70 photos that show how Salma Hayek's style has evolved
- Salma Hayek started her acting career in her home country of Mexico before jumping to Hollywood.
- At her earliest red carpet appearances, Hayek wore suits or mismatched two-piece outfits.
- Now, the "Eternals" actress wears glamorous dresses designed by fashion houses like Gucci.
Hayek wore a white spaghetti-strap dress to Frank Sinatra's 80th birthday celebration in November 1995.
Kate Moss, Johnny Depp, Christian Slater, Kate Moss, and Little Richard were also among the attendees at the event, which took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California.
The actress wore a black sweater and dark suit to the LA premiere of "The Birdcage" in March 1996.
Hayek told Vogue India that she wore suits early in her career because designers refused to dress an unknown actress.
"I'm Mexican. I'm also very short, which doesn't help with the weight and doesn't help with the design," she told the publication. "But you know, I was ingenious. I took chances. I met someone at Hugo Boss, who was the only connection I had, so I wore man suits for a while.
She opted for a black dress, strappy heels, red clutch, and high ponytail at the 1996 MTV Movie Awards.
The awards show was held on June 8, 1996 at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. Hayek and her "Desperado" costar, Antonio Banderas, were nominated for best kiss.
Hayek looked regal with a tiara and floor-length, shimmering Armani gown at the 1997 Vanity Fair Oscars after-party.
Hayek told Vogue it was the first time she attended the Academy Awards, where she also presented.
Hayek recalled that "everybody" tried to discourage her from wearing a tiara because they thought it was "ridiculous" and would come off "pretentious."
"Everybody started wearing a tiara after that and I never got credit for that trend," she added.
She wore a dress by Hervé Leger and accessorized with a blue beaded bag at the Hollywood premiere of "Lethal Weapon 4" on July 7, 1998.
The red carpet took place at the Chinese Theatre.
Hayek wore a lilac dress with a floral print at the LA premiere of the film "Ever After" in July 1998.
She accessorized with a large hat of a similar color.
Hayek chose a yellow dress with gold details at the premiere of her 1998 film "54."
Hayek starred alongside Ryan Phillippe, Neve Campbell, and Mike Meyers in the movie.
The actress got creative to make herself stand out at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards in September 1998.
"I had on a very simple black dress and I knew all the other girls were going to have fabulous dresses, beautiful jewelry," she told Vogue India. "And can I tell you something? Instead of giving me a complex and saying that I don't have the best dress or they don't know who I am, I was like, 'I am fabulous.' I painted some butterfly tattoos on myself and I felt happy about myself."
She wore a matching crop top and skirt to the 1999 MTV Movie Awards.
Hayek and actor Hugh Grant presented the award for best comedic performance at the show.
Hayek mixed and matched for her appearance at the American Cinematheque Award in October 1999.
The actress said that she found the crop top and skirt separately and put them together.
"When you're young, you can get away with a lot," Hayek told Vogue.
The star also said that she "struggled" to get clothes early in her career and "couldn't afford it on my own."
Hayek wore a floor-length, halter-style lavender gown at the 2000 Academy Awards.
The event was held on March, 26, 2000 at the Shrine Auditorium in LA.
She wore a sheer top and black pants at the 2000 My VH1 Music Awards on November 30, 2000.
Stars like Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, and Ellen DeGeneres also attended the event.
At the LA premiere of "Collateral Damage" in February 2002, Hayek stepped out in a white suit and tan hat.
The action movie starred Arnold Schwarzenegger.
She wore a sheer, flowing dress at the 2002 Venice Film Festival.
Hayek was in attendance for the premiere of her film "Frida" on August 29, 2002.
She wore a red gown designed by Narcisco Rodriguez to the 2003 Golden Globes.
Hayek was nominated for best performance by an actress in a drama motion picture for her performance as painter Frida Kahlo in "Frida."
She told Vogue that Rodriguez encouraged her to "go simple and pick a color that represented a little bit of my spirit."
She opted for a simple, elegant dress for the Madrid premiere of "Frida."
The premiere took place at Callao Cinema in Madrid, Spain on February 7, 2003.
The actress wore a brown dress with balloon sleeves and a belt to the 2003 Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Hayek was nominated for outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role for her performance in "Frida."
Hayek's Carolina Herrera dress that she wore to the 2003 Oscars was actually a last-minute loan from actress Renée Zellweger.
While presenting Zellweger with an award in early 2020, Hayek revealed that the "Bridget Jones" star swooped in to help her with a fashion emergency years prior.
