Dakota Johnson's 'Materialists' Wardrobe Is Reviving 2000s Rom-Com Fashion

Dakota Johnson has left the Marvel-adjacent Madame Web behind for something more her speed: Past Lives director Celine Song’s rom-com Materialists. Johnson, truly, seems more at home dabbling in an A24 script about a match-maker navigating her love life between a wealthy businessman and an ex-boyfriend. But, the actor’s costumes (if you can really label them that) have blurred the line between her own personal style and that of her Materialists character. She plays a matchmaker named Lucy in the film who is torn between her “perfect match and her imperfect ex.”

When production for the movie, which also stars Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans, began in April 2024 those who closely follow Johnson’s style leanings could have easily misinterpreted her debut look—a pair of baggy denim pants, some mint green Adidas sneakers, and a knitted crop top—for something she’d wear for a stroll around town. When Johnson was later pictured beside Evans casually puffing on a cigarette while wearing a strapless Proenza Schouler dress, it was clear that her Materialists style was finally taking shape.

The bulk of Johnson’s time in Materialists was spent wearing a garment she herself would slip on during her off time: light wash, high-waisted jeans. Often paired with a white button down blouse, and once with a plunging tank top in which she passionately kissed Pascal, Johnson’s jeans were reminiscent of a bygone rom-com era when normal actresses just wore normal clothes. Think Kate Hudson’s ab-baring pants from How to Lose a Guy In Ten Days to Jennifer Garner’s more casual moments in 13 Going on 30.

When she wasn’t rocking her mom jeans, Johnson was slipping in and out of utilitarian outerwear like a belted trench coat that was styled with a vintage Ralph Lauren Polo hat, some simple black pants, and $90 Nike Cortez sneakers.

What makes Johnson’s Materialists wardrobe standout—other than the fact that anyone can re-create it with items found in their closet—is just how referential it is to New York City.

There’s a sense of casualness reminiscent of the average New Yorker, from the way Johnson loosely tucked her button down into her jeans to the Nike Cortez and Adidas Samba sneakers worn on her feet. Even her more formal, dressier moments—like a sheer top worn below a boxy blazer and a floral maxi dress from the “It” girl brand Dôen—are paired with footwear comfortable enough to navigate the streets of the Big Apple. Or, in Johnson’s case in Materialists, navigate a messy love triangle.