Reese Witherspoon's style evolution in 51 photos: how America's sweetheart found her fashion formula

The actress always manages to walk the line between timeless and head-turning

Reese Witherspoon, in a jersey dress and beaded cardigan, attends the premiere of 'Fear' in Sydney, Australia, on July 1, 1996. Getty Images

Reese Witherspoon, in a Grecian-wrapped top and maxi skirt, attends the premiere of 'Cruel Intentions' in Westwood, Los Angeles, on February 25, 1999. Getty Images

Reese Witherspoon, in a black dress and wool cardigan, and Ryan Phillippe attend a screening of 'Cruel Intentions' in New York, US, on March 3, 1999. Getty Images

Reese Witherspoon, in a strapless navy dress, attends the 6th annual Blockbuster Entertainment Awards on April 9, 2000 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images

Reese Witherspoon, in jeans and a velvet blazer, and Ryan Phillippe attend the premiere of 'Little Nicky' at the Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on November 2, 2000. Getty Images

Reese Witherspoon, in a velvet coat, attends the premiere of 'Traffic' on December 14, 2000 in Beverly Hills, California. Getty Images

Reese Witherspoon, in Chanel, attends the 58th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hills Hotel on January 21, 2001 in Beverly Hills, California. Getty Images

Reese Witherspoon, in a floral midi, attends the premiere of 'Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde' on July 19, 2003 in Hamburg, Germany. Getty Images

Reese Witherspoon, in a ribbon-tied white dress, and Ryan Phillippe attend the premiere of 'Legally Blonde 2' at the Warner West End cinema on July 23, 2003 in London, England. Getty Images

Reese Witherspoon, in an icy blue strappy dress, attends the 'Vanity Fair' premiere at the 61st Venice Film Festival on September 5, 2004 in Venice, Italy. Getty Images

Reese Witherspoon, in a bow-tied red midi, attends the premiere of 'Walk the Line' in New York, US, on November 13, 2005. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Yves Saint Laurent, attends the 12th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Exposition Centre in Los Angeles, California, on January 26, 2006. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in vintage Dior, and Ryan Phillippe attend the 78th annual Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, on March 5, 2006. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Nina Ricci, attends the 64th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, on January 15, 2007. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Nina Ricci, attends a premiere for 'Rendition' during the 2nd Rome Film Festival on October 21, 2007 in Rome, Italy. Getty Images

Reese Witherspoon, in Dior, arrives at a Montblanc Signature for Good gala at the Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, California, on February 20, 2009. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in a teal dress, attends the 'Monsters Vs. Aliens' premiere at the Colosseum on March 9, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. Getty Images

Reese Witherspoon, in a grey shift dress, attends a photo call for 'Monsters vs. Aliens' at Hotel Adlon on March 10, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. Getty Images

Reese Witherspoon, in Zac Posen, attends the premiere of 'How Do You Know' in Los Angeles, California, on December 13, 2010. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Armani Prive, attends the 83rd annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California, on February 27, 2011. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Giambattista Valli, attends the 'Water For Elephants' premiere at Le Grand Rex on April 28, 2011 in Paris, France. Getty Images

Reese Witherspoon, in Stella McCartney, attends the 'Water for Elephants' premiere at the Vue Westfield on May 3, 2011 in London, England. Getty Images

Reese Witherspoon, in Zac Posen, attends the 'Water for Elephants' premiere at the State Theatre on May 6, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. Getty Images

Reese Witherspoon, in Zac Posen, attends the 69th Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, on January 15, 2012. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Louis Vuitton, attends the 'This Means War' premiere at the Odeon Kensington on January 30, 2012 in London, England. Getty Images

Reese Witherspoon, in Versace, attends the 'Mud' premiere during the 65th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 26, 2012 in Cannes, France. Getty Images

Reese Witherspoon, in Louis Vuitton, attends the 85th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, on February 24, 2013. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Calvin Klein, attends the 71st annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, on January 12, 2014. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Giambattista Valli, attends the 29th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards ceremony in Santa Monica, California, on March 1, 2014. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Giambattista Valli, attends the 58th BFI London Film Festival at Odeon Leicester Square on October 13, 2014 in London, England. Getty Images

Reese Witherspoon, in Prabal Gurung, attends the 28th American Cinematheque Award ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on October 21, 2014. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Balenciaga, attends the premiere of 'Inherent Vice' in Hollywood, California, on December 10, 2014. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Michael Kors, attends the Palm Springs International Film Festival Gala in Palm Springs, California, on January 3, 2015. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Calvin Klein, arrives for the 72nd annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 11, 2015. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Giorgio Armani, arrives at the 21st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, on January 25, 2015. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Stella McCartney, attends the EE British Academy Film Awards at The Royal Opera House on February 8, 2015 in London, England. Getty Images

Reese Witherspoon, in Tom Ford, arrives for the 87th annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, on February 22, 2015. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Jason Wu, attends the Met Gala at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, US, on May 4, 2015. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Erdem, attends the 25th annual Glamour Women of the Year Awards at Carnegie Hall in New York, US, on November 9, 2015. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Oscar de la Renta, arrives for the 88th annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, on February 28, 2016. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Elie Saab, attends the premiere of 'Sing' in Los Angeles, California, on December 3, 2016. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Versace, arrives for the 74th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 8, 2017. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Elie Saab, attends the premiere of 'Big Little Lies' at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California, on February 7, 2017. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Mugler, attends the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, US, on May 1, 2017. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Stella McCartney, arrives for the 69th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on September 17, 2017. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Prada, arrives for the 23rd annual Critics' Choice Awards at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, California, on January 11, 2018. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Zac Posen, arrives for the 24th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Exposition Centre in Los Angeles, California, on January 21, 2018. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Elie Saab, attends the premiere of 'A Wrinkle in Time' at BFI Imax on March 13, 2018 in London, England. Getty Images

Reese Witherspoon, in Roland Mouret, arrives for the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 5, 2020. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Celine, arrives for the 26th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, on January 19, 2020. EPA

Reese Witherspoon, in Dolce & Gabbana, attends the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, California, on February 9, 2020. EPA

Legally Blonde's Elle Woods might have passed the bar, but when it comes to fashion, Reese Witherspoon raises it.

The American actress, 44, has been one of the red carpet's leading ladies for a number of decades, starting with her breakthrough role in 1999's Cruel Intentions.

The star, also known for her turns in Sweet Home Alabama, Big Little Lies and Wild, truly burst into the stratosphere in 2005, with her Oscar-winning performance in Johnny Cash biopic Walk The Line.

And it was around that time that her fashion formula took it up a notch, too, moving away from the velvets of the early Noughties to bold, block-colour gowns with figure-skimming silhouettes.

Whether mini, midi or maxi, Witherspoon tends to stick to tailored dresses on the red carpet, sometimes shaking things up with a vibrant print or shimmering embellishment, with her go-to labels including Zac Posen, Versace and Stella McCartney.

Here, we take a look at how the star's style has evolved throughout her time in the spotlight.

Scroll through the gallery above to see more images of Reese Witherspoon through the years.