"The night before when my big butt exploded the seams of my Oscar dress and I had no dress for the Oscars, she ended up giving me one of her dresses," Hayek said, per Entertainment Weekly.
She wore an asymmetrical floral blouse and white pants for the premiere of "The Maldonado Miracle" on October 2, 2003.
The Showtime film marked Hayek's directorial debut. She also produced it and earned a Daytime Emmy for outstanding directing in a children/youth/family special.
At the New York premiere of "After the Sunset" on November 9, 2004, Hayek wore an ombre dress.
Hayek starred alongside Pierce Brosnan, Woody Harrelson, and Naomie Harris in the action film.
Hayek wore a mermaid-style navy and black dress while presenting at the 2005 Oscars.
Hayek presented at the awards show with her longtime friend, Penélope Cruz.
She wore a dark-green, mermaid-style dress to the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.
She was in attendance at the red carpet premiere of "Last Days" at Palais Du Festival in Cannes, France on May 13, 2005.
Salma Hayek wore a black, floor-length lace dress to the 2005 Latin Grammy Awards.
Hayek presented the award for album of the year, which went to Ivan Lins for "Cantando Histórias."
She looked elegant in a blue Atelier Versace gown at the 78th Academy Awards.
The awards show took place on March 5, 2006 and Hayek served as a presenter.
Hayek wore a flowing white gown to the 2007 Golden Globes.
The actress appeared on stage at the awards show as a presenter.
Salma Hayek chose a green gown with floral accents for the Cannes Film Festival in May 2008.
She attended the premiere of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" in Cannes, France.
At the 2009 Golden Globes, the star wore a Bottega Veneta dress.
The awards show took place on January 11, 2009, in Beverly Hills, California.
She wore a black dress, sheer black tights, and black heels to the 2009 Vanity Fair Oscars after-party.
Hayek posed at the party with Cruz, who won the Oscar for best supporting actress.
At the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, the actress wore a red dress with a thigh-high slit.
She posed at a red carpet for a screening of "Wall Street Money Never Sleeps" on May 14, 2010.
The beige dress that Hayek wore to the 2011 Met Gala was designed by Alexander McQueen.
The theme that year was "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty."
Hayek opted for a shimmering gown at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.
She posed for rows of photographers on May 11, 2011.
She wore a three-piece suit and black fedora to the UK premiere of her film "Puss in Boots" on November 24, 2011.
Hayek voiced a cat named Kitty Softpaws in the animated movie.
Hayek wore a custom-made Gucci gown to the 2012 Golden Globes.
She attended the show with her husband, François-Henri Pinault.
For the 2012 Vanity Fair Oscars after-party, she wore a red gown with her hair styled in a braid that draped over her shoulder.
Hayek's dress was designed by Yves Saint Laurent.
Hayek wore a Gucci gown to the Cannes Film Festival in May 2012.
She wore the dress to a screening of the film "Rust and Bone" on May 18, 2012.
For the LA premiere of her 2012 movie "Savages," Hayek chose a dark-green, glittery gown by Gucci.
The movie starred Hayek, Blake Lively, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
She wore a strapless black dress with a large bow at the 2013 Golden Globes.
Hayek accessorized with earrings from Paraiba Tourmaline Cabochon.
The actress chose a black velvet dress by Alexander McQueen for the 2013 Oscars.
The awards show was held at the Dolby Theatre in California on February 24, 2013.
She wore a beige dress by Gucci Premiére at the LACMA Art and Film Gala on November 2, 2013.
The gala took place in LA.
Hayek was seen wearing a hot pink gown by Saint Laurent at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.
The dress was a fitting choice since Hayek attended a screening of the biopic titled "Saint Laurent," based on the life of the titular fashion designer.
Hayek wore a belted ivory gown by Alexander McQueen for the 2015 Golden Globes.
Hayek was one of many presenters at the awards show, held on January 11, 2015.
In March 2015, she wore a voluminous Alexander McQueen dress with two black peacocks at the opening of an exhibition for the late designer.
The exhibit was called "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty."
The actress wore a silver dress to the premiere of "The Prophet" in Lebanon in April 2015.
Hayek produced the animated film and voiced a character in it.
She showed up to the 2015 Cannes Film Festival in a black dress with printed red roses.
She was at the festival for her film "Tale of Tales," in which she played Queen of Longtrellis.
