STYLE EVOLUTION

Elle Fanning Has a Bold, Grown-Up Wardrobe to Match Her New Role in The Beguiled


70th Anniversary Dinner Arrivals - The 70th Annual Cannes Film Festival
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In her new, Civil War-era film The Beguiled, Elle Fanning stars alongside Nicole Kidman and Kirsten Dunst as a sexually precocious teenager at a secluded boarding school in rural Mississippi. Like last year’s The Neon Demon, the role finds Fanning embracing a more devious, macabre persona, which might come as a surprise given that the young actress regularly opts for ethereal, princess-approved gowns on the red carpet. With whimsical looks by designers including Miuccia Prada—both her eponymous brand and Miu Miu—Vivienne Westwood, Marc Jacobs, regular appearances in Rodarte, and even custom Dior, Fanning has proven herself a willing fashion experimenter in the vein of her costar Kidman. See a few of her best looks from The Beguiled premieres and more, here.

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For a brief moment, Fanning, in Vivienne Westwood, seems to have pondered wearing a bit of color. It didn’t last long, though it made a splash at the Hollywood Foreign Press dinner in Beverly Hills, California, August 2014. Photo by Getty Images.

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The baby-faced, temporarily brunette actress was already in the know at 16, wearing insider favorite label Rochas to a screening of Low Down at the Mill Valley Film Festival in San Rafael, California, October 2014. Photo by Miikka Skaffari/WireImage.

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In Marchesa, Fanning demonstrates her penchant for dressing beyond her years (and somehow making it work). Here, she promotes her film Low Down at its premiere in Hollywood, California, October 2014. Photo by Tibrina Hobson/FilmMagic.

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Like any good baby style star, Fanning puts in the requisite Rodarte appearance, at a dinner for the Rodarte x Superga collaboration with Gia Coppola in Los Angeles, California, January 2015. Photo by Stephanie Keenan/WireImage.

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This Valentino is a quintessentially Fanning look — pastels, ruffles, chiffon, almost-but-not-quite too much dress for a then-16-year-old. She deserves a place at the grown-ups’ table at the Women in Film pre-Oscar party in West Hollywood, California, February 2015. Photo by Getty Images.

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At Outfest Los Angeles, Fanning proves that she’s not tied to any label — here, in a cute Prada dress at the opening night gala for Tig in Los Angeles, California, July 2015. Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic.

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Fanning rarely opts for a dark palette, but this black, ruffled Emilio Pucci dress stayed within her comfort zone of princess silhouettes at the Toronto Film Festival in Toronto, Ontario, September 2015. Photo by Getty Images.

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And when she does go for a color, it’s sure to pop. Here, she wears Gucci for the premiere of Trumbo at the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Ontario, September 2015. Photo by Getty Images.

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attends the premiere of “Trumbo” at Samuel Goldwyn Theater on October 27, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California.

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While the stars around her opted for silver statements, Fanning kept it simple in Thakoon, her milky complexion allowing her to pull off ivory tones that others wouldn’t dare — here, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala in New York, New York, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

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Over the past few months, Fanning has developed her own style aesthetic — this Valentino Couture gown is ethereal, yet with quirky details like a body chain. It’s a definite style statement from a girl who’s making her name working with Nicolas Winding Refn on a movie about models.

Elle Fanning at the amfAR Gala in Cannes, France, May 2016. Photo by Kevin Tachman/amfAR/WireImage.

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Fanning joins the legions of cute young stars (Kristen Stewart chief among them) wearing Karl Lagerfeld’s designs — here, a short, frilly Chanel dress for the Neon Demon photocall in Cannes, France, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

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She’s definitely got a color palette, and she’s sticking to it — here, she wears Alexander McQueen to the afterparty for Neon Demon‘s Cannes premiere in Cannes, France, May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

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Alternate title: Elie Saab and Elle Fanning, a love story. Fanning wore a couture design by Saab to the U.K. premiere of The Neon Demon in London, England, May 2016. Photo by Karwai Tang.

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During a quick hiatus from promoting her new film, Fanning stopped in at Alessandro Michele’s Gucci Cruise 2017 presentation — in Gucci, naturally. She and director Nicolas Winding Refn sat front row at the presentation in London, England, June 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

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Fanning’s latest designer ensemble was a sharp turn from her previous looks, and a welcome change: Her Gucci tracksuit proves she’s not getting fashion-stagnant. Photo by Getty Images.

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Elle Fanning in Lanvin at the premiere of The Neon Demon in Paris, France, June 2016.

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Elle Fanning in Marc Jacobs at Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood event in Los Angeles, California, August 2016.

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Elle Fanning in Dolce & Gabbana at the premiere of The Neon Demon in Hollywood, California, June 2016.

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Elle Fanning in Creatures of the Wind at the Just One Eye x Creatures of the Wind collaboration dinner in Los Angeles, California, August 2016.

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Elle Fanning in Rodarte with Jimmy Choo shoes and Tiffany & Co. jewelry at the premiere of 20th Century Women at the New York Film Festival in New York, New York, October 2016.

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Elle Fanning wore a pink Max Mara coat at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, January 2017.

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Elle Fanning in Rodarte at the Harper’s Bazaar 150 Most Fashionable Women party in West Hollywood, California, January 2017.

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Elle Fanning in Oscar de la Renta at the premiere of Live by Night in Hollywood, California, January 2017.

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Elle Fanning in Prada at the Fondazione Prada dinner during the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 2017.

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Elle Fanning in Miu Miu at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala in New York, New York, May 2017.

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Elle Fanning in custom Vivienne Westwood at the premiere of Ismael’s Ghosts during the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 2017.

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Elle Fanning in Marc Jacobs at the afterparty for the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala in New York, New York, May 2017.

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Elle Fanning in Prada at the photocall for How to Talk to Girls at Parties during the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 2017.

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Elle Fanning in Gucci at the premiere of How to Talk to Girls at Parties during the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 2017.

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Elle Fanning wore Temperley London to celebrate her new role as the face of L’Oréal during the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 2017.

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Elle Fanning in Alexander McQueen at the photocall for The Beguiled at the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 2017.

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Elle Fanning in lilac Rodarte at the premiere of The Beguiled during the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 2017.

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Elle Fanning in custom Dior Couture at the 70th anniversary dinner celebrating the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 2017.

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Elle Fanning in Naeem Khan and Tiffany & Co. jewelry at the premiere of The Beguiled in Los Angeles, California, June 2017.