To age as gracefully as Dame Helen Mirren is something many of us aspire to. Forever dressed elegantly, the Academy Award-winning actress from London, known for playing the Queen and detective Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect, has a kind of old world glamour that utterly transcends age.
As she heads towards her 80th birthday (July 26) we look back at some of her greatest fashion moments…
Boho babe
Mirren’s career kicked off as a teenager in the late 1960s, but her life on stage really took off in the Seventies. She received the Variety Club of Great Britain Stage Actress of the Year award in 1975, with a very fetching thick, flicky fringe, echoed in the fringed shawl wrapped around her shoulders. The shawl brings boho vibes, despite the prim pearls, cut-out white blouse and fitted floral print skirt.
Bridal chic
Pearls were still a staple when Mirren picked up a BAFTA in 1993 for her role in Prime Suspect, but her swathes of sheer white lace stole the show. Feeling bridal with edge, thanks to the sharp jacket, what you can’t see in this photo is that she also had a pair of pointed snakeskin print heels on, which were almost as jaunty and irreverent as the bold white hat.
Nineties power suit
At the 1997 premiere of Some Mother’s Son, Mirren displayed complete mastery of the Nineties power skirt-suit. Double-breasted in dark grey satin, she went big on a glitzy necklace and muted red lippy, which offset her auburn bob and looked ridiculously elegant.
Queen of lace
1997 was a big year for Mirren in the fashion stakes. She returned to her trusty lace for the 50th Cannes Film Festival, in a relaxed yet slinky, sheer black number with matching short-sleeved shirt and shiny silver buttons slung over the top. The brassiere-style bustier and neckline are pure glamour – this is Mirren being effortlessly sexy.
All white
When the noughties hit, Mirren didn’t fall into the Y2K crowd and instead maintained pure elegance on the red carpet. In 2002 she donned Giorgio Armani for the Oscars while nominated for best supporting actress for Gosford Park. The sequin-net skirt is what princess dreams are made of, and the satin bodice, cinched with a dazzling jewel, made for a very flattering neckline.
Big winner
When she won the Best Actress Oscar for The Queen in 2007, Mirren looked like a grown-up prom queen – in a good way. The skirt of her peachy-gold dress, gathered at the waist, swished softly, while the intricately beaded bodice dripped sparkles to the elbow, shimmering away, all offsetting her almost ivory hair.
Pretty in pink
Mirren’s hair tends towards the classic end of things – sleek bobs, tasteful highlights – and then she went for a bubblegum pink pixie crop for the British Academy Film Awards in 2013. She did, of course, pull it off (this is THE Helen Mirren we’re talking about) and paired the look (which she said was inspired by America’s Next Top Model) with a long sleeve white – so white it almost appears pale violet – embroidered gown by Nicholas Oakwell Couture.
Eye-catching pattern
Florals and neons aren’t to everyone’s taste, but Mirren wore this electric ensemble to a 2019 screening of Fast & Furious Presents Hobbs and Shaw, and it was fabulous. The belted waist gave her loads of shape, and it just looked so fun to wear – although we’re not convinced the pink bag and shoes were necessary.
Spaceman
For the Cannes Film Festival in 2022, Mirren went super space-agey with a disco undercurrent, from the slicked back white-silver hair, to the dark blue-green eye shadow, and that glitter ball dress. Designed by Dolce & Gabbana and paired with simple black heels, with every movement she must have gleamed.
Going androgynous
For the most part, Mirren is known for wearing brilliant ball gowns, but for a 2023 screening of Golda, she channelled Chanel and wore a velvet black suit, high-necked scallop-edged white shirt and a black bow as a tie-detail. She looked phenomenal.
Back to gowns
She returned to high end frocks for Cannes 2023, looking like Marie Antoinette or a character out of the Hunger Games, thanks to powder blue hair and a magnificent matching dress by Del Core. A diamond choker, fan and sky-high heels completed the look.
Haute couture
Another majestic gown, for Cannes last year, Mirren walked the red carpet in a dusky purple Elie Saab dress that looked like it had been folded around her body. Incredibly architectural with huge pleats, it was a triumph in elegance and the impact to be made by wearing just one colour.
Royal worthy
In February, Mirren attended a dinner at King Charles III’s Gloucestershire estate, Highgrove House, and for the occasion popped on a simple but effective jade green number, which she elevated by wearing a matching headband and chunky diamond earrings. She really knows what suits her.
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