Jennifer Connelly's best looks, from off-shoulder gowns to cool mini dresses
There's much to love about Jennifer Connelly's best looks - not least the edge she brings to red carpet style
For glamorous dressing with a twist, Jennifer Connelly's best looks are a sight to behold. The actress rips up the rule book when it comes to her outfits for everything from film premieres to fashion shows, with her style a fusion of both pretty feminine and sharper masculine elements.
Connelly - who is married to actor Paul Bettany - has been a prominent fixture in Hollywood for several decades. After beginning as a child model, the star got her acting break as a teenager in the 1980s with the film Once Upon A Time In America, before going on to star in Phenomena and Labyrinth. In the 1990s, she won roles in The Rocketeer, Dark City and Requiem For A Dream.
However, the mother-of-two saw her stardom truly soar in the 2000s. She won the Best Supporting Actress award at the Oscars in 2002 for A Beautiful Mind and was also subsequently cast in Hulk, Dark Water, Blood Diamond, He's Just Not That Into You, Noah, Alita: Battle Angel and Top Gun: Maverick. She has also delved into the TV sphere, appearing in the series Snowpiercer from 2020 to 2022.
However, alongside this, Connelly has made a name for herself with her incredibly cool dress sense, always pictured in the best dresses and the latest fashion trends. The A-lister has worked closely with Louis Vuitton for several years, and the luxury fashion brand will often be behind her stunning looks for showbiz events. She will often turn heads with shorter hemlines, clashing prints, head-turning silhouettes and edgy accessories.
Jennifer Connelly's best looks
1. The jumper and mini skirt combo
While her glamorous red carpet looks are undoubtedly her most show-stopping, we love this wearable look from Connelly. A classic black jumper is essential in any capsule wardrobe - and Connelly shows that the staple can even be incorporated into a showbiz-ready look. At the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah in 2023, Connelly was the epitome of cosy style. The actress paired a long-sleeved slouchy black jumper with a grey skater-style mini-skirt and knee-high black heeled boots. She finished off the ensemble with wavy hair and one of the best Louis Vuitton bags, a sheepskin-lined iteration of the classic Noé bag.
RRP: £85 | A wardrobe essential, this basic crew neck cut is a fantastic building block for your wardrobe. From neutral styles, to bold colour blocks, available in 13 hues there is something for everyone. Wear for the weekend or slip under a tailored blazer for work.
RRP: £475 | These over-the-knee boots are pricey but you can be sure they will last a lifetime. Crafted in Italy from soft black suede, they are the ultimate accompaniment to jumper dresses for a cosy yet chic autumn look.
RRP: £1,380 | A smaller version of a classic, this version has just enough space for your phone, purse, and lipstick. A great everyday bag and one of the best designer bags around.
2. The sleek black Oscars gown
One of our ultimate over-50s fashion icons, Connelly wowed at the Oscars in 2023 in a classic black gown by Louis Vuitton. The actress stepped out at the iconic Hollywood event in a chic off-shoulder, floor-length design that featured metallic detailing at the neckline. She wore minimal silver jewellery and styled her hair in a slicked-back updo.
3. The lacy Met Gala 2015 dress
There was no missing Connelly at the Met Gala in New York in 2015. The star stunned in a lacy white gown by Louis Vuitton, which featured long puff sleeves and a subtle side thigh-split. She finished off the elegant look with her signature black hair worn straight, and glowy makeup.
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4. The chic all-black look
Connelly turned heads in an all-black ensemble at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2014. The actress paired a short-sleeved knitted top with a striped skater-style mini-skirt, which she accessorised with dewy makeup and black Mary Jane-style heels.
5. The floor-length Vanity Fair Oscars after party dress
At the Vanity Fair Oscars Party in 2023, Connelly dazzled in a gown designed by Louis Vuitton. The shimmering grey and black embroidered dress featured cut-out detailing at the sides and a deep neckline. She kept the rest of her look simple with a slicked-back up-do and glowy makeup.
6. The white Louis Vuitton gown
Connelly arrived in a breathtaking look at the Governors Awards in Los Angeles in 2022. The actress shone in a white long-sleeved gown by Louis Vuitton, which featured raised detailing at the hips and subtle pleating on the skirt. She accessorised with a smokey eye and minimal silver jewellery.
7. The beaded Top Gun look
All eyes were on Connelly at the premiere of the film Top Gun: Maverick in San Diego, California in 2022. The star stepped onto the red carpet in a gold beaded long-sleeved gown by Louis Vuitton, which featured a form-fitting silhouette and small train, and she wore her brunette locks swept to the side.
