Capes and pashminas, shawls and scarves, fringed details and ornate neck trims have been having a bit of a collectsive moment recently. While Dakota Johnson has proven herself a naked dress devotee on the red carpet, last night, she made an exception for a Valentino with a flowing capelet.
The actor attended the Time 100 Gala in New York City, joined on the star-studded red carpet by the likes of Hailey Bieber, Keke Palmer, and Jennie. Johnson opted for a fresh-off-the-runway Valentino gown: a cream, Grecian-style dress with barely there straps and a draped front. Her neck was encircled by ornate sequin feathers, fastening a flowing, floor-length cape and train. On her feet, diamond encrusted snake-detail heels—a modern Medusa.
In terms of glam, Johnson wore her feathered brunette bangs just above her eyebrows, with the rest of her hair left long and tousled down her back. Glam was also kept signature, with a hazy brown smoky eye, peachy blush, and a blushing nude lip.
She’s no stranger to the cape, though—a disciple of Alessandro Michele, the once-Gucci and now Valentino girl has embraced the designer’s nostalgic looks across the brands he’s headed up. The cape continues to hold shape across the seasons, too: at Chloé, it’s decidedly more boho, in creams, ruffles, and sinewy fabrics. Scarf coats and draped, layered outerwear also stay strong at Calvin Klein, Burberry, and Bottega Veneta. Other fans of the neck-ensconcing accessory? Jennifer Lawrence and Kendall Jenner, naturally.
Capes featured heavily on the Time 100 gala step and repeat: Hilary Duff wore a diaphanous cream overlay, while Kate Hudson’s black leather gloves emerged from her built-in shawl. With the event now in its 20th year, it felt like celebrities were right to embrace an enduringly glamorous silhouette.
But Dakota Johnson is also a longtime lover of this look’s exact opposite: the naked dress, taking the trend to its extremes and new fashion frontiers. Last year at the Zurich Film Festival, for example, she opted for an otherwise demure Gucci gown: a high neck, long sleeve dress with a drop waist and full, gathered skirt in a shade of a brilliant, almost purple blue—but with a completely sheer bodice. At the Kering Foundation’s Caring for Women dinner, she debuted her most naked dress yet, scattered with delicate black crystals.
And on the flip-side, the actor is known for her sleek minimalist style. As her stylist Kate Young once put it: “Dakota looks best in super simple dresses, because she’s so beautiful, her body’s so beautiful. It doesn’t require distraction.” Think: a strapless Gucci column dress made from crinkled, metal-effect leather to walk the red carpet with her mother, and a silky, blue-sky pale blue Hai dress to wander the streets of Rome with Jessie Buckley. Her day-to-day style heavily features The Row—and of recent, boyfriend Role Model.
