A force in fashion! Bella Hadid has become somewhat of a Y2K style icon, rocking bucket hats, low rise skirts and retro shades. But the 25-year-old star hasn’t just mastered the model-off-duty look — she also kills it on the red carpet.
Because whether she’s dripping in diamonds at the Cannes Film Festival or showing off her fit physique in nearly naked gowns at awards shows, the star never shies away from taking a risk.
From her sheer Alexander Wang jumpsuit at the 2017 Met Gala to her gold-plated Schiaparelli number at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, there’s no question that Hadid turns up the heat on the red carpet.
While the model isn’t afraid of showing a little skin nowadays, she wasn’t always so confident with risqué attire. While reflecting on her Life in Looks with Vogue in August, the star revealed that she felt a little “nervous” in her Alexandre Vautheier gown, which featured a thigh-high slit, at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.
“I look very sexual in all of these things. I was still nervous about cameras and nervous about having a lot of makeup on and nervous about this slit,” she revealed. “Thank god I think that maybe there was one little slip that happened.”
She added: “I kind of get embarrassed of this moment still, even though the dress is gorgeous. It’s just, [it] doesn’t feel so much like me. I think that this was the star of the Bella persona that everyone sees.”
Creating the so-called “Bella persona” was in large thanks to mom Yolanda Hadid, who let her express herself through fashion early on. “My whole life I’ve been pretty independent with my style, and my mom has been really giving when it comes to that,” she told Popsugar in 2016. “When I was super young, I would paint my nails black and wear eyeliner and she let me do what I wanted to do, which really shaped my style.”
While she had her fair share of experimentation, she did it on a budget. Hadid didn’t splurge on any designer pieces until she was 18. “ I bought a pair of Louboutins, because that’s what you do when you’re 18,” she told Elle in 2017. “They were so high. I was so involve with them. I wore them so much that the bottoms now — they’re rough.”
These days though, Hadid steps out in haute couture on the regular, showing off designer frocks on red carpets around the world. To see her best looks to date, keep scrolling!
