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Portrait of American actor and director Diane Keaton, 1996. (Photo by Fotos International/Getty Images)

With Diane Keaton’s passing, Hollywood mourns one of its most extraordinary talents—and even more extraordinary muses. While others chased convention and carefully curated designer moments, Keaton always built a uniform from rebellion: a crisp shirt here, a man’s waistcoat there, trousers pooling just so at the ankle, and, of course, a hat perched at a knowing tilt. When it comes to the difference between wearing your clothes and letting your clothes wear you, Keaton remains the blueprint.

Keaton, who passed away at 79 on October 11, leaves behind not only a body of work that reshaped the modern romantic comedy but also a visual legacy that rewrote the rules of what it meant to be completely at ease in one’s own skin. Long before “personal style” became a point of existential neurosis, she understood the power of consistency. With her monochrome palettes, wide belts, sleek tailoring and penchant for headwear, the actress established a sartorial vocabulary of her own that remains one of the most recognisable in Hollywood.

Fashion has always been everything,” she once said when combing through the archives of her past looks, and it was a significant part of her five-decade-long career. In the late 70s, Ralph Lauren may have found his perfect poster girl in Annie Hall, a role she effectively styled from her own wardrobe. But Keaton didn’t just wear RL, but embodied the brand for a whole new vernacular. And while that film immortalised her taste for ties and preppy silhouettes, the truth is she never stopped evolving the formula. Decades later, she would stride into award ceremonies in sculptural Thom Browne or sweeping black-and-white capes with an indelible conviction that never took itself too seriously.

Even now, scrolling through the actress’ decades of impeccable nonchalance feels like a masterclass in dressing for oneself. And in that, she remains utterly inimitable and forever one of the most compelling people on our screens.

Ahead, we look back on some of her greatest looks.

Diane Keaton best style moments

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(Photo by Fairchild Archive/Penske Media via Getty Images)
Diane Keaton in a scene from ‘Sleeper,’ 1973. (Photo by United Artists/courtesy of Getty Images)
Diane Keaton in a scene from ‘The Godfather Part II,’ directed by Francis Ford Coppola, 1974. (Photo by Paramount Pictures/courtesy of Getty Images)
Woody Allen and Diane Keaton sighted on February 28, 1974, at Elaine’s Restaurant in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
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Diane Keaton, 1975. (Photo by Oscar Abolafia/TPLP/Getty Images)
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Diane Keaton attends a party for Muhammad Ali, November 1975. (Photo by Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Getty Images)
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Diane Keaton at the 48th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, California, March 29, 1976. (Photo by Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Getty Images)
(Photo by Fairchild Archive/Penske Media via Getty Images)
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Diane Keaton and Woody Allen in the film “Annie Hall.”
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1977 (Photo by United Artists/courtesy of Getty Images)
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1978 (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
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(Photo by Robin Platzer/IMAGES/Getty Images)
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Diane Keaton (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
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1992 (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Diane Keaton on February 28, 1992 (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Diane Keaton in 1996. (Photo by Bob Grant/Fotos International/Getty Images)
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(Photo by Barry King/WireImage)
(Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
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Diane Keaton on June 8, 1990 at Director’s Guild in Hollywood, California, United States. (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Keaton and Craig T. Nelson at “The Family Stone” Los Angeles Premiere (Photo by SGranitz/WireImage)
(Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
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(Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc)
(Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton (Photo by SGranitz/WireImage)
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(Photo by SGranitz/WireImage)
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(Photo by Gregg DeGuire/WireImage)
(Photo by Mathew Imaging/FilmMagic)
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Diane Keaton at the 54th annual Berlinale International Film Festival, February 6, 2004, in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
(Photo by Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
(Photo by SGranitz/WireImage)
On April 28, 2012 (Photo by Walter McBride/Corbis via Getty Images)
2014 (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for ZFF)
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On July 6, 2014, (Photo by Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images)
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At the Thom Browne Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2023/2024 in 2023 (Photo by Pierre Suu/Getty Images)