Jennifer Lopez's Style Transformation Has Been Head-Turning

How do you even begin to summarize a person's fashion journey when that person is Jennifer Lopez? A multi-talented superstar who's worn many hats — literally — over the years, Lopez is the ultimate chameleon when it comes to both work and style. She started as Jenny from the Block, an aspirational dancer from the Bronx, New York, who came blazing through the industry like a hurricane once she'd landed a foot in the door. At the dawn of every decade, it seems, Lopez is reborn like a phoenix, blessing fans with new projects — and a catalogue of tremendous looks to support them.

Though she was only super well-known for the latter part of the '90s, Lopez made sure to ride the waves of the decade's biggest trends. By the time the Y2K era rolled around, she was a seasoned professional at embracing and popularizing fashion and beauty crazes, which turned her into one of the biggest it-girls of the noughties. While many millennials still mostly remember J.Lo for her low-rise pants and ab-revealing crop tops in the 2000s, her style has continued to evolve.

The end of the decade saw a lull in her career, but the "Anaconda" star came back swinging, which paid off for her nicely. She spent most of the 2010s in glamorous red-carpet gowns from sought-after designers, proving that Jenny from the Block had made it to the top. We can now just as easily picture her in a jaw-dropping black-tie frock as a sexy costume, but that doesn't mean that Lopez totally abandoned her earlier vibe. In fact, sparkly bodysuits and fun statement accessories have continued to appear in her repertoire as she's blossomed into a living style legend.

After spending the early '90s jumping from gig to gig in Hollywood, like being a Fly Girl on "In Living Color," Jennifer Lopez had a huge breakthrough in 1997 with the release of the biopic "Selena," in which she portrayed the late Queen of Tejano Music, including with recreations of some iconic Selena Quintanilla outfits. She understood the assignment from day one on the red carpet, appearing at the 1997 premiere in a glamorous look that would set the tone for much of her superstar wardrobe moving forward. With her hair pulled back, Lopez was clearly the star of the show in a white sequined gown with a grecian neckline and a titanium-toned stole. 

After making her mark with "Selena," Lopez became a household name, cementing her newfound status with jaw-dropping looks, like her getup at the MTV Movie Awards in 1998. Clad in a chainmail cropped halter and a wet-look maxi skirt, Lopez was the epitome of turn-of-the-millennium style, and that was even before we noticed the statement clips in her hair.

The following year, she made her move from film to music, releasing her debut album "On the 6." This was also the year that Lopez's relationship with the since-disgraced Sean Combs started, which pushed her further into the heart of pop culture at the time. As the '90s came to a close, she continued to embrace the best of the decade's trends, from messy updos and dark lipstick to thin brows and frosted eyeshadow. By the end of the decade, Lopez was a pro at styling all kinds of leather skirts. 

"Selena" may have launched her career, but it was Jennifer Lopez's 2000 Grammys dress that made her a fashion icon. Yep, we're talking about that dress. The palm-tree-clad beachy Versace number had such a plunging neckline that it became more of a belly-button line, and it had such an impact that it spawned the creation of Google Images to cater to demand. The "Monster-in-Law" star even re-wore it in 2019 for a nostalgia hit.

She couldn't top the green dress, but Lopez did get people talking at the 2001 VMAs with a sheer leopard-print mini paired with thigh-high leather boots. This was also one of the first times that we saw her in a wide-brimmed hat, which would become one of her go-to accessories. That year also brought the release of the album "J.Lo." Hits like "Love Don't Cost a Thing" turned Lopez into an unstoppable force, or perhaps it was her embracing of the noughties' crazes. When we think of the 2000s now, it's difficult not to imagine hip-hugging jeans, crop tops, honey-streaked hair, and the boho-chic aesthetic, all of which the "Get Right" singer made her own. There were also headbands, which she rocked as part of her legendary all-white look at the 2000 VMAs.

After starring in movies like "The Wedding Planner" and "Maid in Manhattan," J.Lo also established herself in the rom-com scene, and she looked every bit the screen goddess at the corresponding award shows. For the first half of the 2000s, she was in her movie star era with dramatic gowns, mermaid trains, and volumized hair. Even when she became pregnant in 2007, she kept her on-stage looks playful with babydoll silhouettes.

