The Angela Bassett Style Retrospective

1992

This is such a great picture. This was at the premiere of Malcolm X -- she played Malcolm X's wife, Betty -- and she's

1993

I also love this photo. Sincerely why don't more celebrities pose in front of the buffet?

1993 w. Laurence Fishburne

Look at these baby faces!

1994 (also w Larry Fishburne)

She of course was in What's Love Got to Do With It w. Fishburne as Ike Turner, and I haven't seen that movie since it came out; it might be time for a rewatch. They're both great in it. OBVIOUSLY I love this look.

1994

Young readers, it's true: We have all been coveting Angela Bassett's upper arms since the mid-90s.

1994

So here is the thing that I learned in putting this together: Angela Bassett seems like she's the best. This was at the Governor's Ball at the Oscars the year she was nominated for What's Love Got to Do With It? (She won the Globe but lost the Oscar to Holly Hunter, in The Piano. FYI, the category was STACKED that year. It was was also Stockard Channing in Six Degrees of Separation, Emma Thompson in Remains of the Day [she was also the outgoing winner, having won the year before for Howard's End], and Debra Winger in Shadowlands. Holly Hunter is a worthy winner, though.)

1995

This is SO 1995. We LOVED tights in the 90s.

1996

This looks like it was a fun night.

1996

I told you she was fun!

2000

This was the premiere of How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and she looks flawless here.

2000, with Hilary Swank

I enjoy ALL the necklaces here. (This was the year that Swank won for Boys Don't Cry.)

2000

Angela and Courtney B. Vance got married in 1997. I have to say, I am not really a person who places a huge amount of stock in celeb relationships, but I would be ROCKED if they broke up. It seems hot to wear formal leather.

2001

Here they look like two hot lawyers who fall in love across the courtroom.

2001 with Robert DeNiro

I bet she still has that dress somewhere.

2001 Emmy Awards,

This is charming, like stained glass. I believe it's Cavalli.

2002

That choker is so distracting!

2002 in Cavalli

This whole thing has shifted in process evvvver so slightly to the left.

2002

I love Miss Ross there in the background, preparing for her entrance (I assume). I also love this short hair on Angela -- this is how she has it on 9-1-1 right now and she wears it so well.

2002 with Oprah

They are both so happy to be with each other!

w Keanu, 2003

Who doesn't want to snuggle with Keanu?

2003

This was at the SAGs and I AM CONCERNED ABOUT IT.

2004

In which the Dress Over Pants trend literally IS just a dress over some pants.

2004, with Meryl Streep and Carrie Fisher

I assume this was everyone's holiday card that year.

with Bernie Mac, 2004

A variation on the Dress Over Pants theme.

2005

This is stunning.

2005

Also very glamorous.

2005

I don't know if I think the fur shrug totally works, but I love that she wore the color purple to the opening of The Color Purple on Broadway.

2006

This is SUPER.

'with baby Keke Palmer, 2006

Look at TINY KEKE PALMER! (They were in Akeelah and the Bee together, of course. This was Keke's big break-through. She is adorable here.)

2006

This is also stunning.

2008

Angela Bassett is very good-looking and good at this.

with Rick Fox, 2008

RICK FOX BREAK! (He's in this movie, he's not just a fan. This feels like a good moment to point out that Rick Fox has one of my favorite moments of [non-sports] TV ever, which is that he is the impetus for one of Chad Michael Murray's many Illustrative Comas on One Tree Hill.]

2008

This, again, is superb.

2008

EXCUSE ME BUT PLEASE LOOK AT THESE BABIES! They are twins and their names are Slater and Bronwyn. They seem unmoved by their mother getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2008

OMG I CANNOT. (This was a Halloween event.)

2009

We're just in a very strong section of this slideshow. To be wholly honest...the rest of this slideshow is very strong.

2009

This is ALSO great.

2011

This could feel like a fancy tablecloth, but she is really selling it.

