So Nostalgic

22 Years Ago, Anne Hathaway Wore A See-Through Dress On A Red Carpet

She was ahead of her time.

by Alyssa Lapid
Anne Hathaway wears a sheer brown dress to the School of Rock premiere.
Jean-Paul Aussenard/WireImage/Getty Images

In the early aughts, Anne Hathaway was a fashion maverick. She embraced almost all of the decade’s controversial trends including dangerously low-rise jeans, wearing a belt over belt loops, and the dress-over-jeans style, the cornerstone of Y2K style. And while those were all of the era, her most daring style choice was years ahead of its time: the see-through dress.

Hardly anyone bats an eyelash when a star waltzes onto a red carpet in a sheer style concoction. It’s currently Hollywood’s biggest fashion staple; practically all big events are guaranteed a few diaphanous ensembles. But in 2003, when Hathaway debuted hers, sheer wasn’t common. Freeing the nip even less so.

Anne’s Sheer Moment

On Sept. 24, 2003, the Princess Diaries star attended the School of Rock premiere in Los Angeles. Befitting the rock ‘n’ roll motif, Hathaway wore a more effortless outfit. Instead of her typical glamorous gowns, she rolled up to the *checks notes* leopard print carpet in a frilly minidress. Her chocolate brown number featured a body-hugging bodice with 3/4-length sleeves with ruching at the elbows. The same ruching was mimicked on the waist of her ruffly miniskirt.

In a bold move, the dress was also completely translucent. Though flaunting one’s breasts shouldn’t be contentious, at that moment in time it was. After all, it was decades before the the likes of Florence Pugh and Kendall Jenner embraced the free-the-nip movement. Only a style rock star could pull that look off — and Hathaway did.

Chris Weeks/FilmMagic/Getty Images

More Y2K Accessories, This Way

Leaning into the rock star vibes, she wore knee-high boots accented with silver studs — an edgy detail. It came in a brownish gray shade in a decadent suede material. She matched the hardware with her shiny metallic silver wristlet.

The most Y2K accessory of her look, however, were her dangle earrings, seemingly made up of three agate-looking crystals each. Unlike sleek bedazzled jewelry of today, practically all the fashion girls who grew up at the turn of the millennium wore similar pairs of hook earrings with their choice of chandelier design. These were a jewelry box mainstay.

Hathaway completed her look with smoky eye makeup, a glossy pink lip, and the skinniest eyebrows — a remnant of the ’90s.

Jean-Paul Aussenard/WireImage/Getty Images

It’s so nostalgic