Adele's Stunning Style Transformation After Her Divorce

Adele gave her wardrobe a major overhaul after her divorce. Adele and Simon Konecki first met in 2011 and kept details of their relationship largely out of the public eye. They welcomed their son, Angelo, in 2012, and somewhere along the way, they got married — though they kept that to themselves until much later. In fact, it wasn't until a 2021 British Vogue interview that Adele revealed their wedding date to be in 2018. However, they split soon afterward in 2019. The fact that she couldn't salvage her marriage was a tough turn of events for Adele. "I was embarrassed," she said. "I was really embarrassed. That thing of not being able to make something work. We've been trained as women to keep trying, even by the movies we watched when we were little."

Despite these distressing feelings, Adele went through it and came out the other side a new person. She released the breakup-themed album "30" to chronicle the end of her marriage, so divorce offered her creative inspiration. But it wasn't just music; her style radically changed following her split. She looks incredible. She began a workout journey, and she even began dating again after her marriage ended, which isn't always an easy thing to do. Adele isn't the only stunner to undergo a post-divorce glow-up. Nicole Kidman transformed after her divorce from Tom Cruise, and Sophie Turner stepped up her style game after her divorce from Joe Jonas. These women, especially Adele, look incredible after their marriages ended.

Perhaps one of the most dramatic points in Adele's style transformation also includes her fitness journey, and as anyone who has embraced athleisure knows, comfy sweats and workout clothes become a big part of life. She told Oprah that after her divorce was finalized, she suffered from anxiety, and working out was a source of relaxation. "I had the most terrifying anxiety attacks after I left my marriage," Adele said (via BBC). "They paralyzed me completely, and made me so confused because I wouldn't be able to have any control over my body." To mitigate these tough feelings, she started working out a lot. 

Adele even explained her workout routine to British Vogue. "So I do my weights in the morning, then I normally hike or I box in the afternoon, and then I go and do my cardio at night," she said. With such a rigorous workout regimen, it's no wonder that Adele started stepping out in sportier 'fits following her divorce. Her athletic life was changing, so her style changed along with it. In April 2023, Adele sat courtside with her fiancé, Rich Paul, and looked relaxed and chic in a gray sweatsuit with New Balance sneakers. 

Adele absolutely stole the show at the 2023 Grammys. She arrived in a red velvet gown by Louis Vuitton featuring dimensional shoulder ruffles that added geometric interest. The floor-length dress was cinched with a coordinating red velvet belt. Adele matched her manicure to the sumptuous merlot tone of the night with long red nails. She accessorized with jewelry by Tiffany & Co. and carried a clutch by Judith Leiber. She wore her blond hair in a side part with big, bouncy curls and sported dramatic winged liner and a burgundy-toned nude lip. 

When Adele was with Simon Konecki, she favored black gowns for red carpet events. There was the odd moment here and there when she chose something more colorful, like when she wore an olive green gown by Givenchy Couture to the 2017 Grammys. But for the most part, Adele really leaned into black tones for public-facing events from 2010 to 2015, so her 2023 red velvet gown was a new style for the singer — and she looked ravishing. 

Adele attended the 2022 Brit Awards looking like an absolute goddess. She did return to her traditional black palette for the event, but her dress featured many details that marked a dramatic shift following her marriage. Adele wore a long black custom gown by Armani Privé that had spotted tulle wrapped around her shoulders in a dramatic way, adding romance and whimsy to the look. What was also different about this red carpet moment for the singer was her plunging neckline. During her marriage, Adele wore higher necklines, so this embrace of cleavage was something new for her. 

Adele won the artist and album of the year awards that night for her record "30," a uniquely personal project she created as a direct result of her split from Simon Konecki. She wrote the album to explain the divorce to their son, Angelo. So the fact that Adele's divorce anthem was being honored at the event adds gravitas to her choice of gown. Black is certainly typical for the artist, but the low neckline, seductive display of cleavage, and romantic tulle all showed her radical transformation. 

Adele kicked off her concerts in Munich, Germany, in August 2024 by wearing a showstopper gown. She was there for a 10-day-long residency, and she walked out on the first night in a mesmerizing blue gown that featured a bateau neckline and a tonal belt at the waist. She accented the gown with spectacular hoop earrings and long, blond curls. The dress even featured a train that was lined underneath in pink. However, it got sopping wet when it rained during the concert, so stagehands eventually had to help Adele remove the heavy piece of fabric. 

The romantic dress was far more of a body-con style than Adele used to wear. Prior to her divorce, Adele favored A-line gowns that often had empire waists and didn't cling to so much of her body. This tighter blue gown marked a new, sexier chapter in Adele's sartorial life. In the photo above, she is absolutely embodying the siren energy of the blue gown. 

Adele attended the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse with her fiance, Rich Paul, in February 2022. She wore a long leopard print coat by Alaia and didn't stop with the fierce feline pattern there. Underneath, she wore a turtleneck dress, also in leopard print, and black tights with black boots. She wore her hair parted down the middle in long, full curls and had her signature dramatic makeup. It was a glamorous study in courtside styling. 

Adele's layers of leopard print demonstrate an evolution of pattern choices. Since she often wore black before, it's refreshing to see her now in livelier pieces. Even Adele's hair has radically transformed since her divorce. Back when she was married, she often wore her hair up in beehives or other '60s-inspired updos. She also wore her hair shorter, around shoulder length. Part of her style transformation includes longer hair, worn in loose, sexy curls that offer something more relaxed than her previous hairstyles.