Penélope Cruz Style Guide: How to Wear Black With One Big Detail
Penélope Cruz wears a lot of black. That sounds like the dullest possible thing to say about someone who has spent 2026 in Chanel, Jacquemus and Ferragamo, but...
Penélope Cruz wears a lot of black. That sounds like the dullest possible thing to say about someone who has spent 2026 in Chanel, Jacquemus and Ferragamo, but it's the whole trick. She picks black, then lets one part of the outfit do something odd, like feathers on the shoulders or a hem that won't sit still. The rest of the outfit keeps quiet.
It's been a good year to watch her do it. In February she was in London promoting Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride!, where she plays Myrna Mallow. In September she was back at Venice with Bunker, the Florian Zeller thriller he wrote for her and Javier Bardem, which got a 16-minute ovation at its premiere. The red Chanel gown from that night has had plenty of coverage already, so this is about the black looks either side of it, and how to get close to each one without a couture budget.
The Penélope palette
Mostly black, with gold hardware, pearl, and a red you notice last.
Jet black
#0B0B0C
Buckle gold
#C49A3A
Pearl
#EDE6D8
Tomato red
#C8331F
Four black looks from 2026, and how to copy them
The Ferragamo wrap dress on the jetty
Arriving in Venice for Bunker, Cruz wore black Ferragamo jersey: a deep V, wrapped across the body and pinned at the hip with a gold buckle, with a loose panel of fabric dropping from it below the hem. Pointed black slingbacks and cat-eye sunglasses finished it. The buckle is the only hard thing on the whole outfit, which is exactly why your eye goes straight to it. If you're shopping a version, look for a soft black midi with one bit of hardware and walk past anything that has two.
Shop black midi dresses
Her accessories barely change
Go back through the four photos and the extras are almost identical. Black sunglasses, usually a cat-eye. A small black bag on a chain. Pointed black heels, except when the dress needed a platform. When the neckline is bare, one serious pair of earrings. Keeping that part boring is what lets the dress be the interesting one.
How to borrow her trick
Choose the detail before the dress
Decide what the interesting part is going to be (a buckle, a frill, a feathered shoulder, an open knit) and then buy the plainest black piece that carries it.
Stop at one
She never stacks them. The feathered dress got plain sandals and the frilled Jacquemus got bare wrists. If the dress is doing something, your shoes can sit this one out.
Wear sunglasses with soft dresses
Black sunglasses turn up in three of these four looks, every time with something draped, knitted or flared. They give a soft dress the hard edge a necklace would, and they cost less to get right.
Keep the colour small
At the Venice photocall her toenails were bright red under all that black, and her premiere gown that evening was tomato-red Chanel. If you want colour, keep it to something small: your nails, or a red lip.
Black is the easy part. The fun bit is picking the one strange thing, and that's where you get to be yourself rather than a copy of her. High-street black occasionwear sells through fast going into party season, so if something close turns up in your size, don't wait for it to come back.