Scarlett Johansson: A Style And Fashion Evolution

Scarlett Johansson is a famous actress, devout mother, activist, and style icon. Throughout the years, the leading lady has been gracing the red carpet with some of the best looks around. However, her style has drastically changed since the late '90s.

She has traded in her acid-yellow mesh dress for Academy Award-worthy designer gowns. And her signature blonde hair has been dyed more times than we can count. Scroll through to see Johansson's flirty, edgy, and gorgeous fashion trends throughout the years.

1996 - A Kimono Dress And Poofy Jacket

Kimono Dress Paired With The Most 90s Jacket Ever
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Scarlett Johansson was one with the times in this very '90s ensemble. Here, she's paired a dark kimono-inspired dress with a slate-grey poofy sweater and is boasting a sassy close-lipped smirk. This is the face of a young girl just starting off in her career.

This look wasn't just worn for a night out with her parents, but rather for the premiere of Manny & Lo, one of Johansson's first films, released in 1996.

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1997 - Acid-Yellow Mesh Dress And Baby Barrettes

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The 90s Acid-Yellow Mesh Dress With Baby Barrettes
Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
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1997 saw 13-year-old Johansson wearing an acid-yellow mesh dress with a blue slip, a very '90s look when paired with baby blue barrettes and some platform sandals. Again, the young actress is not showing teeth, opting for her signature smirk.

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This look was worn to The 12th Annual IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards at Santa Monica Beach, California, in 1997. The award ceremony was held in a tent in a beach parking lot, a day before the Academy Awards.

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1998 - Purple Satin Floral Dress With Braids

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1997 - Purple Satin Floral Dress With Braids
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A few years after the acid-yellow dress, Johansson's style had matured some. In 1998, she wore this age-appropriate purple satin dress with a floral print. She then paired the dress with minimal makeup and randomly braided locks.

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Altogether, the look is very innocent, and Johansson doesn't seem to be trying to look older than she is. It's a good thing, too, because this is what she wore to the premiere of her breakout film, The Horse Whisperer.

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2000 - Strapless Black Dress With A Blood-Red Shawl

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2000 - Strapless Black Dress With A Blood Red Shawl
Rob Beccaris/Getty Images
Rob Beccaris/Getty Images
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What a difference a few years can make! In 2000, fans began to see a transformation in Johansson. She had become a confident young woman, as we can see with this strapless black dress, deep-red shawl, and bold lipstick. Johansson does keep some of that teenage innocence, though, choosing an easy up-do and flirty flower clip.

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This look was worn to the annual Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, California, one of many that Johansson would frequent over the years. A year prior, Johnasson starred in the film My Brother the Pig, opposite Eva Mendes.

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2001 - Sheer Top And Pointed Toes

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2001 - Sheer Top And Pointed Toes
Gregg DeGuire/WireImage
Gregg DeGuire/WireImage
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By 2001, Johansson began to experiment with her style, bringing more mature combinations to the red carpet. Here, she's wearing a sheer black crop-top paired with a knee-length leather-belted skirt. Tack on the nude make-up palette, and we're looking at a whole new side of the actress.

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This look was worn to the premiere of The Others, a film Johansson is not in. At the time, she was working on a film called Ghost World, opposite Thora Birch and Steve Buscemi.

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2002 - New Hair And A Nose Ring

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2002 - New Hair And Nose Ring
Robert Mora/Getty Images
Robert Mora/Getty Images
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Coming into her rebellious fashion phase, in 2002, Johannson boasted a new hair color, bangs, and a nose ring. All of a sudden, she wasn't dressing for the cameras or the red carpet but more for herself.

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We saw her wearing a black blouse, pleated skirt, and black booties paired with large go-go style earrings. The devil-may-care look, complete with statement spider accessory, was worn for the world premiere of her movie Eight Legged Freaks, on July 17, 2002.

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2003 - New Hair, Again, And More Makeup

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2003 - New Hair, Again, And More Makeup
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In 2003, Johansson went back to her original blonde locks, although a bit more mature with lots of highlights. Her style was also more sophisticated, with an edgy haircut and dark eye makeup, accompanied by a bright pink top layered over a white eyelet skirt. It's easy to see she had acclimated to Hollywood high fashion.

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This year saw Johansson in two films: Lost in Translation, in which she starred opposite Bill Murray, and Girl with a Pearl Earring, where she worked alongside Colin Firth.

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January 2004 - Red Carpet Ready In A Nude Gown

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2004 - Red Carpet Ready In A Nude Gown
Carlo Allegri/Getty Images
Carlo Allegri/Getty Images
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2004 brought the 61st Annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony. With it came a stunning Scarlett Johansson in a glamorous nude gown designed by Stella McCartney. To complete the look, she slicked back her golden hair, wore fresh makeup, and chose to accentuate with diamond earrings.

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Johansson was showing why she was nominated for a Best Actress Award that year. Although she didn't win the award for her role as Griet in Girl with a Pearl Earring, her film Lost in Translation won a Best Motion Picture Award for a Musical or Comedy!

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February 2004 - Old Hollywood

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February 2004 - Old Hollywood
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Vince Bucci/Getty Images
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Just one month later, Johansson stunned on the red carpet yet again for the 76th Annual Academy Awards. This time, the actress opted for an emerald-green gown designed by Alberta Ferretti. She paired the textured dress with a bright red lip and '40s-inspired curls.

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This would be the beginning of Johansson's old-Hollywood fashion phase. Although she wasn't nominated for Best Actress as she was at the Golden Globes, her film Lost in Translation did take home an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

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2005 - Orange Is The New Black

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2005 - Another Nude Gown
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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Another year, another glamorous gown worn by Ms. Johansson at the Golden Globe Awards. The peach-colored gown had a fitted and yet abstract bodice that hugged Johansson's curves. And, as you can see, she opted for the '40s-inspired curls and bright red lip once again.

