Cara Delevingne’s Style Evolution Shows a Supermodel Finding Herself

Since her runway debut with Burberry during London Fashion Week in 2011, Cara Delevingne has become one of the most sought-after figures in the fashion world—cultivating close ties with iconic designers like Christopher Bailey, Hedi Slimane, Stella McCartney, and the late Karl Lagerfeld. While she has always been a red carpet fixture thanks to early outings at the Met Gala and Cannes, she’s become an even more dynamic presence thanks to her acting career, which spans roles in American Horror Story and Only Murders in the Building. Over her many, many appearances, Delevingne has also used fashion to refine her sense of self. Early photos show a young model in standard starlet-appropriate dresses, but now, the openly queer multi-hyphenate explores all sides of herself. Here, a look back at Delevingne’s best red carpet fashion.
2026: Gentle Monster Screening at Cannes
Delevingne leveled up the classic black column gown in this ruffled halter design with a plunging chest cutout by Haider Ackermann’s Tom Ford.
2026: Met Gala
For this year’s “Costume Art” theme, Delevingne leaned into dark, gauzy layers in a form-fitting Ralph Lauren gown.
2026: Vanity Fair Oscar Party
The star gave new meaning to naked dressing in this sheer, body-motif design from Thom Browne’s spring 2026 collection.
2026: GLAAD Media Awards
Sporting a slinky hood, a sharp cat-eye, and a satisfying hair swoop, Delevingne served sultry glamour with a touch of Grace Jones in this all-black Alaïa look.
2025: Academy Museum Gala
Delevigne sparkled in a floor-length Tamara Ralph couture gown with a surrealist statement collar.
2025: Cannes Film Festival
Delevingne paired her strapless Ashi Studio dress with sheer gloves during the Colours of Time Cannes premiere in 2025.
2025: Golden Globe Awards
Delevingne shimmered in this halter-neck Gucci design when she stepped out on the Golden Globes red carpet.
2024: Met Gala
In 2024, the star looked ready for battle in a bejeweled Stella McCartney look at the 2024 Met Gala.
2023: Met Gala
Delevingne paid homage to her late friend, Karl Lagerfeld, in this black-and-white look from Lagerfeld’s eponymous line.
2023: Academy Awards
For her Oscars debut, the model and actor epitomized Hollywood glamour in a one-shoulder ball gown by Elie Saab, complete with a daring leg slit.
2022: Met Gala
Delevingne put her spin on “Gilded Glamour” by sporting a gold-painted torso and matching nipple pasties at the 2022 Met Gala, themed “In America: An Anthology of Fashion.”
2021: CFDA Awards
The model turned up the heat on this skirt suit by wearing no shirt whatsoever at the 2021 CFDA Awards.
2021: Met Gala
Never one to mince her words, the model attended the 2021 Met Gala in a white Dior ensemble with the phrase “Peg the Patriarchy” strewn across her top.
2021: Dior Couture Show
Delevingne proved you can make a statement by keeping things simple when she opted to forgo a shirt under her Dior suit.
2019: DKNY Event
To celebrate DKNY’s 30th anniversary, the model channeled a bit of “Sporty Spice,” but made it fashion.
2019: Carnival Row Premiere
Delevingne wore a sharp bob and a liquid-esque David Koma gown for a special screening of her Amazon Prime Video fantasy series Carnival Row.
2019: Chanel Tribeca Dinner
In New York City, the model mixed wet-look hair with a Rock ‘n’ Roll take on classic Chanel codes.
2019: Dior Show
While Delevingne had gravitated to short hair and more tailored, darker looks, here she proved she could still rock a feminine pink frock. This one, of course, is Dior.
2018: Princess Eugenie’s Wedding
Bucking tradition, Delevingne wore a menswear-inspired suit to her friend Princess Eugenie’s royal wedding back in 2018.
2018: Met Gala
Continuing her flair for a bit of goth now and then, Delevingne wore this graphic black Dior couture gown for the 2018 Catholic-themed Met Gala.
2018: Dior Show
Strengthening her relationship with Dior under former creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri, Delevingne wore Dior separates, with some peek-a-boo underwear, to the brand’s fall 2018 show.
2017: Met Gala
In Chanel, Delevingne attended “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art Of The In-Between” Met Gala.
2017: Chanel Show
In a daring move, Delevingne mixed classic Chanel with Supreme underwear at the French maison’s Paris Fashion Week fall 2017 show.
2016: MTV Movie Awards
Delevingne joined the #BalmainArmy in 2016, wearing one of Olivier Rousteing’s body-con jumpsuits for the MTV Movie Awards.
2016: Chanel Show
Embodying her long-standing muse-ship with Karl Lagerfeld, she oozed Chanel couture at the house’s spring 2016 presentation.
2015: Pan Premiere
Delevingne is a woman who wears many hats, moving fluidly between the fashion and film worlds (and, more than occasionally, mixing the two). She wore a feathered Burberry mini for the premiere of Pan in London.
2015: Burberry Show
British It girls, unite. Delevingne hasn’t cut ties with Burberry by any means; she and Kate Moss appeared at the house’s spring 2015 show together.
2015: Paper Towns NYC Premiere
At the New York premiere of Paper Towns, Delevingne opted for a shimmery Saint Laurent look, sticking with the mini dresses that served her well throughout the press tour.
2015: Paper Towns Australian Premiere
From model to movie star—Delevingne was spotted on the Paper Towns press circuit in a Dion Lee mini dress with Saint Laurent sandals, and a superhero-esque shade of eyeshadow (perhaps foreshadowing her Suicide Squad casting to come).
2014: Cannes Party
Delevingne’s embellished Roberto Cavalli gown wasn’t even the highlight of her look for the 2014 De Grisogono party at the Cannes Film Festival—instead, it was the De Grisogono monkey necklace she wore slung over her back.
2014: Met Gala
In a rare diversion from her usual look, Delevingne eschewed Burberry in favor of Stella McCartney at the 2014 Met Gala (she also arrived as part of the designer’s squad), making the pantsuit look work for her.
2013: Cannes Film Festival
Delevingne again selected Burberry in 2013–this time for her Cannes debut, appearing at the opening ceremony and The Great Gatsby premiere.
2013: Met Gala
At the 2013 Met Gala for “Punk: From Chaos to Couture,” Delevingne threw it back to her gala debut two years prior in a similar but more daring Burberry design.
2012: British Fashion Awards
Delevingne was dubbed Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2012, an accolade she accepted in a metallic green Burberry shift.
2012: Le Bal
Delevingne’s Emilio Pucci hints at her penchant for a plunging neckline, but with a bit more color than her later style choices.
2012: amFAR Gala
For the 2012 amfAR Gala at Cannes, Delevingne wore a forest green Burberry Prorsum gown, inaugurating her color phase. (It didn’t last long.)
2012: Met Gala
At the Met Gala themed “Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations,” Delevingne walked the red carpet with Jourdan Dunn in Burberry, marking a relatively understated look for the budding style star.
2011: Met Gala
Delevingne made her Met Gala debut at the 2011 event for “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” in a Burberry gown with fellow model Douglas Booth.
2010: Cavalli 40th Anniversary
A blonde and baby-faced Delevingne made an appearance at the Robert Cavalli 40-year celebration at Paris Fashion Week in September 2010.
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