Great Outfits in Fashion History: Diane Kruger in a Black Rochas Crop Top and Chanel Heels

What can I say, I’m a sucker for a good bow.

Diane Kruger in Rochas and Chanel at the 2012 The Hollywood Foreign Press Association and InStyle Celebration of the Golden Globe Awards Season.

There are perfectly good celebrity style moments, and then there are the looks that really stick with you, the ones you try desperately to recreate at home. In ‘Great Outfits in Fashion History,’ Fashionista editors are revisiting their all-time favorite lewks.

It has long been an indisputable fact that, when it comes to personal style, it’s hard to top Diane Kruger. She’s one of those celebrities who has insisted she often styles herself rather than working with a professional stylist, and considering she’s close friends with so many designers and fashion houses, I can believe it. She pretty much has carte blanche to borrow whatever she wants — and she can pull it off, too.

For me, no outfit epitomizes this mix more than the one Kruger wore to a November 2012 party hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and InStyle to celebrate the Golden Globes. She manages to look incredibly chic and also, somehow, completely laid back at the same time. It’s a real style magic trick. It starts with a black taffeta, button-down crop top by Rochas paired with a matching full skirt, cinched in with a thin, white belt. The fabric and silhouette feel traditional and formal, but that little peek of abs makes all the difference here.

It will likely surprise exactly no one to learn that the highlight of this outfit, for me, is the shoe: a peep-toe bootie style embellished with bows and sequins from Chanel’s Spring 2009 ready-to-wear collection. (Jane Aldridge from Sea of Shoes had a pair I still covet to this day in a white tulle embroidered with the interlocked C’s in black.)

Diane Kruger’s bow-bedecked Chanel shoes from the Spring 2009 collection.

First of all, I cannot express how much I love the fact that Kruger is wearing a pair of shoes that are ostensibly three years old at the time of this photo. And they look loved! There are spots where sequins are missing. It’s super relatable when celebrity style is usually anything but. Second — I mean, I have never been able to resist a bow moment.

The hair and beauty are both kept simple, with very West-Coast-chill vibes, and the only pieces of jewelry are stud earrings and a diamond bracelet. It’s one of those lewks that has stuck with me for years when it comes to thinking about formal dressing. It doesn’t always have to be stuffy! And consider it proof-positive that bows make everything look even better.

Shop bow-accented footwear inspired by Kruger, below.