8. The slinky Louis Vuitton LBD
Connelly exuded classic Hollywood glam at the premiere of Amerikanisches Idyll at the Hamburg Film Festival in 2016. The actress stunned in a black short-sleeved floor-length dress by Louis Vuitton, which featured silver side panels. She finished off the look with a bouncy blow-dry and black clutch bag.
9. The printed monochrome midi dress
Exhibiting her quirky sense of style, Connelly wowed at a screening for the film American Pastoral in Beverly Hills in 2016. The actress wore a long-sleeved monochrome polka dot and damier-print midi-dress by Louis Vuitton, which featured cut-out detailing. She paired the eye-catching frock with a pair of black heeled boots.
10. The sparkly red thigh-split gown
Connelly dazzled at the UNICEF Ball in Beverly Hills in 2016. The Hollywood favourite shone in a red sequinned long-sleeved gown, which featured cut-out detailing at the shoulders and a daring thigh split. She accessorised with sleek locks and a statement clutch.
11. The polka dot mini-dress
Connelly's girly chic look she wore while visiting the Good Morning America studios in New York in 2022 is one of our favourites. Her quirky Louis Vuitton ensemble is comprised of a monochrome polka dot skater-style mini dress and quirky accessories. She paired the long-sleeved, button-down frock with a pair of knee-high brown boots and a black handbag.
12. The studded mini skirt look
Few A-listers can pull off a mini skirt quite like Connelly. The actress put her most stylish foot forward at the Louis Vuitton show at Paris Fashion Week in 2016. She paired a grey leather mini-skirt with a black upper half and finished off the ensemble with a statement cream clutch bag and black heeled boots.
13. The black Lanvin gown
Connelly looked every bit the leading lady at the premiere for film Noah in Berlin. The star wowed in an elegant black halterneck-style gown by Lanvin, which featured a thigh split and a small train. She accessorised with 1950s-style hair, 50s-style glamorous makeup and black heels.
14. The romantic Louis Vuitton layered look
There was an ethereal quality to Connelly's outfit for the opening of Louis Vuitton's exhibition 'Volez, Voguez, Voyagez' in New York in 2017. The star looked cool in a floaty cream ruffled blouse, layered beneath a black latex leather short-sleeved top, and paired with a black mini-skirt. She finished off the head-turning look with a statement clutch bag and cut-out black-heeled boots.
15. The pink plaid Met Gala frock
Connelly stunned at the Met Gala in New York in 2017 in a pink and black plaid-print skater-style long-sleeved dress. Her edgy frock was designed by - you guessed it - Louis Vuitton, and featured sequins and crystal embellishment. She accessorised with silver drop-down earrings and a pair of black boots.
16. The green Giambattista Valli frock
We love a pretty pastel hue, and Connelly stood out in mint green at the premiere of Noah in Madrid in 2014. The actress paired her long-sleeved Giambattista Valli mini-dress - which featured bejewelled detailing around the neckline and an elegant leaf print - with a low ponytail and a pair of strappy nude heels.
17. The monochrome Louis Vuitton look
Connelly looked sharp at the Louis Vuitton show during Paris Fashion Week in 2017. The star was stylish in a long-sleeved black skater-style dress, featuring gold brooch detailing at the hip. She finished off the monochrome ensemble with thigh-high white boots and a black and white statement clutch bag.
18. The pink Louis Vuitton maxi dress
While Connelly might favour a bolder style, she opted for a more feminine floaty look at the premiere of the film Shelter in New York in 2015. Her flowing pink and black Louis Vuitton maxi-dress featured sparkly, floral detailing. She kept her makeup fresh and accessorised with a teeny matching pink and black handbag.
19. The edgy layered Cannes look
Connelly turned heads at the photocall for the film Top Gun: Maverick during the Cannes Film Festival in 2022. The stylish A-lister layered a slouchy brown sleeveless dress - featuring pink and cream detailing - over a ruffled white shirt. She added edge to the look with a pair of knee-high red-heeled boots.
20. The skin-tight black Cannes frock
Connelly stunned in a form-fitting short-sleeved midi for a visit to Jimmy Kimmel Live in Los Angeles in 2016. She accessorised with a chunky black clutch bag and strappy monochrome heels. She wore her sleek locks in a slight wave and kept makeup minimal with a feminine pink lip.
