How Halle Berry Brought Pageant Girl Style to the Red Carpet

The actress wore a completely sheer, skintight dress to the premiere of her latest project, The Union.

The Elie Saab fall 2023 couture dress Berry wore to the Red Sea International Film Festival in 2023 was an absolute showstopper.

Berry was a vision in white when she wore a Tamara Ralph Couture dress with a dangerously high slit and rose gold crystal flowers at the 2023 Oscars.

Later, for the after party, the actress changed into a quirkier ensemble courtesy of Oscar de la Renta fall 2023.

Berry’s Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini spring 2020 dress proves LBDs do not have to be boring.

While the pink chiffon Dolce & Gabbana dress Berry wore to the 93rd annual Academy Awards was gorgeous, most viewers were more focused on the actress’s chin-length bob and cropped bangs.

Berry looked sleek and stylish in a Cushnie pre-fall 2019 jumpsuit with a sheer, high neck panel.

The Sebastian Gunawan Couture design Berry wore to the CDGAs in 2019 turned the actress into a walking sculpture.

Berry loves a high slit almost as much as she loves a low neckline, which is likely why she gravitated toward this raspberry Zuhair Murad fall 2018 couture dress.

While many wear gowns to the Vanity Fair Oscar party, Berry went in a different direction in 2018 and wore a patterned Zuhair Murad mini dress.

Berry sparkled in a sequin-covered Pamella Rolland gown with a black, tulle overskirt at the SAG Awards in 2018.

The actress risked a major wardrobe malfunction on the NAACP Image Awards red carpet in her sheer Reem Acra fall 2016 gown.

Berry’s sheer Elie Saab fall 2017 dress allowed her to show off her legs while still wearing a full-length skirt.

Of course, Berry wore her favorite trend—sheer—to the 2016 Met Gala, though the scalloped details on her Atelier Versace gown brought the design to a whole other level.

Berry floated through the 2017 Oscars in a Atelier Versace fall 2017 dress.

The actress opted to wear her favorite designer—Elie Saab—to the Emmy Awards in 2013.

Berry mixed things up a bit and opted for a more structured dress for the 2013 Oscars, wearing a sparkling, graphic Atelier Versace design to the ceremony.

Abstract patterns, one shoulder, high slit, and a side cutout—the Atelier Versace dress Berry wore to the 2013 Golden Globes truly had it all.

Berry sparkled in a silver Dolce & Gabbana mini dress at the LA premiere of her film, Cloud Atlas.

The actress wore a sparkly Marchesa dress with a skirt of gathered tool to the Oscars in 2011.

Berry opted for a lingerie-inspired black dress with a high-low skirt at the 2011 Golden Globes.

The actress mixed things up for the Frankie & Alice premiere, wearing a gold jacquard Balmain suit for the big night.

The actress showed off the open back of her lace Kaufman Franco dress.

Berry’s cobalt blue dress with a draped empire waist skirt was courtesy of one of her go-to designers: Versace.

The actress’s disco-ready Versace mini dress featured a bustier top and skirt covered in paillettes.

The over-the-top sparkle of the low-cut bodice of Berry’s Reem Acra dress was balanced out by the simplicity of the skirt.

Berry smartly kept the styling of her cobalt blue Emanuel Ungaro dress very simple at the 2005 Emmy Awards.

The actress looked extremely demure in her tea-length blush pink dress.

Berry wore a nude dress with a skirt of ruffles to the 2005 Golden Globes.

The actress went for a more bohemian look at the premiere of her 2004 film, Catwoman.

The actress showed off a lighter hair color and a bright orange Gucci spring/summer 2004 dress at the Gothika premiere in 2003.

Berry returned to the Oscars a year after securing her historic win in another Elie Saab dress.

Keeping things more simple than usual, Berry attended the 2003 SAG Awards in a coral dress with a keyhole cutout.

The actress matched her blue Reem Acra dress to her shawl and clutch at the 2003 Golden Globes.

Berry very much looked like a quintessential Bond girl in a sheer, crystal-covered mini dress with an asymmetric hem.

The Elie Saab dress Berry wore when she won the Oscar in 2002 is still considered one of the most notable in the award show’s history.

Ahead of her show-stopping dress at the Oscars, Berry opted to go simple for the SAG Awards, wearing a classic white gown with a low neckline and cap sleeves.

Meanwhile, at the Golden Globes, she wore a brown Valentino number featuring sheer panels and floral appliques.

Berry showed off her legs in a black mini dress with a low-slung silver belt.

The actress glistened in a lavender, crystal-encrusted dress with a low-cut cowl neckline at the 2001 Oscars.

Berry ditched her go-to low-cut neckline for a red, boatneck dress at the 2001 SAG Awards.

The dress Berry wore to the Emmys in 2001 made the actress look like a gothic princess, and while at first the tulle gown may seem very demure, a closer look will reveal that the bodice was totally see-through.

Berry proved she was the master of Y2K fashion when she attended the X-Men premiere in a pair of yellow patterned pants, a matching bikini top, and a belly chain.

Similarly, at the MTV Movie Awards, she showed up in another classic early aughts look—a beaded set featuring a whale tail thong detail.

Berry showed off her midriff in a beaded top and skirt from Versace at the Emmys in 1999.

The actress accessorized her white, princess gown with a beaded purse and a single red rose.

Berry’s love of sheer and sparkles in nothing new. In 1998, the actress wore a pink dress that featured both elements to the Emmys.

Berry looked like a bride in white at the MTV Movie Awards in 1996.

The actress attended her first-ever Oscars in a lavender velvet and satin Valentino dress featuring a gathered bodice and appliques on the shoulders.

Berry went casual for the MTV Movie Awards in 1993, wearing a black suede bra top with a hem of long fringe and a pair of blue jeans.

The actress clearly was still hanging on to the ’80s in 1993, attending the People’s Choice Awards in a bright pink dress she could have pulled off the set of Dynasty.

In 1992, Berry attended the NAACP Image Awards in a gorgeous, body-hugging red dress that could easily be worn on the red carpet today.