Julia Roberts Is Still The Rom Com Queen With The Very Best ’90s Style That Will Inspire Your Wardrobe

Is it possible to write about Julia Roberts without using the word ‘megawatt’? Probably, but I’m not even going to bother trying. That irresistible, cartoonishly wide smile is megawatt. Her earning power is megawatt (she was the highest paid actress in the world in the 1990s and early 200s). Her A+ List star power is megawatt.

Something else that Roberts possesses? A high-voltage command of fashion. Sure, sure, you are familiar with her many sensational style moments on screen – the thigh high boots ofPretty Woman fame, the beret and sunglasses in Notting Hill, the push up bras and mini skirts she wore in Erin Brockovich – but to her off-screen moments are equally deserving of the limelight.

In the ‘90s, Roberts proved herself to be an unpredictable red carpet dresser. She set the tone young – at just 23 – at the Golden Globes, where she won for her role in Steel Magnolias wearing an oversized, grey Giorgio Armani suit (which, apparently, she bought off the rack herself). She went all in, complementing the tailoring with a shirt and tie – there was no concession to Hollywood-pleasing sexiness here. See also the skirt suit she wore to the Globes the following year and the chocolate brown suit she wore to the Hook premiere in 1991.

Of course, Roberts isn’t just about tailoring. Alongside the Valentino haute couture gown (vintage, a very now move) she wore to pick up her Oscar in 2001, probably Roberts’ most famous red carpet dress was the red sequinned Vivienne Tan number she wore to the Notting Hill premiere in 1999. Although that look became about so much more than the dress, thanks to the flash of armpit hair she revealed when gleefully waving to fans and photographers. It’s amazing (and, sad, really) that this is still surprising to see now (it still made a statement when Emily Ratajkowski did the same last year). If you’re worried your normal grooming routine has hit a stumbling block right now, then let the moment but on your mental lockdown moodboard. If Julia Roberts doesn’t care about it, why the hell should you?

Indeed, Roberts’ ‘90s style proves she is the original queen of IDGAF dressing. Alongside the gown-shunning tailoring, there are also super low-slung baggy trousers (on trend big time for SS21), insouciant cardigans (worn, Katie Holmes style, slipping off one shoulder), cowboy boots, layered jackets and playful mini dresses tomboyishly teamed with white socks and monk-strap shoes. She even makes the compelling case for wearing a waistcoat with nothing underneath.

In a year when we’ve all reconsidered our style direction, there are many lessons to learn from Roberts. The only one that really matters, however, is this: why follow the rules when you could write them? Now if that isn’t a megawatt move, I’m not sure what is.