WHY GWYNETH PALTROW IS EVERYONE'S STYLE ICON (EVEN HER DAUGHTER'S)

By Ayis Stephen-Diver, 22 December 2025

Gwyneth Paltrow and Apple Martin in the Same Calvin Klein Dress

Pictures: Getty

Gwyneth Paltrow just... gets it. From Estella in Great Expectations to Kay Stone in the much-anticipated Marty Supreme, the actor has spent decades portraying Hollywood’s most memorable women – and dressing like one. Since her breakthrough in the 90s, she’s delivered a stream of sartorial serves on and off-screen. And both everyday fashion enthusiasts and fellow A-listers have tried their hand at recreating them. Even her daughter is stealing her wardrobe – Apple Martin accompanied her mother to the New York premiere of Marty Supreme this month, wearing a sleek black Calvin Klein dress, originally worn by Gwyneth in 1996.

Her influence in fashion and beauty can’t be ignored. Not only did she partially pioneer 90s minimalism, but she was doing fresh-faced makeup long before ‘clean girl’ entered anyone’s vocabulary. With Marty Supreme almost within reach, we’re giving Mrs Goop her much-deserved fashion flowers. Scroll for the six looks that made us fall in love with Gwyneth Paltrow’s wardrobe.

A STUDY IN SILK

Gwyneth Paltrow wearing a cream silk dress

1995 was to fashion what 2016 was to music. In that singular year, Nicole Kidman lit up the Batman Forever premiere in a bedazzled dress, Jennifer Aniston's Rachel Green style was on everyone's wishlist, and Gwyneth looked fairy-tale like in a silky off-white gown at the Jefferson in Paris premiere. Matching her clothes to the film’s context – as Gwyneth so often does – this slip modernised the hyperfeminine ideals of Jeffersonian America. Natural makeup, hair softly flicked outwards and unburdened by jewellery, Gwyneth cemented the dress as the centre of attention – attention it garnered in droves.

PINK, PERFECTED

Gwyneth’s iconic pink Ralph Lauren gown has its own Wikipedia page – a testament to its undisputed spot in fashion history. Hollywood was deep in its period drama bag in the late 90s, so a billowing princess dress was the only appropriate choice for the Oscars. The sum of the look’s parts is what truly sealed its status: the blushing pink shade, the plunging V-neckline and the diamonds catching the light. The Old Hollywood-inspired glamour that we now associate with Mikey Madison? We can trace it straight back to Gwyneth Paltrow.

A LITTLE EDGE

Gwyneth Paltrow wearing a blue snakeskin dress

When a blonde celebrity temporarily goes brunette, it shifts things. Think of Beyoncé’s brief periods of cocoa-coloured hair, Britney Spears on the Blackout album cover or Gwyneth Paltrow during The Talented Mr. Ripley’s press run. Gwyneth fully embraced the dark side, setting her deep locks against a blue snake-print dress for contrast. If the leopard print or even cow print fatigue is starting to settle in, let this look remind you that snake print has always been just as effective.

LIQUID GOLD

Gwyneth favours straight silhouettes – dresses that skim off the skin – and this look is a standout among a long list of structurally similar gowns. With over 3 decades in the sartorial game, she showed off her Hollywood royalty title in this diamond-encrusted Swarovski showstopper. But it’s the champagne tone and the way it matches her hair that really make the moment. We love when considered details really pull a look together.

AIRPORT CHIC

Gwyneth Paltrow wearing leaving the airport

Pictures: Getty

It just couldn’t be a Gwyneth Paltrow fashion roundup without one of her many LAX serves – she gives a new meaning to airport runway. Between the Mary-Janes, envy-inducing knits and winter-coded colour palette, it’s one of her many casual moments that defined the 90s minimalism/corpcore canon. Being at her tier of fame, sunglasses are non-negotiable – and they add an extra layer of off-duty, modelesque edge. The LV duffel bag is less attainable, but the core look sits squarely on our winter moodboard.