Dakota Johnson knows when to turn it on. After spending much of the summer in the sort of low-key uniform she does best—well-worn denim, simple tees, ballet flats, and diaphanous Dôen—fall and fashion month has arrived, and with it, Dakota Johnson dressing.
Last night, the actor attended the 2026 Kering Foundation’s annual Caring for Women dinner in New York, ushering in fashion month with a considerably higher-octane look than her recent off-duty fare. Styled, as always, by Kate Young, Johnson wore a plunging black Valentino gown that skimmed the body, with draped sleeves and a mermaid-style skirt, with a cut-out at the navel that left plenty of bare skin for her Messika jewelry. Diamond drop earrings and rings, and a long crescent moon necklace, draped directly against her décolletage and plunging neckline. Kinda witchy, and pretty perfect for the season ahead.
A bit of naked dressing is, of course, firmly established within the Dakota Johnson style lexicon. At last year’s Caring for Women dinner, she wore a totally sheer black beaded Gucci gown; elsewhere on the film festival circuit, she has opted for an architectural strapless Alessandra Rich dress that left her midriff exposed.
Photo: Getty Images
There was another autumnal shift happening above the neck. Johnson has recently taken her brunette hair a few shades darker for fall, the richer color worn loose around her shoulders with her trademark brow-skimming bangs. Against the all-black Valentino, it made the whole look feel even more emphatically fall-ready.
Her recent day-to-day wardrobe has occupied the other end of the Johnson style spectrum. She has seen out the warmer months in light-wash denim, easy shirts, relaxed separates, and plenty of Dôen. Her red carpet appearances, meanwhile, have reminded us of the transformation that happens when Johnson swaps jeans for a (usually Valentino) gown.
And really, fall is when Dakota Johnson starts dressing. Suedes! Cigarette jeans! Sexy dresses! Let’s go.