She also wore a dark-purple gown with a plunging neckline at the Cannes Film Festival that year.
She wore the dress to a screening of the film "Carol."
The actress chose a pink gown with buttons and a bow to the LACMA 2015 Art and Film Gala.
The outfit was designed by Alessandro Michele at the beginning of his career as the creative director of Gucci.
"I just loved that dress and loved the Pepto Bismal color," she told Vogue. "I think it goes well with my skin."
She wore a white gown with a ruffled, deep neckline in November 2015.
She wore the outfit to the Evening Standard Theatre Awards in London.
She stepped out in a printed dress, statement necklace, and platform heels in the UK in June 2016.
Hayek posed for photographers at the London premiere of her film "Tale of Tales."
Hayek opted for a sheer gown with beaded details for an appearance in LA in October 2016.
She wore the outfit to the LACMA Art and Film Gala that year.
The actress wore a patterned Gucci dress to Harper's Bazaar's 150 Most Fashionable Women party.
She wore matching metallic pink heels and accessorized with a gold clutch.
Hayek brightened up the red carpet of the 2017 SAG Awards in a yellow one-shouldered Gucci gown.
The dress also had ruffles and a bow.
She wore a sheer black dress by Alexander McQueen to the 2017 Academy Awards.
Hayek told Variety that she "loved the femininity and simplicity of it."
She looked unrecognizable with a wig at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.
Months later, she posted a video revealing the process of putting the wig on.
She wore a shiny, one-shouldered purple dress by Gucci to the LACMA Art and Film Gala in November 2017.
The dress included two large bows, one on the shoulder and another near the waistline.
For the 2017 Governors Awards, Hayek opted for a long-sleeved black gown with silver embellishments on the shoulders.
Jennifer Lawrence, Margot Robbie, and Emma Stone were also among the attendees at the event.
She showed off her flowing green dress, designed by Gucci, at the Palm Springs International Film Festival on January 2, 2018.
The dress included thin straps and a pink bow around the waist.
She stepped out with a wig at the BAFTA nominees party in February 2018.
She wore a black dress with puffed sleeves and a white collar.
Hayek attended the 2018 BAFTA Awards in a black gown with delicate flower details, designed by Gucci.
She told Vogue that after struggling with what to wear at public appearances for so long, "it's so nice that now I have access to the best brands in the world."
Hayek wore a sequined purple Gucci dress with silver jewelry draped along her neckline and shoulders for the 2018 Oscars.
The awards show took place on March 4, 2018 at the Dolby Theatre.
She changed into a two-piece outfit by Harlem designer Dapper Dan for the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party.
The designer's name was also written across the back of Hayek's top.
Hayek's stunning Altuzarra dress that she wore to the 2018 Met Gala included her dog named Diva and her parrots.
Joseph Altuzarra told Vogue that his goal for the custom dress was for it to align with the "Heavenly Bodies" theme, but also "be really personal to her story and to who she is."
"Salma is an animal lover which really made me think of [the] Garden of Eden," he said.
The actress chose a light-blue, frilled dress for the Kering Women in Motion awards in Cannes, France in May 2018.
Hayek's husband, François-Henri Pinault, is the CEO of Kering.
The actress wore a crown and a custom black and gold dress by Gucci to the 2019 Met Gala.
The theme that year was "Camp: Notes on Fashion."
She wore a shimmering dress with thin, criss-cross straps to the 2019 LACMA Art and Film Gala.
The outfit also included a thigh-high slit.
For the world premiere of her film "Like a Boss" in January 2020, Hayek wore an all-black outfit comprised of a silk top, a belt, pants, and a blazer.
The comedy starred Hayek, Tiffany Haddish, and Rose Byrne.
She wore a glittery silver dress by Jonathan Simkhai in January 2020.
Hayek wore the glamorous gown to the National Board of Review Awards gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on January 8, 2020, in New York.
Hayek wore a blue and white dress with a plunging neckline to the 2020 Golden Globes.
She presented at the awards show with "Like a Boss" costar Tiffany Haddish.
She looked angelic in a custom Gucci gown at the 2020 Oscars.
The actress wore her hair in a high bun and accessorized with a silver headpiece.
Later that evening for the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party, she wore a sequined blue dress.
Stars like Regina King, Florence Pugh, and Joaquin Phoenix also attended the party.
Hayek wore a gown in varying shades of blue for the 2021 Kering Women in Motion Awards.
The event took place on July 11, 2021 in Cannes, France.
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