STYLE EVOLUTION

Michelle Monaghan’s Best Looks Through the Years, from Mission Impossible to The Path

by Meredith Jayme

Whether it’s through her characters, or through her feminine and bold looks on the red carpet, the stunning Michelle Monaghan always aims to impress. An Iowa native who started out as a model, she’s since gone on to act alongside and sometimes upstage Hollywood’s biggest names, from her work in popular television shows—Law & Order: SVU and True Detective—to films such as The Bourne Supremacy, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and Mission: Impossible III. Michelle Monaghan doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, with Hulu’s The Path and her most recent film, Sidney Hall, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this past January. In honor of Monaghan’s birthday today, here’s a look back at some of her best looks to date.

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Monaghan on the red carpet at the premiere of Unfaithful, all the way back in 2002 wearing a chic all black ensemble.

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In a white suit and black V-neck top, Monaghan makes an elegant statement at the 2005 premiere of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in Deauville, France.

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This printed green dress paired with strappy black sandals stands out from the crowd at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005.

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Michelle wears a backless black lace dress with a red statement necklace to the premiere of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in October of 2005 in Hollywood, California.

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Monaghan at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival in a short, black dress with open shoulders.

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This gold sequin gown was worn in Cannes in 2005 for a screening of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

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Monaghan wears a floor-length white silk, ruffled gown to the Mission: Impossible III premiere in Rome in 2006.

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At the 2006 MET Gala, Monaghan wears an auburn gown with a matching orange clutch and cuffs.

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Monaghan wears a white dress with a feathered skirt and silver accessories to a Ralph Lauren party at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City in 2007.

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Monaghan at the Costume Institute Gala at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in May of 2008 wearing a one shouldered mermaid gown with floral appliqué.

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Monaghan wears a strapless black dress and shows off blunt bangs while arriving to a filming of Late Night With Conan O’Brien in 2008.

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Monaghan looks gorgeous in another strapless black gown at the New York City premiere of Made of Honor in 2008.

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This little black dress with floral appliqué and Monaghan’s side-swept hair is an elegant combination on the red carpet at the Hollywood Awards Gala in 2009.

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An orange pop of color makes a statement paired with black heels on the red carpet of the amfAR Gala in New York in 2009.

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Monaghan wears a one shouldered hombre gown to the SAG awards in Los Angeles in 2010.

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This intricate white dress is a show stopper on the red carpet at the 2011 Whitney Museum of American Art’s annual gala.

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Monaghan is pretty in pink at the 2011 Costume Institute Gala in New York City.

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Monaghan wears a white dress with a silver neckline to the Toronto International Film Festival in 2011.

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This yellow gown makes a statement on the red carpet at a Golden Globes party in Los Angeles in 2013.

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Monaghan at the Emmy’s in 2014 wearing a white gown with metallic heels for an understated yet glamorous look.

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Wearing red on the red carpet for the Los Angeles premiere of The Best of Me in October, 2014.

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Burgundy, fringe, leather and a multi-colored statement necklace complete Monaghan’s look at the 2014 Costume Institute Gala.

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Monaghan arriving at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Governors Awards in a pink gown in 2014.

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This hunter green, pleated leather dress looks amazing on Monaghan on the red carpet in New York City in December 2015.

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The star shined yet again at the 2015 CFDA Fashion Awards in an embellished dress by Monique Lhuiller, landing the actress a spot on our Best Dressed list.

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July 21st called for only two looks: the first was a black and tan Salvatore Ferragamo Spring 2015 dress and Guiseppe Zanotti sandals for an appearance on the view.

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Taking a more simple—yet effective—route, the actress ended her day in a pale pink Calvin Klein Collection shift dress, expertly paired with nude patent Paul Andrew pumps.

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At the UNICEF Snow Flake Ball in December 2015 wearing a white dress with statement sleeves, a metallic heel and beachy-waves to top it all off.

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Part of Michelle Monaghan’s sartorial charm is that she always keeps fans guessing, like at the “Pixels” Cancun photo call where she donned a strapless Derek Lam dress with oversized blue buttons, pale beige Kurt Geiger pumps, and an Edie Parker clutch.

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Michelle Monaghan’s forest green knit ensemble (paired with lime Christian Louboutin pumps) at the Aviva Family and Children’s Services Center Event in L.A. in May first caught our attention.

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Wearing a red and blue look while attending the W Stories party in Beverly Hills in 2015.

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Monaghan wears a black and blue floral suit paired with turquoise heels to W’s Best Performances party in LA in 2016.

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For her final public appearance that day, Monaghan looked red hot in a Zac Posen Resort 2016 short suit and Stuart Weitzman “Nudist” sandals.

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Like Blake Lively and Caitlyn Jenner before her, Monaghan fits as many outfits as possible into one day. For her first appearance on July 20th, the star hit Good Morning America in a casual-cool Jonathan Saunders Resort 2016 sweater, cream trousers, and red suede pumps.

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The actress chose separates again later that day at the AOL BUILD Speaker Series for “Pixels,” this time donning a Calvin Klein Collection white knit top and navy trousers with Tamara Mellon shoes.

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The actress skillfully pulled off another tricky look at the film’s New York premiere. Keeping accessories simple, the star embraced both preppy and edgy tones with a white Erdem Resort 2016 polo and architectural leather skirt.

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Monaghan wears a sheer polka-dot dress to Vanity Fair’s Oscar Party in February of 2016.

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Monaghan arrives at a Golden Globe Awards party in Hollywood in November of 2016 wearing a white silk dress with a metallic heel.

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Wearing Max Mara to the 2016 Women in Film Pre-Oscar Cocktail party in Hollywood.

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Arriving at the Critics’ Choice Awards in California in 2016 in a statement-making black ensemble.

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Monaghan on the red carpet in Atlanta in 2016 wearing a belted patterned dress and leather boots.

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In combat boots and a mesh white top while attending the Sidney Hall premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this past January.

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Monaghan wears a long black gown with waistline cut-outs while attending the Vanity Fair Oscar party in February 2017.