem dress

As much as bubble hems were a summer 2024 go-to trend, they were also big around 2008. (Seriously, it was pretty much all Urban Outfitters would carry.) While she may have only been 14, Dakota Fanning attended the Lupus LA event in Beverly Hills in a simple, yet stylish bubble-hem dress, already proving that she was very much aware of what was in style at the time. Fanning completed the outfit with a low kitten heel — a perfect height option for someone in their early teens.

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Coming into her own in Alexander McQueen

For her film, "Night Moves," Dakota Fanning attended the 70th Venice International Film Festival in August 2013. Although she wore many outfits for different appearances and events while in Venice that year, this belted mini-dress by Alexander McQueen was the standout of them all. It's a choice that says she's no longer a kid and she's not afraid to break away from conventional looks and experiment a bit. McQueen's styles were always at the forefront of being cutting-edge and unique, something that the fashion house continues to deliver, forever preserving his legacy. 

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Looking like royalty in Cannes

To celebrate the premiere of "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" at the Cannes Film Festival, Dakota Fanning arrived in a stunning Armani Prive gown. The white gown with the yellow sash is quite a contrasting look compared to the Alexander McQueen mini she wore in 2019, speaking volumes to her ability to wear whatever she wants and pull it off.

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It makes sense that she would opt to look like Hollywood royalty for the premiere, as she had always wanted to work with Quentin Tarantino, who directed the film. "A huge dream of mine was to work with Quentin Tarantino. I wanted that since I saw Kill Bill for the first time," Fanning told Collider in 2020. "And so having that sort of come true was a moment of this weird relief, you know what I mean? It was just one of those moments that was so exciting ... It just reminded me of why I love being an actor and why this is what I want to do, and that there's no better adrenaline rush than being on a set with a director that you admire and a cinematographer that you admire and an actor that you admire, and just every piece of the puzzle is so extraordinary and so larger than life."

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Demure and sophisticated in 2024

In June 2024, Dakota Fanning attended the premiere of her docuseries "Mastermind: To Think Like A Killer" looking very adult and demure — the latter of which was a big theme in 2024 for everyone everywhere. Although the look, a white wrap-around blouse, and black midi-length skirt, is more art professor on a parent-teacher conference night, it works — especially when you take into consideration the subject matter of the docuseries. Quiet luxury and perfectly understated was what the premiere demanded and is exactly what Fanning served. 

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