How Dakota Johnson’s Style Went From Indie Darling to High-Fashion Hollywood Vamp
Inside the actor's sultry fashion transformation, and the Kate Young effect
Cast your mind back, if you will, to 2010, a time when Christian Grey hadn’t yet been unleashed upon the world and Dakota Johnson had blonde hair and no fringe. Even then, Dakota Johnson wasn’t exactly an ‘unknown’—her parents were ’80s Hollywood royalty, and her grandmother is Tippi Hedren, one of Hitchcock’s famous blondes and the subject of a biopic, The Girl, featuring Sienna Miller. But still, in those halcyon days of the internet, she wasn’t the Hollywood behemoth she is today either. Naturally, this was reflected in her clothes, which, going off Getty alone, largely consisted of black skinny jeans tucked into pirate boots and wafty peasant blouses. There was also a lot of dangly jewellery and billowy batwing sleeves—the girl liked a drape!
I am—without disclosing too much information—around the same age as Dakota Johnson, so I remember this time all too vividly. While it might not look it to today’s eye, Dakota Johnson circa 2010 was dressing like the coolest girl in your uni town, with just a smattering of Effie from Skins—tousled hair, alabaster complexion—to really set things off.
Dakota Johnson 2010–2015
Even so, the makings of a Hollywood vamp were there. At the 2012 GQ Men of the Year Party—held at the legendary gothic Chateau Marmont—she wore black reptile-effect skinny jeans and a long-sleeved lace top, her bandeau bra peeking out from beneath. The following year, at the LACMA Art + Film Gala, she arrived in an ethereal Gucci gown direct from the runway. By 2014, she was at the Met in an ink- and raven-black gown designed by Jason Wu (she was his guest), complete with satin evening gloves, a slick of vermilion lipstick, and the soon-to-be-famous bangs. Her off-duty wardrobe still carried many of the era’s tropes though: banged-up Converse, vintage band tees, and the ever-present skinnies.
Dakota Johnson in 2015
Fifty Shades of Grey sent Dakota Johnson’s star into the stratosphere, which, of course, meant more red carpet appearances—but that’s not to say she totally shed her grunge flourishes. At the film’s UK premiere, she layered a studded leather jacket over a Grecian white gown by Saint Laurent. Back in New York (and back in a pair of second-skin jeans), she was spotted wearing lace-up Victoriana booties and an oversized blazer while out with then-boyfriend Matthew Hitt—if you needed proof of his indie credentials: he’d previously dated Alexa Chung, and there’s a whole Pinterest board dedicated to him and his mop of curly dark hair. He wears a skinny tie in more than one photo.
Dakota Johnson in 2017
Around the time of the Fifty Shades of Grey sequel, Dakota Johnson started working with stylist Kate Young, who ushered in a bolder and more luxurious era. At the 2017 Oscars, she wore a shimmering gold gown by Gucci, styled by Young, that featured a high neck, long sleeves, and tulip-leg slit—it was a departure from earlier red carpet experiences and notably more fashion-forward, insofar as it strayed from the typically sexy dresses that are par for the course at such events. Under Young’s direction, she shifted from indie minimalism to red-carpet authority, adopting a classic Hollywood glamour that nodded to her cinematic pedigree.
Dakota Johnson 2020-2025
The years that followed saw Johnson and Young push the style envelope further. They explored editorial silhouettes, textures, and a deepening relationship with Gucci’s aesthetic. At the 2022 Met Gala, Johnson appeared in a custom Gucci catsuit and cape, replete with piercing Louboutin pumps and dangly earrings (very 2010-coded). Off-duty outfits, too, became more elevated: sharp blazers and subtle embellishments that speak to Dakota’s position in the world of high fashion without losing her indie roots.
The transformation, spearheaded by Young, is about more than just fabric and labels. The gold Gucci gown at the Oscars announced her transition to spectacle. The Met Gala catsuit signalled risk and high-fashion play. Young’s role has been pivotal—not just selecting looks, but shaping Johnson’s fashion identity. In an interview with British Vogue, Young said she wants to “represent who people are … in a way that’s also relevant in the fashion world,” and Dakota Johnson’s changing style is perhaps the perfect example of that. The artistry has been elevated, but there’s still so much of Johnson’s personality in each outfit; it feels like a natural evolution rather than a Hollywood star simply trying on a new persona for size.
Today, Dakota Johnson’s red carpet style is unmistakably femme fatale, with lashings of sheer lace and an enviable collection of bodysuits and “naked” dresses. A standout moment came during Milan Fashion Week 2023 when she wore a sheer Gucci bodysuit with an open blazer, mini skirt, and knee-high boots. More recently, at the 2025 Zurich Film Festival, she arrived in a custom cobalt-blue Gucci gown with a high-neck lace bodice and voluminous skirt, styled by Young. The result is a wardrobe that exudes strength and sensuality. With Kate Young’s styling as a through-line, the journey from indie darling to commanding glamour not only makes sense, it feels organic. 2025 might go down as the year that goths stormed the fashion scene (see Goth Girl Summer, Summerween beauty and soon: Gothmas), but Dakota Johnson has always dabbled in the sultry and the sensual.
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