Photography by Getty Images
From viral star to private figure and back again, the actor’s new style nods to her rocky journey in the public eye.
Date June 14, 2023
At the 2013 Oscars, pop culture hit peak Jennifer Lawrence. After her name was read from the ballot, the 22-year-old actor rushed to the stage to accept her Acadamy Award for Best Actress — only to trip and fall on her way up. Wearing a billowing tiered Dior gown, dripping in diamonds and sporting her hair in a classic Hollywood updo, she was the image of a scrappy ingenue. After laying on the steps embarrassed for a moment, she stood up and went on to charm the world with a self-deprecating speech and interviews peppered with pithy remarks. This now-infamous tumble encapsulated what everyone loved about her: She was unpolished, funny, relatable, and kind of all over the place (in a good way). Today, Jennifer Lawrence looks a lot different.
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Since embarking on the press tour for her upcoming film No Hard Feelings, Lawrence is yet again making waves on social media. But this time, it’s not for her clumsy antics — it’s all about her mature, sophisticated style. To attend the film’s U.K. premiere on June 12, the 32-year-old wore a black Dior dress (ironically) from the label’s Fall 2023 collection with monochrome embellishments, subtle sheer detailing and opera gloves.
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Earlier that day, she was spotted in London wearing a clean-cut grey asymmetrical ensemble by The Row. This minimalist aesthetic continued on June 13, when wore a Maison Alaïa white button-up dress cinched at the waist with a black belt in Madrid, Spain. Working with stylist Jamie Mizrahi, Jennifer Lawrence’s current press circuit looks are a complete 180 from her 2010s style. And that’s surely intentional.
Ten years ago, Jennifer Lawrence had zero filter, and people loved it. The Hunger Games star would photobomb on red carpets, curse in interviews and openly drink a lot at high-brow events. At the time, her red carpet looks reflected her uncontrollable rise to superstardom. She experimented with sexy sheer styles, frothy princess silhouettes and dresses with bedazzled embellishments. Though her street style was pared down and casual, there was no defined sense of where Jennifer Lawrence’s image ended and where the real her began. Her persona became a meme; she was heralded as the ultimate “cool girl” and everyone’s favourite celeb — until she wasn’t.
Photography by Getty Images
Just like Anne Hathaway before her, Jennifer Lawrence fell victim to the fickle attitudes surrounding women in the public eye. In the mid-2010s, public opinions reversed, and she was shunned for the very reasons she had been propped up. Her once-beloved quirkiness was deemed a disingenuous act. Her red carpet spontaneity was written off as annoying. Even her notorious Oscars fall was accused of being a calculated PR stunt. Lawrence’s alluring chillness was, all of a sudden, not so chill. And she could sense it. “I just think everybody had gotten sick of me. I’d gotten sick of me. It had just gotten to a point where I couldn’t do anything right,” she later told Vanity Fair, reflecting on the state of her image in 2018. So, Lawrence took a break from the spotlight. She stepped back from acting. She stopped giving interviews. She was overwhelmingly absent from public events.
During this hiatus, she emerged as a silent street style icon. The chatty, eager-to-share Jennifer Lawrence was gone, and a new image was introduced through effortlessly put-together ensembles on the sidewalks of New York City. Now a new (and understandably private) mom, Lawrence’s public “appearances” have become mostly paparazzi photos of her looking low-key, casual and relaxed. She wears slouchy layers, comfortable footwear, and practical bags. She shops The Row for staples like long skirts or dresses, oversized sweaters and breezy cut-off pants. Her rotation of accessories like sunglasses and bucket hats add to her nonchalance. After a phase in her life where she felt like she was “people-pleasing” at all times, Lawrence looks refreshed and confident. And now, this ethos extends to her red-carpet return.
As she picks back up in her career, Jennifer Lawrence seems happily reserved. In May, the star made headlines at Cannes 2023 for prioritizing comfortable shoes. During press events for No Hard Feelings, she’s worn loose-fitting button-ups, preppy accessories, and oversized co-ord sets — not unlike her easy-going street style. While still glamorous, her streamlined red carpet looks feel decidedly no frills. Through it all, there’s a sense that she’s returning to the spotlight on her own terms, with firm boundaries in place.
There’s never-ending pressure put on women to reinvent themselves in order to win back public approval. But with her renaissance, Jennifer Lawrence doesn’t seem to be pandering to anyone at all. As she re-enters the zeitgeist, her outfits are the sartorial equivalent of holding your cards close to your chest while staying true to you. In some ways, it’s the antithesis of the fateful Oscars outfit from a decade ago — and in some ways, it’s not that much different at all. Regardless, she’s dressing for herself. And in any style reinvention, that’s the most important thing.