21. The cool dress-over-trousers look
Connelly isn't afraid to push fashion boundaries, and her adventurous style was on full display at the opening of the Louis Vuitton boutique during Paris Fashion Week in 2017. The actress wore a sheer black short-sleeved dress over a pair of shiny cobalt blue trousers, which she paired with a colourful top with ruffled shoulders. She finished off the quirky ensemble with a pair of white cowboy boots.
22. The edgy jacket and jeans combo
Slim-fit denim makes one of the best jeans styles for dressing up or down. Connelly took the former approach to attend the Louis Vuitton show during Paris Fashion Week in 2022. She wowed in an embroidered navy pair with an embroidered detail down the leg, along with a black tuxedo-style jacket. The actress accessorised with a statement bucket-style handbag and metallic chunky red-heeled sandals.
23. The all-black Louis Vuitton look
Connelly was stylish in an all-black Louis Vuitton ensemble at the screening of Top Gun: Maverick in New York in 2022. The star wore a satin bomber jacket over a matching knee-length dress, which featured zip and drawstring detailing. She finished off her outfit with a pair of knee-high black heeled boots.
24. The colourful sweater and trousers look
Not one afraid to make a sartorial statement, Connelly mixed things up for a Louis Vuitton show in Saint-Paul-De-Vence, France in 2018. The actress clashed her eye-catching top, which featured a voluminous silhouette, with a pair of slim-fit striped trousers. She accessorised with a brown monogrammed Louis Vuitton handbag and belt.
25. The sparkly Met Gala midi dress and stompy boots
Connelly dazzled her way onto the Met Gala red carpet in New York in 2016. The star turned heads in a bejewelled short-sleeved midi dress, featuring a celestial-inspired print design and an asymmetric hemline. She toughened up the look with black heeled biker boots but added a dash of glamour with a red lip.
26. The ivory Louis Vuitton gown
Looking like a certified Hollywood star, Connelly wowed at the Royal Performance of Top Gun: Maverick in London in 2022. The actress was radiant in an ivory long-sleeved Louis Vuitton gown, which featured an edgy black print and a cut-out neckline, as well as elegant draping and a black belt to cinch in her waist.
27. The monochrome Cannes mini dress
Connelly stole the show at the screening of Solo: A Star Wars Story at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018. Her white long-sleeved Louis Vuitton dress featured a voluminous upper half and black geometric detailing. She accessorised with a sleek ponytail and white cut-out heeled boots.
28. The orange Paris Fashion Week frock
While Connelly may be partial to a more pared-back colour palette, she stood out in a bright citrus hue at a Louis Vuitton show during Paris Fashion Week in 2023 - and not only because her outfit blended in with the show's backdrop. Her orange one-shouldered mini dress featured elegant pleating and a pink leather-look cowl neckline. She finished off the feminine ensemble with a handbag also by the fashion brand and a pair of black biker boots.
29. The silver off-shoulder Cannes gown
Connelly turned heads at the screening of Top Gun: Maverick at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022. Her off-shoulder long-sleeved grey gown, by Louis Vuitton, featured a form-fitting silhouette and small train. She kept the rest of her look simple with nude makeup, a slicked-back up-do and minimal silver jewellery.
30. The geometric sequinned Met Gala mini dress
All eyes were on Connelly at the Met Gala in New York in 2019. The actress wore a colourful long-sleeved mini dress by Louis Vuitton, which featured a sparkly geometric print. She finished off the shimmering ensemble with straight shiny locks, long silver earrings, a white handbag and studded black heels.
31. The embroidered Louis Vuitton frock
Connelly exuded feminine chic at the premiere of Alita: Battle Angel in Los Angeles in 2019. The actress wowed in a long-sleeved Louis Vuitton floaty mini dress, which featured elegant embroidered detailing and puff sleeves. She accessorised with white buckled heels and a monochrome clutch bag.
32. The feathered Alexander McQueen gown
Making quite the entrance, Connelly arrived at the premiere of Noah in London in 2014 in a sweeping black Alexander McQueen gown. The short-sleeved ruffled look featured pretty embroidered detailing on the bodice, as well as a voluminous tiered skirt.
Lauren is a freelance writer and editor with more than six years of digital and magazine experience. In addition to Womanandhome.com she has penned news and features for titles including Women's Health, The Telegraph, Stylist, Dazed, Grazia, The Sun's Fabulous, Yahoo Style UK and Get The Gloss.
While Lauren specializes in covering wellness topics—ranging from nutrition and fitness, to health conditions and mental wellbeing—she has written across a diverse range of lifestyle topics, including beauty and travel. Career highlights so far include: luxury spa-hopping in Spain, interviewing Heidi Klum and joining an £18k-a-year London gym.
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