In February 2008, Jennifer Lopez gave birth to twins Max and Emme Muñiz with then-husband Marc Anthony. Earlier that month, she attended a United Nations event and put a new spin on maternity-wear. Her deep-gray gown was far from the usual bubbly colors associated with pregnancy clothing, and J.Lo kept it stylish with a snakeskin belt under her bust. She took some time off work to focus on her family but was back at the Golden Globes the following year in a jaw-dropping Marchesa dress. Though Lopez didn't make any huge career moves during this time, she was constantly winning on the red carpet, dropping jaws at the 2010 Oscars, in particular, in Armani Privé.

A new era dawned for Lopez in 2011. Following the dissolution of her marriage to Anthony, she fell in love with backup dancer Casper Smart, took a gig on "American Idol," and released "Love?," which signaled a comeback for her music career. It was clear she was in a great space at the Met Gala that year, when she turned heads in a phenomenal red Gucci dress. The Dance Again World Tour introduced us to what would become a signature J.Lo look: sparkly bodysuits. And if her return to sexy after her maternity era wasn't clear then, Lopez made it abundantly clear at the 2013 Grammys, when she blessed the world with her bare leg in Anthony Vaccarello. Her looks got more daring, culminating in a Charbel Zoe dress at the 2014 VMAs with cutouts that showed off the singer's toned bod. In 2015, she mixed sexy and classic at the Oscars when she appeared in a skin-colored tulle gown with a neckline grazing her sternum.

Though Jennifer Lopez's Dance Again World Tour birthed the relationship between the superstar and her signature spangled bodysuits, the latter half of the 2010s really saw her decked out in designer couture more than anything else. She continued wearing costumey and glitzy pieces at her Las Vegas residency, which began in January 2016, but the stars of this era were her red-carpet gowns. From the canary Giambattista Valli cape dress she wore at the Golden Globes that year to the pink tulle gown by the same designer she wore to the "Second Act" premiere in 2018, she owned those carpets. Another standout from this era was the Ralph & Russo lilac number she wore to the Grammys in 2017.

Most millennials are probably still coming to terms with this, but in 2019, J.Lo turned 50 — and celebrated in style, of course. Her It's My Party tour was indeed full of sexy costumes proving age is just a number, and the release of her film "Hustlers" opened up a new conversation around female empowerment. At the Met Gala that year, J.Lo came to slay in a shimmery dress by her old collaborator Versace, which was easily one of Jennifer Lopez's most stunning Met Gala dresses. When she rocked up at the Grammys, we were overjoyed to see her wearing her signature wide-brimmed hat. 

In 2020, Jennifer Lopez won over a new generation when she performed at the Super Bowl LIV halftime show, the wind machines blowing her luscious mane behind her. Her performance served high-energy dancing, which the superstar pulled off like a master in her heels and go-to bodysuits, this time with metallic detail.

As a new decade emerged, Jennifer Lopez made it clear that her style story was still unfolding. There are the staples that she leans on, from cowgirl hats to bodysuits, but there are also new looks to explore. In 2021, Lopez blasted back to the past with her rekindled Ben Affleck relationship, and she seemed to be doing the same with some of her fashion choices. That year, she performed at Joe Biden's presidential inauguration in a white look from Chanel, which could have been a nod to her all-white 'fits from the early '90s. That year, she was also not playing around in custom Ralph Lauren and a cowgirl hat at the Met Gala.

The next year brought her highly publicized film with Owen Wilson, "Marry Me," which mirrored her real-life marriage to Affleck. Promo for the film included J.Lo dressing in several bridal-white looks throughout the year, from oversized shirts worn as part of her street style to flowy pantsuits worn to other premieres, including for the Netflix film "Halftime."Sadly, Bennifer wasn't meant to be, divorcing in 2024, but that didn't stop Lopez from serving style at the Met Gala. In an ethereal sheer Schiaparelli gown, she came adorned in 75 carats of diamonds draped around her neck. 

The biggest project for Jennifer Lopez in 2025 was "Kiss of the Spider Woman," which saw her experimenting with arachnid-coded fashion at the film's screening that October. Her classic off-the-shoulder floral gown was accented with a huge, abstract belt that was giving poisonous spider. The future of J.Lo's fashion is still unwritten, but judging from the past 30 years, the triple-threat icon will have many surprises in store for us.