Elle Fanning's Stunning Style Transformation Is Turning Heads

As she's been gracing red carpets ever since she was a child, it makes perfect sense that Elle Fanning has grown up to be quite an ethereal fashion icon. The Georgia-native began acting at a young age, playing younger versions of her older sister, the fashionably transformed Dakota Fanning, before going on to appear solo in projects like "Daddy Day Care" and "Because of Winn-Dixie." In the year's since, the younger Fanning sister has made quite a name for herself on the red carpet. The star recently turned heads with her iconic looks for the "A Complete Unknown" press tour. The award-nominated actor appears in the Bob Dylan biopic as Sylvia Russo, a reimagined version of the real-life musician's girlfriend and muse.

While Fanning's definitely channeled a retro flair into her movie-related appearances, her everyday ensembles most notably feature the confidence and effortlessness that have come to define her style. "You have to love what you're wearing. You can't let it wear you," she told Harper's Bazaar in 2023. "My mom would always say that to me, because I think you can tell when someone looks a bit uncomfortable or like they've been squeezed into this garment and it doesn't feel authentic. I don't want it to appear that way. I want to love what I'm wearing."

While Elle Fanning has been rocking retro-inspired 'fits for the premiere of "A Complete Unknown," the actor has long cultivated classic elements and vintage pieces into her wardrobe. In fact, many of the style details that the Georgia-born star is associated with first began manifesting in her teen years, with her affinity for vintage, boho pieces being evident back in 2011. For the June premiere of the J.J. Abrams-directed sci-fi adventure flick "Super 8," Fanning wore a cream-colored gown that featured sheer, elbow-length sleeves, an embellished bodice, and a floor-length skirt. The Hollywood figure opted for simple styling, wearing little-to-no makeup and her long hair parted down the middle. She completed the look with brown platform sandals.

The charm and romance of the outfit speaks to Fanning's own description of her style at the time, which she shared with Teen Vogue during her 2011 photoshoot interview. "If I had to describe my personal style, I think it would be quirky, sort of, like, offbeat," she said. "I love the '70s. I'm very into that right now. Sort of the long, flowy dresses, like, very 'Virgin Suicides,' yeah, a lot of babydoll dresses...I like to be very, like, girly with bows and ruffles on the red carpet."

Another well-established element of Elle Fanning's style is her ability to take inspiration from her film and television roles, a type of styling known as method dressing. This skill was on full display during the 2014 press run for "Maleficent," with Fanning playing Princess Aurora opposite Angelina Jolie in the live-action Disney film. "I kind of get inspired by the character that I'm playing in my film, so I take a little bit of that so it makes it unique to that moment," she told InStyle in 2015. "When I did 'Maleficent,' I was very princessy on the red carpet. I wore a lot of big kind of gowns and it was very girly."

Fanning channeled full-on princess vibes in her ensemble for a private reception held at Kensington Palace, wearing a strapless, pastel dress from George Hobieka. The yellow piece was made of brocade fabric with a floral pattern and featured a skirt with inverted pleats. The young actor wore her hair up, decorated with pastel flowers and a long-hanging pink ribbon. This outfit is a great example of the youthful elegance that Fanning mastered during this period of her career.

Elle Fanning's fashion transformation includes being deemed the queen of the Cannes Film Festival, with the "A Complete Unknown" star dominating the annual event's red carpet since she made her debut there in 2016. "I've always loved fashion, and Cannes is probably the biggest and the best red carpet in the world," she told People in 2022. "There's nothing like it — it's so wide on both sides so you have to think about the 360-degree view of the look." The actor highlighted the role of her long-time stylist Samantha McMillen, adding, "Samantha and I work closely together on coming up with the looks and designing clothes in our head, and I really enjoy the process."

2017 was a notable year for Fanning, as she promoted both "The Beguiled" and "How to Talk to Girls at Parties" at the festival. For the screening of the latter, a sci-fi romcom starring Alex Sharp, she channeled whimsical retro vibes with a sheer Gucci gown. The couture garment featured a strappy, halter bodice embellished with silver vines and a hem lined with faux flowers. She wore minimal makeup, filling in her brows, and parted her hair down the middle for a natural, minimalist look.

While "Maleficent" saw Elle Fanning becoming a Disney princess, her starring role in Hulu's "The Great" saw the LA-raised actor going full royalty. She played a fictional version of German-born, Russian empress Catherine the Great in the raunchy dark comedy, donning beautifully intricate gowns on screen. Speaking to Elle Magazine in 2023, Fanning admitted that Catherine was one of her all time favorite roles. "Embodying her in that series changed my life," she said. "Through the role, I feel like people have come to see me for who I am."

While she came into her own while starring in "The Great," Fanning also felt a touch of fashion inspiration from her TV counterpart, channeling the character's regality into several of her red carpet outfits throughout her stint on the series. For the premiere of the second season, the Hollywood figure wore a custom Atelier Versace dress with a high-neck halter top and a full, black skirt. The bodice was hand-embroidered with Rococo-style depictions of Catherine the Great and decorated with Swarovski crystals for a dazzling look. As for the styling, Fanning wore her hair into a high ponytail adorned with two bows and opted for a cat-eye with light, shimmery eyeshadow and rosy blush.

While Elle Fanning has become known for ethereal elegance, retro-inspired whimsy, and classic Hollywood glamor, she's not afraid to rock something more masculine or edgy. Though it may be an unexpected choice to some, the Hollywood figure has long integrated chic menswear into her wardrobe, wearing everything from monochrome suits to oversized trousers. "I have a real duality in myself," she told Vogue in 2023, speaking of her fragrance collaboration with Paco Rabanne. "I'm very feminine, but also, at the same time, I like things that are a bit edgy and hard too."

For the London screening of "A Complete Unknown," Fanning walked the red carpet in an oversized Saint Laurent suit consisting of a pinstripe button-up, a polka-dotted tie, and a double-breasted blazer with matching trousers. The ensemble was very reminiscent of an early twenty-first century businessman, with the movie star putting her own twist on the runway look with soft hair waves framing her face and pointed-toed heels. The look was filled with the natural confidence that Fanning has cultivated throughout her career, showing just how versatile the fashion icon truly is.