Elle Woods needs no introduction, but if she had to introduce herself she would probably say that she’s a gemini vegetarian, just like her dog, Bruiser. She’s the icon of 00s pop culture, and inspires with her hard-working attitude and fashionable ‘fits. Her famous pink outfits are to die for, and even Reese Witherspoon herself revealed that she kept all of the clothes from the Legally Blonde set.
Elle’s style has been an inspiration since the film aired in 2001, and will continue to inspire generations to come. But what would Elle Woods wear today, and what trends would she follow if she was starting at Harvard in 2024?
Metallic bikinis
We already know that Elle loves a sequin bikini moment from her Harvard application video, and the colourful bikinis are an iconic element of the movie that many Legally Blonde fans probably dream of. For the 20th anniversary of the movie, Reese Witherspoon even posted a video of herself floating in a pool wearing a pink sequin bikini to pay tribute to her role as Elle Woods.
But what would Elle wear if she recorded her application video in 2024? Maybe she would step back from the sequins, but she wouldn’t step back from the shine. She would definitely rock this metallic silver bikini that has been trending recently, and she would probably also own this eye-catching green metallic Jaded London number.
Platform sandals and heeled boots
Although we highly doubt that Elle would give up her pink heels for a pair of currently trending trainers, she would most definitely have a collection of colourful chunky platform sandals that would perfectly go with her bikini collection, like these silver ones from Milanoo or these green ones from Asos.
Famous for her huge collection of Jimmy Choos, Elle relishes in hyper-feminine pink heels and bunny slippers, but she also pairs some of her fits with a pair of knee-high boots (think her put together “What, like it’s hard?” outfit). In 2024 Elle Woods probably wouldn’t have an extensive collection of currently trending cowboy boots, but she would definitely have a pair or two of skinny-heeled boots, like these ones from Ssense.
Balletcore and the ‘Pink Pilates Princess’ aesthetic
Would Elle Woods follow current trends and fully impersonate the ‘bloke core’ aesthetic? No. Would she ever try to fit into the Fallowfield aesthetic and wear a North Face puffer with a pair of Sambas? Well, no, but that doesn’t mean she would entirely reject all trends. As a hyper-feminine character, she would most likely wear the things that correspond with her girly aesthetic, such as ‘balletcore’ which has been a massive trend on TikTok in 2023; delicate and flowy shapes in light pastel colours are the staples of this aesthetic.
As a California sorority girl in 2024, Elle would also fit in with the cute and casual all-American vibe for her lectures. For those 9ams we would definitely catch her wearing this Frankies Bikinis matching set, which she would style with a pair of Uggs, a headband, and a pink bag like this one from My Mum Made It. For a studying sesh on her treadmill, she would fully embody the ‘pink pilates princess’ aesthetic and wear a matching gym set with leg warmers and sleeves.
Bows
As a fan of the hyper-feminine aesthetic, Elle would definitely be into bowmania and decorate her bag, phone, and dog with bows. She would fully devote herself to the ‘coquette’ style, not only would she accessorise with bows, she’d also draw them all over her notes.
In Legally Blonde Elle is a big fan of decorating her bag with colourful head scarves, so she would definitely love the trend of ‘birkinifying‘ a bag. She’d playfully decorate her handbag with bows, pearls, and heart-shaped charms.
@sfilalipop jane birkening my thrifted bag #coquette #coquetteaesthetic #lizzygrant #janebirkin #janebirkinbag #downtowngirl #foryou #fypシ #coquettefashion #bows
♬ Écoute Chérie – Vendredi sur Mer
Office siren
“Girls, I’m going to Harvard!”- it was with this statement that Elle’s life completely changed, moving away from her home state to study law, where she would go on to fully embody the studious Harvard aesthetic. She switched her everyday outfits from colourful sequin dresses to a more academic look comprised of sweaters and vests. But that doesn’t mean that she steps away from her signature colour: pink – on the contrary! From day one at Harvard, when she made her entrance in a pink leather driving suit, she continued to wear all pink outfits.
We know that Elle loves to dress up to the occasion, and for her first day of classes she wore a blue sweater and skirt combo with a pink tie and glasses to fit in with the more formal and academic character of Harvard. Coming from a Californian sorority, it seems that she dresses up to impersonate her romanticised interpretation of a serious academic.
Similarly, the currently trending ‘office siren‘ aesthetic, which has been criticised as an inaccurate representation of real workwear, is a trend which has largely been created online to imitate an idealised version of working life. If she was going to university in 2024, she would totally love the ‘office siren’ aesthetic and get a pair of Bayonetta glasses and a short black pencil skirt for a formal but sexy look. As an on-trend girl, Elle would get a pair of glasses in red, like these ones from Specsavers, seeing as #popofred is a current It-girl staple.
Blowout
Seeing as so many current trends take inspiration from the 00s, Elle’s hair probably wouldn’t change much. She always looks fabulous with her blowout, so she definitely knows a thing or two about how to get the perfect curls. You would 100% catch her with a full head of rollers in the morning, but she would probably also experiment with some different heatless curl methods currently trending online, like the sock curls or the satin heatless curler, like this one from Sephora.
Statement necklaces
The timeless ‘Please return to Tiffany’ silver heart necklace just screams Elle Woods and she would still wear it as her signature necklace in 2024. To her collection of heart-shaped necklaces she would add the trendy chunky heart necklace from Bershka that she would wear for a casual uni outfit, or dress up for a party.
As an It-girl from the 00s Elle is an unapologetically hyper-feminine character whose outfits and aesthetic would always stand out in a crowd. In 2024 she would likely follow some trends, but always add her quintessential, pink sparkly, Elle Woods touch to them. Her wardrobe would likely be a mixture of true vintage designs from the era, in the same way that the original costumes referenced the 60s, and currently trending 2024 pieces. She would always make sure that she (and her dog Bruiser) are the best-dressed duo on campus, spreading academic confidence and girly energy.
Take a look at the previous article in the ‘On screen style report‘ series to see how Pooja from K3G would dress in the 2020s.
