Happy birthday, Amal Clooney!
A human rights lawyer and fashionphile to boot, Clooney is unsurprisingly beloved for both her unwavering morals and her enviable wardrobe. Every summer like clockwork, Clooney and her actor husband, George Clooney, decamp to Lake Como for the season, La Dolce Vita style. Clooney’s Italian vacation wardrobe is the purest embodiment of her fashion: colorful, feminine, and impossibly glamorous.
Still, no matter where she is in the world, Clooney is never anything but put together. Lately, she’s been hitting global red carpets—such as the Venice Film Festival and the Golden Globes—in support of George’s film Jay Kelly. No matter the occasion, Clooney stays consistent, rocking jaw-dropping vintage, statement earrings, and Old Hollywood waves. And let’s not forget her impressive red carpet repertoire that spans from prized vintage items to custom sequined numbers.
In Elements of Style, we’re distilling a celebrity’s fashion sense into its most basic components. Here, we break down the five key pieces in Amal Clooney’s closet.
Prized Vintage
Over the last several years, Clooney has amassed a closet full of pristine archival pieces from the noughties. While she has a clear preference for John Galliano’s tenure at Christian Dior (who doesn’t?), she also loves a vintage Versace moment. She often sources her enviable pieces from Tab Vintage in Los Angeles.
What: John Galliano, Christian Dior, Versace, Jean-Louis Scherrer, Yves Saint Laurent
Where: Dinner in Lake Como, the Cannes Film Festival, the DVF Awards
Wear it with: Wedge heels, oversized sunglasses, ankle boots, matching coats
Glittering Gowns
The barrister has never met a sequin she didn’t love, be it the graduated teardrop paillettes that adorned her Versace dress at the 2023 Fashion Awards, or the multicolored ombré fringe on her Bach Mai gown in Venice. She doesn’t discriminate when it comes to sparkle: chainmail and rhinestones are also very much on the table.
What: Versace, Bach Mai, 16Arlington, Tamara Ralph
Where: The Venice Film Festival, the Fashion Awards, the Kennedy Center Honors
Wear it with: An ostrich feather boa, a tiny bag, metallic pointy-toe pumps
Oversized Sunglasses
Clooney’s sense of mystique lends heavily to people’s fascination with her. And what’s more mysterious than a pair of enormous, face-obscuring sunglasses? The barrister has plenty of sunnies in her collection, but she’s most liable to be seen in square frames that completely shroud her eyes and eyebrows.
What: Versace, Missoni, Prada
Where: Leaving court, the We Choose Earth Conference in Madrid, St. Tropez
Wear it with: Workout gear, floor-skimming jeans, vintage Dior, a citrus-hued jumpsuit
Shoulder-Grazing Earrings
While she is nothing short of glam, Clooney almost always elevates her look with a pair of long earrings. Whether she’s sticking with statement chandeliers or classic Cartier diamonds, she is just about guaranteed to be decked out in some precious gems.
What: Cartier, Moussaieff
Where: Backstage on Broadway, date night in Venice
Wear it with: custom Versace dresses, feathered Prada minis
An Impeccable Blowout:
No matter the occasion, Clooney never has a hair out of place. Most of the time, she sticks to her signature look: hair in Old-Hollywood curls, tossed over one shoulder. But sometimes she’ll break from the norm. Take Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s wedding, where she wore a marigold yellow fascinator atop her loose waves.
Where: The 2025 Tony Awards, the Albie’s, the royal wedding, any place, any time
Wear it with: thousands upon thousands of pearls, rhinestone-encrusted Versace, a recreation of a vintage Balmain gown
