Vanessa Kirby’s career has been the ultimate sleeper hit. Without too much media hype or intense fanfare, the English actress has won over audiences with her magnetic screen presence, surprising some as an under-the-radar talent. Playing Princess Margaret in season one of The Crown won the 32-year-old award after award in 2017, and her heartbreaking role in the film Pieces of a Woman has put her squarely in the awards conversation once more. Kirby’s style evolution is no different from her acting trajectory—she’s a quiet stunner in more ways than one. The London native opts for sleek, chic, and understated fashion that still makes an enormous impact on the red carpet. Ahead of her birthday on April 18 (and a potential Oscar win for Best Actress on April 25,) take a look back at Kirby’s greatest style hits, from ivory gowns galore to one knockout Versace dress.
Kirby wore a killer Versace column dress and Cartier jewels for the 2021 BAFTA Awards.
At the 2021 SAG Awards, the actress chose a style that strayed from her usual looks—a Givenchy harness-like overlay and Cartier jewelry.
A Gucci cutout fantasy at the 2021 Golden Globes.
Kirby stayed true to her beauty go-to (slicked-back hair and a standout lip) for the premiere of The World to Come at the Venice Film Festival, 2020.
A rare red moment at the Pieces of a Woman premiere during the 77th Venice Film Festival in 2020.
The actress knows the power of a crimson lip. Kirby is pictured here at a screening of Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw in London in 2019.
In Tom Ford at the 2018 Emmy Awards, where she took home another statuette for Best Supporting Actress in The Crown.
At the Mission: Impossible—Fallout premiere in Paris, 2018.
Wearing floral Valentino at the SAG Awards in 2018.
At the 2017 Emmy Awards, Kirby wore a strapless Marchesa gown and a bold, dark lip.
Experimenting with suiting at the 2017 Glamour Women of the Year Awards.
Kirby knows the shades and shapes that work well for her aesthetic—like this tiered sky-blue gown at the Virgin TV BAFTA Television Awards in 2017.
The actress chose a Luisa Beccaria gown for the 2017 Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Kirby is regal in powder blue for the world premiere of The Crown in 2016.
Wearing a floor-length LBD at the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards in 2015.
A vision in bright white (and newly brunette hair) at the 60th London Evening Standard Theatre Awards in 2014.
In Gucci at a private showing of the “David Bowie Is” exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2013.
Kirby attended the InStyle Best of British Talent party in 2013 wearing a shimmering olive frock.
Mixed materials (and more lace) at a private viewing of London gallery the Royal Academy of Art’s Summer Exhibition in 2012.
Vanessa Kirby opted for ivory and lace at the Orange British Academy Film Awards in 2012.
