You cannot consider Julia Roberts’ fashion trends and most iconic outfits over the years without admiring the strong thread running through them all: her indelible sense of self. She is one of the truest examples of how possessing a strong identity translates into a concrete sense of personal style. She’s not only an idol for over-50s celebrity style, but also a North Star for anyone from any generation.

You could easily rattle off a long list of outfits she’s worn that have felt groundbreaking in some way. To name a few up top: the armpit hair she boldly chose to expose in a sequin Vivienne Tam dress at the 1999 premiere of Notting Hill and her decision to walk the Cannes Film Festival in 2016 completely barefoot in response to the restrictive dress code that made it compulsory for women to wear heels.

But because there are so many, we’re going to explore a more wide-ranging view of the pieces she’s been spotted in again and again, from her debut in the 1980s to her red carpet appearances and street style moments of late in 2026. She’s renowned for her suits and tailoring, but she can also radiate in a sleek gown. Outside of star-studded events, she’s an inspiration for everyday looks too, whether she’s wearing a pair of classic blue jeans or sprinkling quirkiness through patterned cardigans. There’s much to pull from.

From a more personal angle, Julia is one celebrity who has validated my feelings of wanting to dress how I want to, not what trends dictate. I’ve always been drawn to outfits that are typically labelled as “masculine,” whether it be suits, trousers or incredibly roomy T-shirts. Not only has Julia waved away these narratives of what women should wear in the past, but she completely ignores them.

In reference to the iconic Giorgio Armani suit she wore from the men’s department to the Golden Globes in 1990, she told British Vogue, “I could not have known that it was going to become this, like, statement outfit. I just thought I looked fabulous, and I still have that suit.” Getting dressed for her isn’t about pushing back against societal norms (even if she does so unintentionally), but it’s about unabashedly being herself and wearing things she feels best in. Regardless of your personal style, that is something anyone can adopt and learn from.

Similar conversations came up when she lifted her arm to wave at the premiere of Notting Hill, and *sarcastic gasp*, she had armpit hair. It wasn’t meant to be a moment people would discuss decades down the road. She told Busy Phillips on her talk show, “It wasn’t so much a statement as it’s just part of the statement I make as a human on the planet for myself.” But as a woman moving through the world, of course, talk, criticism and “scandal” often follow.