The Best Chanel Red Carpet Looks of All Time

October 2024 · 6 minute read

As fashion editors, there's nothing that excites us more than wearable art (read: clothes). It's why we live for fashion week, choose our OOTD as if it were a sacred ritual, and get giddy at the mere mention of our favorite brands. At the top of that list? Chanel. The French luxury fashion house is visionary and with a legacy of couture creations that make up some of the most iconic red carpet moments of the millennium. To prove it to you, we've rounded up 37 of the brand's most iconic red carpet looks as worn by our favorite celebrities.

Click through to see the best Chanel red carpet looks of all time.

Margot Robbie - 2023

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Best Actress nominee Margot Robbie made a splash at the 80th Annual Golden Globes in this custom dress from Chanel's Fall-Winter 2022/23 Haute Couture collection.

Michelle Yeoh - 2023

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Golden Globe winner Michelle Yeoh was the picture of sophistication wearing this classic bouclé tweed suit to the 95th Annual Oscars Nominees Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton.

Penelope Cruz - 2022

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Penelope Cruz attended the L'Immensita photocall in Paris decked out in a bouclé dress from Chanel's Spring 2023 collection.

Janelle Monae - 2019

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Janelle Monae looked like a modern-day Cleopatra (is that a crown we spot atop her head?) at the 2019 Golden Globes after-party. Taking inspiration from Ancient Greece when designing Chanel's 2019 Pre-Fall collection — from which Monae's outfit hails — Lagerfeld reinvented the kalasiris, a long linen dress, for the 21st-century.

Tessa Thompson -2019

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Tessa Thompson is always a sight to be seen and her arrival at the 91st Annual Academy Awards was no exception. Her Chanel haute couture gown from the brand's Spring/Summer 2019 collection made her the Best Dressed presenter of the night.

Keira Knightley - 2018

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English rose Keira Knightly dazzled at the premiere of Colette in this white Chanel number that feels both elegant and flirtatious.

Penelope Cruz - 2018

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If Chanel ever dreamed up a haute couture princess, Penelope Cruz would be it. This gray silk tulle dress complete with bead and feather details, which she wore to the 70th Annual Emmys, is straight out of a fairytale.

Keira Knightley - 2018

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Gowns can be so overrated — or so we thought upon seeing Keira Knightley at the Sundance Film Festival where she nailed menswear. Her gorgeous black velvet gaucho tuxedo is one for the books.

Marion Cotillard - 2018

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Academy-award-winning actress — and Chanel brand ambassador — Marion Cotillard was a vision at Cannes, wearing this tiered haute couture confection to the premiere of Sink Or Swim (Le Grand Bain).

Penelope Cruz - 2018

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The year was 2018 when Penelope Cruz wowed us in vintage 1996 Chanel. Everything about the haute couture gown — from its sheer lace details to its feathered accents, to its moody color — made her red carpet royalty at Cannes.

Yara Shahidi - 2018

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At the Met Gala's “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” edition, Yara Shahidi played up the three T's: tulle, tiers, and tea-length.

Margot Robbie - 2018

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Best Actress nominee for I, Tonya, Margot Robbie, embodied the Chanel aesthetic with her chic bob and of course, simple yet elegant custom column gown with off-the-shoulder straps.

Tracee Ellis Ross - 2017

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At the 70th Annual Emmys, Tracee Ellis Ross proved that more is more. Her haute couture dress took 1,300 hours to embroider and came with 170,000 adornments, including crystal beaded flowers, silver mirrors, and even hand-painted feathers.

Emma Stone - 2017

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Never have we seen a dress-and-pants combo look as debonair as when Emma Stone wore this Spring/Summer 2017 Haute Couture set to the BAFTAs.

Kristen Stewart - 2017

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Taken from the Paris Cosmopolite 2016/17 Métiers d'Art collection, Kristen Stewart wore this stunning Chanel gown to the New York premiere of Personal Shopper.

Elle Fanning - 2016

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At Cannes, Elle Fanning oozed romance in this black and white number complete with tiered lace and a giant satin bow.

Chloë Sevigny - 2016

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Forever It-girl Chloë Sevigny owned the Cannes red carpet in this fun LWD.

Julianne Moore - 2015

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Not only is Julianne Moore a talented actress but she's also an impeccable dresser. Exhibit A: this iridescent haute couture dress custom-made by Karl Lagerfeld, Moore wore to the 87th Annual Oscars.

Blake Lively - 2014

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Before holographic makeup, there was Blake Lively's holographic dress, which simply lit up the Cannes red carpet.

Karlie Kloss - 2014

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At the amfAR gala, Karlie Kloss's black and silver dress with wavy beaded designs felt like a flapper girl reimagined.

Keira Knightley - 2012

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Keira Knightly surprised and delighted us at the London premiere of Anna Karenina wearing this embellished tulle gown with a striking silver belt.

Nicole Kidman - 2013

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If you're looking to make a statement, black and white might not be the first color combo you reach. However, for Nicole Kidman, it's chef's kiss.

Diane Kruger - 2013

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At the Chanel Little Black Jacket event, the classic LBD gets a major upgrade with nothing more than a splatter of colorful floral designs — not to mention, Diane Kruger as its model.

Kirsten Dunst - 2013

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At the Cannes premiere of Inside Llewyn Davis.

Michelle Williams - 2011

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At the Oscars.

Blake Lively - 2011

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At the premiere of Green Lantern.

Kirsten Dunst - 2011

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At the 2011 Cannes closing ceremony.

Blake Lively - 2011

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Blake Lively's Met Gala sheer number at the "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty" Met Gala was a head turner.

Diane Kruger - 2010

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At the 2010 Academy Awards.

Sarah Jessica Parker - 2010

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At the 2010 Oscars.

Chloe Sevigny - 2010

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At "The Artist's Museum Happening" MOCA Los Angeles Gala.

Blake Lively - 2010

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At the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of The Town in 2010.

Cate Blanchett - 2007

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At the Golden Globes.

Nicole Kidman - 2004

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At the Academy Awards.

Jennifer Aniston - 2004

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At the 2004 Emmys.

Sarah Jessica Parker - 2003

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SJP at the Emmys.

Jennifer Lopez - 2001

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JLo during The 73rd Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles.

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