2012, with Ruby Dee

Ruby Dee's dusker jacket is also good.

2013

I LOVE these pants but she might have on one belt too many?

2013

Lupita break! (If you haven't seen HER style retrospective yet, it's extremely enjoyable as well.)

2013

This is great -- and also, this is a good plae to note that her makeup artist is very good at a great neutral lip.

w Mary J Blige, 2013

I assume they're discussing how much hateration someone at the Today Show was bringing to this particular dancery. (I truly need to thank Mary J. directly for that song because (a) it's, as the kids say, an evergreen banger, and (b) it's endlessly quotable.)

2013

This is good!

2013

And this is perfectly breezy for a kid's show. Bronwyn is getting so big!

2013, with Gerard Butler

Here's Gerard Butler!

2013

Here's the Kentucky Derby!

2013

Here are the Tonys! (This dress is divine.)

2014 , with Chaka Khan

Here's Chaka Khan!

2014

Here is a great purse and cute bangs!

2014

Here is a cute day dress!

2014

Here is a cute day dress that I wish didn't have that illusion netting but it's okay!

2014

Here is a cute day dress that feels like a super cute wine bag that you'd give your friend for her birthday!

2014 Emmys

I appreciate her making sure we know her shoes are metallic.

2015

This is SO good.

2015

I just love this picture. I sort of want to put it on my (non-existent) piano.

2015

This needs a hoik, but is overall very good. (Also, this was a costume event at Halloween!)

2016

This was at the BAFTAs, and she did take the coat off for photos, but I LOVE this coat and also -- it's February in London. More people should wear good coats to the BAFTAs!

2016

I feel like this is a good jumpsuit that could maybe be like literally a quarter of an inch shorter? That's a nitpick.

2016

I am beginning to feel sincerely sad that I don't personally know Angela Bassett.

2016

I remember this! I loved this on her. (This was the year he VERY CORRECTLY won for The People vs OJ Simpson.)

2016

This is GREAT.

with Gugu Mbatha-Raw, 2016

I don't have a full shot of both of them -- this was at the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and I don't think there were photos at the entrance. They look super though

2017

Also good!

2017

I mean, also good!

2017

Pointing for visual interest with Mr Big!

with Kerry Washington, 2017

I truly feel that this is the photo that come up when Kerry calls Angela.

2017

SHINY!

2017

I do not know why they took a portrait of her here -- with the electrical outlet! -- and the whole thing has a real, "I cleared off my vanity and now I can't find any of my serums" vibe.

2018

REMEMBER HOW GOOD THIS WAS!?

2018

Also GREAT.

2018

This feels a bit like she's trying a Vegas/Aladdin crossover.

2018

This suit is FANTASTIC.

2018

Both of them are cute here.

2018

This is tremendously foxy.

2018

FOXY PART DEUX.

'with Peter Krause and Connie Britton, 2018

I enjoy the melange of hand-holding here.

with Tiffany Haddish, 2018

Both of them look fab here.

2018

Angela Bassett LOVES fringe. This is tremendously fun.

2019

This is very glam.

2019

Okay, too much fringe.

2019

This dress looked bonkers on the red carpet, but it's SO good when seated.

2019

Another wonderful suit. Her stylist, Jennifer Austin, is VERY good at her job.

2019

The structure of this up top is VERY good.

2019

ANGELA NO WHAT. I blame Chanel. (This was at a Chanel dinner. Do better by Angela, Chanel!)

2019

This marries two of her favorite things: fringe and jumpsuits.

2019

THAT PURSE IS SO CUTE.

2019

I wish this slit was more to the side but that is VERY nitpicky; this is really good.

2020, with Taraji P Henson and Aisha Hinds

THIS PICTURE IS SO CUTE. (Also, 9-1-1 viewers, do we think they're spinning off Aisha Hinds for her own show? I will for sure watch that, but also I am concerned that 9-1-1 will suffer without her. DISCUSS.)