“What, like it’s hard?” Elle Woods walked into Harvard Law in head-to-toe pink with a chihuahua in her handbag, and proved everyone wrong without changing her style one bit. Legally Blonde (2001) made pink a power colour, and Reese Witherspoon’s Elle became a style icon for anyone who has ever been underestimated. Here are 21 of her best looks from the two films.
What made Elle’s style work
Costume designer Sophie de Rakoff dressed Elle in every shade of pink, and then used her clothes to tell the story. At Harvard, Elle tries to blend in with dark, serious clothes, and it never quite works. When she wins her first case, she wins it in a pink dress. The message is simple: you don’t have to dress like everyone else to be taken seriously. By Legally Blonde 2 (2003), she’s taking pink suits and pillbox hats all the way to Washington.
Her signatures:
- Pink, from pastel to hot pink
- Matching skirt suits
- Bows, berets and pillbox hats
- Snakeskin, fluffy trims and shine
- Heart-shaped sunglasses
- Bruiser, her chihuahua, as an accessory
The 21 best Elle Woods outfits
1. The pink beret on campus
Image: Pinterest · Legally Blonde, MGM
2. Pink dress, pink bag, Bruiser
Image: Pinterest · Legally Blonde, MGM
3. The bunny costume
She was told it was a costume party. It was not.
Image: Pinterest · Legally Blonde, MGM
4. The pink courtroom dress
The dress she wins her first case in. Pink, fitted and completely unapologetic.
Image: Pinterest · Legally Blonde, MGM
5. Black dress and a ruffled jabot
Image: Pinterest · Legally Blonde, MGM
6. The pink halter maxi
Image: Pinterest · Legally Blonde, MGM
7. Studying on the lawn
Image: Pinterest · Legally Blonde, MGM
8. A striped knit for the LSAT
Image: Pinterest · Legally Blonde, MGM
9. Black jacket and orange boots
Image: Pinterest · Legally Blonde, MGM
10. The pink tweed suit
Image: Pinterest · Legally Blonde, MGM
11. Teal cardigan and a tie
Elle trying to dress like a “serious” Harvard student. It’s still adorable.
Image: Pinterest · Legally Blonde, MGM
12. Pink snakeskin and sunglasses
Image: Pinterest · Legally Blonde, MGM
13. At the salon
Image: Pinterest · Legally Blonde, MGM
14. Pink in the library
Image: Pinterest · Legally Blonde, MGM
15. The pinstripe suit
Image: Pinterest · Legally Blonde, MGM
16. Blazer, plaid and fishnets
Image: Pinterest · Legally Blonde, MGM
17. Pink, down the aisle
Image: Pinterest · Legally Blonde 2, MGM
18. The pink suit and pillbox hat
Washington had never seen anything like it.
Image: Pinterest · Legally Blonde 2, MGM
19. A plum suit and a coffee
Image: Pinterest · Legally Blonde 2, MGM
20. Burgundy and a wide-brimmed hat
Image: Pinterest · Legally Blonde 2, MGM
21. Cream jacket at the podium
Image: Pinterest · Legally Blonde 2, MGM
How to dress like Elle today
Commit to pink. Pick a matching skirt suit or a fitted pink dress for the days you need to feel powerful, and add a bow, a beret or heart-shaped sunglasses for fun. Mix in some shine, like snakeskin, satin or a fluffy trim. Most of all, take Elle’s lesson to heart: dress like yourself, then go and prove them wrong.
Frequently asked questions
Who designed Elle Woods’s costumes?
Sophie de Rakoff was the costume designer of Legally Blonde (2001).
What is Elle Woods’s most famous outfit?
The pink dress she wears to win her first court case, closely followed by the pink Playboy-bunny costume she wears to the party at Harvard.
What is the name of Elle’s dog?
Bruiser Woods, a chihuahua who is usually dressed to match her.
Images are embedded from Pinterest and remain the property of their owners. Legally Blonde and Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
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