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This shot was snapped on the red carpet of the 62nd Golden Globes ceremony, where Johansson had been nominated for Best Actress. The award nomination was for her role as Purslane Will in A Love Song for Bobby Long.

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2006 - Bold Colors And Flirty Beach Waves

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2006 - Bold Colors And Flirty Beach Waves
J. Vespa/WireImage
J. Vespa/WireImage
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By 2006, Johansson was a shinning young adult, bringing a more youthful light to the red carpet. No longer was she rocking the '40s curls, instead opting to go with flirty beach waves—the perfect hairstyle for the bold-colored Valentino gown. The matching ruby ring gave her look a bombshell vibe.

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This look was worn to the Golden Globes. For the 63rd Annual ceremony, Johansson was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Nola Rice in Match Point.

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2008 - Flirty And Feminine

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Dominique Charriau/Getty Images
Dominique Charriau/Getty Images
Dominique Charriau/Getty Images
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In 2008, we yet again saw a new side to Scarlett Johansson's style. Instead of a sophisticated gown to walk the red carpet, the actress opted for a flirty fuchsia dress, complete with a full skirt to give it a feminine touch.

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She did keep a bit of her previous edgy fashion sense, though, choosing to pair the dress with fishnet stockings. This look was worn for the premiere of The Other Boleyn Girl. Johansson starred in the film opposite Natalie Portman and Eric Bana.

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2009 - Chocolate-Brown Hair And A Bold Print

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2009 - Chocolate-Brown Hair And A Bold Prints
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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Johansson stuck with the flirty look going into 2009, only changing her signature hair color and curls to a straight dark chocolate style. The color was the perfect accessory to her Oscar de la Renta gown, matching the bold floral print beautifully.

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Little did Johansson know, but she was about to be cast as one of the leading Avengers, and that hair color, mixed with a bit of red, was going to become her norm! This flirty look was worn to the premiere of the rom-com film He's Just Not That Into You.

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2010 - An Abstract White Gown

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2010 - Abstract White
Steve Granitz/Getty Images
Steve Granitz/Getty Images
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At the start of the decade, Johansson stopped wearing flirty girl-next-store ensembles and began to choose edgier pieces. This look saw the actress wearing an abstract, ruffled white Armani garment that only so many people would be able to pull off.

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She was also back to her signature blonde hair, after having to dye it red for Iron Man 2. This shot was snapped during Johansson's first of many red carpet appearances as one of the original Avengers, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow.

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2011 - Red On Orange-Red

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2011 - Red On Orange-Red
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Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
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2011 brought another bold hair color and style for Johansson. Instead of dying her hair back after filming The Avengers, the Marvel actress opted to stick to her character's roots and keep the dark red shade.

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Pairing the red locks with an orange-red dress was a bold move, but it's Scarlett Johansson, so she obviously looked flawless in the power-shoulder dress. This look was put together for the Disney Expo, where Johansson, along with her Avengers castmates, were promoting their film that would be released the following year.

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2012 - Nude And Tulle

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2012 - Nude And Tulle
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Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
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At the 2012 Met Gala, Scarlett Johansson brought back one of her signature looks she's done throughout the years: blonde hair and a nude-colored dress. The theme for the Met Gala that year was "Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations," and Johansson blew it out of the water.

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The Avengers star showed off her Black Widow physique in the form-fitting gown. Per her usual, she opted out of a necklace and instead chose to pair the dress with earrings and loose waves.

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2012 - Back To The '40s

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2012 - Back To The 40s
Steve Granitz/WireImage
Steve Granitz/WireImage
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Johansson went back to a previous style in May of 2012. Here, she did a '40s-inspired up-do hairstyle, paired with a multi-patterned top and skirt combination. The bold pattern choices work, and along with the fresh makeup, Johansson looks like a classic beauty.

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It's no wonder Johansson is all smiles in the picture. This photo is from the ceremony when she was awarded a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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2015 - Bold Jewelry

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2015 - Bold Jewelry
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Jason Merritt/TERM/Getty Images
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Throughout her style evolution, there has always been one constant; Johansson was never one to wear a necklace. Instead, she favored earrings, rings, and bracelets. In 2015, the actress threw caution to the wind with this statement necklace paired with an emerald-green Atelier Versace gown. She wore his look to the 87th Annual Academy Awards.

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Even though she wasn't nominated for an award that year, people were still excited to see her on-screen. This was the year that her highly-anticipated film was being released, Avengers: Age of Ultron.

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2016 - All Of Her Styles Rolled Into One

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2016 - All Of Her Styles Rolled Into One
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Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images
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If you take everything about Scarlett Johansson's previous styles and blend them together, you'll have the actress's 2016 wardrobe choices. She took her flirty attire, romantic and flattering cuts, and bold color choices to create awesome looks throughout the year.

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One such look is this baby blue Oscar de la Renta dress she wore to the Gene Siskel Film Center to accept a Renaissance Award. The evening was dubbed "Celebrate Scarlett" in honor of her talent. This was also the first year Forbes named her the highest-grossing actor.

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2019 - Crystals And Bold Cutouts

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2019 - Crystals And Bold Cutouts
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In 2019, Scarlett Johansson decided to take all of her previous fashion statements and throw them out the window. Instead, she opted to go big or go home. For the world premiere of Avengers: Endgame, the actress wore a dazzling strapless mesh Versace gown detailed with Swarovski crystals and bold cutouts on the back.

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Johansson finished the look with tousled waves and an Infinity Stone Gauntlet-inspired bracelet. The daring dress was everything fans dreamed of seeing the actress wear on the red carpet.