Renée Zellweger was wearing vintage dresses on the red carpet well before it became fashionable to do so. It’s a strategy that makes sense for the Bridget Jones star, who, like Jennifer Aniston, generally reaches for the same type of silhouette for big occasions: a fitted, mermaid cut with a strapless neckline (sometimes straight, sometimes sweetheart, occasionally asymmetrical). The actor used to frequent the archives of major couture houses in search of historical treasures long before the Kardashians came up with the same idea.
How can we forget the daffodil yellow Jean Dessès dress dating back to 1959 that she wore to the 2001 Oscars? Back then, the first Bridget Jones film, based on the best-selling novel by Helen Fielding, was being shown in cinemas for the first time. Now, 24 years later, the eagerly awaited fourth instalment has just been released. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy will hit theatres on Valentine’s Day.
Renée Zellwegger at the 2001 Oscars in a Jean Dessès gown from 1959Jim Smeal/Getty Images
Against this backdrop, it makes sense that for the London premiere of Bridget Jones 4, the leading lady and her stylist Petra Flannery chose a completely on-brand and on-theme look: a vintage strapless gown.
Zellweger at the 2025 premiere or Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy in a Balmgain gown from 2000Simon Ackerman/Getty Images
