Halle Berry’s incredible style evolution, 20 years since her iconic Bond girl bikini moment
The Oscar-winning actor starred in Die Another Day alongside Pierce Brosnan. By Katie Wright.
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Your support makes all the difference.Halle Berry has paid tribute to her Die Another Day costar Pierce Brosnan in an Instagram post, marking two decades since she delighted fans with one of the most iconic Bond girl moments of all time.
Playing spy Jinx Johnson, Berry emerged from the sea wearing an orange bikini with a white belt – an homage to Ursula Andress’s character Honey Ryder from the first Bond film, Dr. No.
“It’s been 20 years. Pierce Brosnan forever my BOND!” Berry wrote on Instagram, tagging her costar alongside a clip from the 2002 film.
Now a Hollywood veteran, the 56-year-old’s career spans four decades, and she’s become a fashion icon in her own right thanks to memorable looks both on and off-screen.
Here, we look back at Halle Berry’s impressive style evolution…
1980s: Pageant queen
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1966, Berry began taking part in beauty pageants in her teens.
After being crowned Miss Ohio, she came in second place in Miss USA 1986. The same year, she was the first African-American entrant into the Miss World, placing sixth in the contest.
1990s: Up and coming actor
After moving to New York and scoring a few small TV parts, Berry relocated to Los Angeles and landed her breakthrough role in 1992 romcom Boomerang, opposite Eddie Murphy.
Securing her bombshell status playing a sexy secretary in the Flintstones movie, the actor started making more red carpet appearances and her style began to evolve.
Moving away from the bright colours and bold shapes of the Eighties and embracing Nineties minimalism, Berry was frequently photographed in silk or lace slip dresses, in monochrome or pastel shades.
2000s: Box office star
Taking on more high profile roles, Berry gifted the world two iconic Halloween costumes when she starred as blonde superhero Storm in X-Men (2000) and took the title role in Catwoman (2004).
Arguably Berry’s most iconic red carpet outfit came during the same year Die Another Day was released, when she won the 2002 Academy Award for best actress for her role in Monster’s Ball.
Her burgundy Elie Saab gown, with its carefully positioned bodice embroidery, caused quite a stir at the time, but it pales in comparison to the risqué gowns seen on the red carpet nowadays.
2010s: Red carpet regular
A firm favourite among high profile designers, including Dolce & Gabbana, Versace and Zuhair Murad, Berry was an almost constant fixture on the best-dressed lists in the 2010s thanks to her glitzy gowns and flawless hair and make-up.
After years of form-fitting column dresses and tulle gowns, in her 40s, Berry became more experimental with her fashion and beauty choices – her Versace jumpsuit with a huge black and gold train at the 2017 Met Gala was a high point.
Now: Ageless beauty
Stepping away from the spotlight during the pandemic, Berry now keeps her eight million followers updated on her life through her Instagram account – including sharing the news in 2020 that she was dating American musician Van Hunt.
Continuing to experiment with fashion and beauty, these days the 56-year-old can rock everything from a sparkly jumpsuit to an androgynous tailored look.
She’s continually switching up her famous pixie crop too, recently showing off purple curls and an edgy undercut.