Cameron Diaz Is Back in Action on the Red Carpet

Well, not exactly a homecoming, yet the all Cameras were rolling on Cameron Diaz on Wednesday January 15, after her decade long hiatus from the glamour world.

When she went out for the Berlin premiere of her new Netflix feature Back in Action, she turned heads in a complete Gucci look Israel with a particularly laid-back back view that was decidedly SoCal to the core. She swapped Manolo Blahnik for Gucci penny loafers that anchored dark denim mom jeans and a sheer shirt a la Kourtney Kardashian and then wrapped an oversize coat on top for that extra edge.

But former model Diaz, 51, has always been a red carpet star, and her celebrity peers have always appreciated directorial style, a certain type of lyrical bohemia that is particularly reliable in setting her apart.

In her Vogue May 2003 cover story, Diaz’s Charlie’s Angels co-star Lucy Liu said of her friend’s wardrobe: “For Cameron, it was more like art – there were a lot of transformations and changes – performing a skirt turn into a tube top. It may be $10 or $10,000, and it does not matter whether it is the former or the latter, if she can have a good fit in it. She makes it work. She sets her own trend and people emulate it.”

Her sensational ascension during those tempestuous years exhibited a thoroughly relaxing aesthetics of minimalist style statements displayed on the red carpet. The pretty woman also had a weakness for trend setting figures that would wear tiny black dresses with long black stockings on her legs she could wear a plain red heel shoes with black slacks and a halter top on with a sweater over her shoulders. She loved a tilted hat, a belly-showing crop top and many (and lots of) blue eye shine – outfits that would fit today’s persona young Generation Z fashion influencers.

Be that as it may, as she got greater parts she at times felt the wrath of the worst dressed list. In 2002 Academy Award she wore an Emanuel Ungaro Haute Couture kimono dress that could now be considered as prescient.

“Cameron was a collaborator. She was, as always, willing to combine designs. And she was very beautiful in clothes; clothes which also made her a delight. “Cameron was ahead of everyone,” her then-stylists, Clare and Nina Hallworth, have said. “She wore what felt right.”

Some twenty-plus years on, a recap of some of her most memorable outfit moments would be enough to argue that Diaz was, in fact, a red carpet champion. Below, take a look back at 17 of our favourite Diaz moments, from the 1997 My Best Friend’s Wedding New York City movie premiere to 2007’s “Poiret: The Metropolitan Museum of Art “King of Fashion” Costume Institute Benefit.

"Meta" is one way to characterize Cameron Diaz's red carpet homecoming in Berlin on Jan. 15. After a half-decade break from the premiere circuit—and an even longer vacation from acting—she emerged alongside Jamie Foxx to promote her first movie in exactly as long. The film in question: a forthcoming Netflix action-comedy fittingly named Back in Action.

The clothing Diaz picked for her long-awaited homecoming implies she's not taking the step-and-repeat too seriously this time around. Instead of a dramatic nude dress á la J.Lo, she went semi-casual with baggy trousers, a sheer top, and an even more huge black tuxedo jacket. Every single piece originated from Sabato De Sarno's Gucci Spring 2025 collection—specifically, the outfit that ended Gucci's Milan Fashion Week catwalk last season. (Diaz was the first person to test-drive it IRL; the collection is not yet in shops.)

Even without Gucci insignia, the extra-large proportions would imply she's been studying fashion month in her down-time between tasks. Low-slung, high-volume jeans are shaping up to be a big 2025 denim trend, taking up space on runways from Dior to Tommy Hilfiger.

Diaz's glitter and accessories were more relatable than her copy-and-pasted runway ensemble. She accented a low, untidy hairstyle with gold dagger earrings by Jennifer Fisher, selling for $200. A bright red lip complemented with fresh cherry nail paint at her fingertips.

Diaz had withdrawn from acting, and the world of high-profile premieres, to focus on her family back in 2014. She apparently pondered a comeback in 2020; later, in 2024, claims appeared that she will also star in a fifth Shrek sequel (among other projects).

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It was her Back in Action co-star Jamie Foxx who urged her to step back in front of the camera. "He said, ‘Come with me,'" Diaz told Fortune in 2024. "And I was like, "OK, let's do it.' It's our third film together."

Now, her epic homecoming is certain to feature a frenzied press tour and a wardrobe to go with it. Judging on her initial appearance, she's pursuing the laid-back luxury path. Diaz's casual jeans and tuxedo coat are just inconspicuous enough to reference the former CIA agent she portrays onscreen—without going full method dressing.

June 1997

Dressed in a polo neck black skinny dress with split side at My Best Friend’s Wedding New York City picture.

July 1998

At the premiere of There’s something about Mary getting cosy in low-rise jeans and a small tube top with his partner Matt Dillon.

December 2001: In one of her favourite chapeaus and crop tops at the Vanilla Sky premiere, Los Angeles.