Four Fashionable Celebrities to Inspire Your Style

For most of us, a red carpet lifestyle is out of reach, but that doesn’t stop us from looking to it for inspiration. Here are four of our favorite celebrities to inspire you no matter what your style.

In the age of instant social media and celebrity culture, we are saturated with images of celebrities doing everything from receiving awards to going about their daily business.

While, for some, this amount of exposure may seem pointless and overwrought, for those who love and follow fashion, it can be a look into what is trending in the world of fashion as well as an endless source of inspiration. Here are four of our favorite celebrities who are always a reliable source of style inspiration.

#1 The Minimalist – Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie's four minimalistic fashion outfits

Angelina Jolie has one of the most distinct styles in Hollywood. Both her red carpet and personal style channel elements of elegant minimalism, sharp tailoring, and just a sprinkle of old Hollywood glamor. Though Jolie was known for her goth tendencies early on in her career, her style has evolved over the years to incorporate a more feminine vibe while still retaining the edge of her earlier days.

Jolie favours a palette of neutral colours, often being seen in black, grey, and white. She is well-known for her love of a well-tailored pantsuit, and has stunned many a time on the red carpet in her own twist on a man’s tuxedo; once in white in 2001, again in a black tux sans tie in 2004, and most recently at the 2014 BAFTA awards where she wore a slim-cut tuxedo worn with the tie undone – a pitch-perfect balance between masculine and feminine, and a stunning complement to the one her partner Brad Pitt wore.

#2 The Creative – Maggie Gyllenhaal

Maggie Gyllenhaal's two creative fashion outfits

In the past, Maggie Gyllenhaal has expressed her love of clothes and fashion to the media stating that she finds many of the clothes that are sent to her to be a source of fun and inspiration. Her personal style, particularly her red carpet style, always seems to capture a sense of something whimsical and different.

Whether it be a cacophonous pattern like the showstopping Valentino gown she wore to the 2014 Met Gala or a diaphanous nude lace shawl collar dress like the Dolce and Gabbana she wore for her 2012 appearance on NBC’s Today show, her style choices always give us a peek at her creative and adventurous side.

#3 The Modernist – Tilda Swinton

Tilda Swinton's two amazing red carpet outfits

Tilda Swinton is, without a doubt, one of the most fearless dressers in the celebrity world. Tilda’s style is razor sharp and structured one minute, feminine, sophisticated, and glamorous the next, and always with a few surprises in-between.

Some of her most memorable looks include the dramatic and structured periwinkle Haider Ackermann gown she wore to the 2012 Golden Globe Awards (complete with sweeping pompadour); a rainbow-striped Cristian Lacroix floor-length gown at the 2009 Cesar awards; and her most recent appearance at the Cannes Film Festival in a long-sleeved Haider Ackermann tunic and matching trouser pants suit – a choice that most female celebrities wouldn’t likely dream of for the uber-formal Cannes festival, yet looked so very right on her.

#4 The Grand Dame – Helen Mirren

Helen Mirren's amazing elegant dress outfits

There’s no denying it: 69-year-old Helen Mirren has the goods. Long praised for her impeccable red carpet style, Dame Mirren shows us that getting older does not preclude us from presenting ourselves in style. Her style on and off of the red carpet can be described as nothing short of regal.

One of her of her most famous red carpet moments was a recent appearance at the 2013 BAFTA Awards where she appeared in a stunning Nicholas Oakwell gown; she accessorized by bucking tradition and coloring her trademark silver locks a stunning pink.

Other notable appearances include her straight-off-of-the-runway Dolce and Gabbana dress she wore for the 2012 New York premiere of Hitchcock, and her most recent hit, an absolutely stunning, body-conscious yet demure light green Jenny Packham dress at the 2014 Golden Globe Awards.

While many of us will never have the opportunity to walk the red carpet, we can still take a page out of the books of these four (and other) celebrities and try to celebrate our personal style each and every time we step out. If anything, taking inspiration from celebrities such as these can lead to a deeper understanding of our own personal styles, open new possibilities, and ultimately uncover the true joy of fashion.

About the author

Kristin Buchholz-MacKillop

Kristin is an American writer based in the Scottish Highlands. She is a saxophonist, an obsessive tennis player, a U.S. Air Force Veteran, and holds a Master's degree as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. She is the author of the online style blog highlandfashionista.com

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  • Even Angelina and Brad ultimately conceded to society’s dictate to be married, if committed to each other and especially raising children. It’s about the responsibility of celebrities to be a good example to others. Also, the wedding reception provides a wonderful opportunity to celebrate their love with family and friends, as well as dedicate their lives to each other.