Above: Kidman and her husband, Keith Urban, after Balenciaga autumn/winter ’22/’23 couture. Image credits: CHP/Getty

In 1997, Nicole Kidman attended the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, wearing a green silk embroidered Christian Dior gown—one of the first red carpet creations by John Galliano. It divided opinions on the night (Joan Rivers infamously feigned vomiting on the red carpet as Kidman walked past, in reference to the colour) but over 25 years later, is considered one of the most memorable and timeless ensembles in the event’s history.

It’s just one example of how Kidman—the Australian actress born in Hawaii and raised in Sydney, who became one of the world’s most powerful actresses through the 1990s—was ahead of the curve with style.

In 2023, Kidman’s style transcends categorisation. The actress is just as capable of wearing an elegant, ethereal gown by Giorgio Armani as she is rocking one of Balenciaga’s more outré creations; for instance, see her outfit at the brand’s pre-fall 2024 runway, a grand black coatdress that felt like a thematic clash between Cristobál Balenciaga and Morticia Addams.

Over the years, countless designers have fallen under Kidman’s spell; Nicolas Ghesquière, formerly of Balenciaga, created her wedding dress and a striking red gown for the Oscars a year later, while Jean Paul Gaultier was the mastermind behind the black column dress Kidman donned to pick up her Academy Award for The Hours. There have been the magazine shoots—Miu Miu’s spring/summer 2022 two-piece for Vanity Fair or Y-Project and Diesel on the cover of Perfect magazine last year, where she flexed her biceps with bravado. The actress’s aesthetic choices are varied but are bound by a desire to push the envelope and expand outside her comfort zone—not unlike how an actor approaches challenging subject matter. In the fashion world, it’s added infinitely to the fandom surrounding her, and here, we look back at some of her most unorthodox style moments over the years.

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1997 

In 1997, John Galliano was a newcomer fashion designer only known by an initiated few. In the spirit of looking ahead, Nicole Kidman wore one of the designer’s first bespoke creations for Dior—and the first-ever red carpet look he designed—for the Academy Awards. With its elegant embroidery and unorthodox green hue, the dress set a new standard for award season style.

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1999

It was nearly 25 years ago, but there’s something current about the silk two-piece set and silver arm cuff that Kidman wore for the premiere of Eyes Wide Shut in 1999.

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2007

With its sleeveless design and oversized shoulder embellishment, the red Balenciaga dress Kidman wore to the 2007 Oscars is often regarded as one of the best, and most memorable, in the event’s history. It’s also an important moment in Kidman’s longstanding history with the French house; she wore a Balenciaga dress by former artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière for her marriage to Keith Urban the year prior.

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2022 

Before Kidman’s surprise appearance on the runway at Balenciaga’s autumn/winter ’22/’23 couture show, eager-eyed fans caught on to clues; the actor was seen in Paris the night before the show (in a pair of the label’s face-sculpting oversized shades, no less), while her husband, Keith Urban, was seated alone before the show started. When Kidman appeared on the catwalk after Dua Lipa and Kim Kardashian, she wore a metallic floor-length dress and gloves with train, in a performance that tapped her acting talents. The show proved that Kidman, an Oscar-winning actor, is also a natural on the runway.

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2023

In 2023 Kidman’s ambassadorship for Balenciaga, a brand known for its experimental approach, was a welcome aberration in a year where many celebrities chose to align with ‘quiet luxury’. Attending the brand’s pre-fall 2024 show in Los Angeles, Kidman wore a structured black coatdress from the brand’s couture autumn/winter ’23/’24 show, with the finished look conveying a vampiric quality.

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2022

Kidman’s surprise runway appearance at Balenciaga’s autumn/winter ’22/’23 couture show caused an online sensation. But once the runway presentation was over, Kidman was game to wear the brand’s face-sculpted sunglasses at the label’s post-show dinner in Paris, for a nonconformist take on UV protection.

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2023 

At nearly six foot tall, Kidman can easily pull off the column dress, and did so at the Australian premiere of Expats in December. A top-bun hairstyle allowed the intricate construction of her gown, which hailed from Fendi’s haute couture autumn/winter ’23/’24 range, to speak for itself.

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2023

Kidman wore Armani Privé at the 2023 Oscars and proved the enduring and striking power in a thigh-high split.

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2017 

The actor’s red-carpet style typically swings between minimalist and experimental. At the 2017 SAG Awards, this green sequined Gucci dress, with tropical bird heads woven into the bust, proved her ability to pull off maximalist silhouettes with aplomb.

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2003

When Kidman won an Academy Award in 2003 for playing the troubled literary genius Virginia Woolf in The Hours, she wore a black Jean Paul Gaultier column dress befitting the importance of the occasion. Gaultier is one of the world’s most famous designers, but Kidman was his very first haute couture client; the actress approached him herself to make an ensemble for the big night.

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2003 

Years before the Met Gala red carpet was broadcast on livestreams across the world, Kidman brought high-octane glamour to the event in this sparkling Gucci by Tom Ford gown, with a translucent top half. Though it’s 20 years old, this gown would still cause a sensation today.

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2008

All that glitters is gold, especially in the case of this metallic Prada cocktail dress Kidman wore at a screening of Australia in Spain in 2008. The dress hails from Prada’s spring/summer 2009 range, which is widely considered one of its most famous collections.

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2016

Kidman sparkled in a celestial gown and embroidered cape, spangled with moons and stars, by Alexander McQueen at the 2016 Met Gala. A sheer version of the gown appeared in the brand’s autumn/winter ’16/’17 show, but Kidman’s featured opaque fabric, allowing the exquisite embroidery to do all the talking.

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2023

At the premiere of Special Ops: Lioness in 2023, Kidman embodied gothic glamour in a black gown by Saint Laurent that exposed her torso and featured sheer gloves for a vixenish touch.

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2023 

Kidman created another Balenciaga Couture moment at Kering’s Caring for Women dinner in New York, wearing a feather-detail dress from the brand’s autumn/winter ’23/’24 (the runway original was pink, but Kidman had hers made in its own colour).

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2023

Because of Urban’s country music career, the actress is a part-time resident of Nashville, Tennessee, and often attends the Country Music Awards (CMAs). But don’t expect typical country music garb. Attending the 2023 awards, she plucked a dress from Coperni’s spring/summer 2024 runway show, with geometric metal detail connecting the top half with the skirt.