The Jennifer Garner Fashion Retrospective

2004

2002 Golden Globes

Aw, happier times for these two (presumably). I mean...happier in terms of their personal relationship. I assume neither of them are pining for each other now. Jennifer could wear this again today; Scott Foley could fit another Scott Foley inside that tux.

2002 Emmys

This was the first Emmys J Gar attended (Alias had premiered the previous September), and she looks so delighted! (Her dress looks bridesmaidal, but 2002 was a much less styled time.)

2003 Golden Globes

This choker was misguided.

February, 2003

This was the premiere of Daredevil -- along with Alias's demands, that is why she is super SUPER fit here -- and also near the end of this marriage, as you will see in but a few slides. Honestly, this dress is kind of amazing. It's very naked, but I think she's really working it. Looking at pictures from the Daredevil press tour, you can...see where things are headed, after a brief Michael Vartan-shaped bump in the road. Especially this one.

2003 Oscars

She made a LOT of Best Dressed Lists this year and while this was before GFY existed, I am SURE I would have noted that this dress does not fit her at all, and given that she is in CRAZY AMAZING SHAPE here, I am perplexed by that.

March 2003

This was the month that she and Foley separated. Remember what I told you about this period of time being very emotionally dramatic!

2003 Emmys

a) Did they plan to put themselves into a Who Wore It Better situation here, or was it an amusing surprise? b) Lena Olin wins. c) I love this picture. Victor Garber looks so delighted!

2004 Golden Globes

I appreciate the ombre effect here, but this is seriously fancy curtains turned into a dress.

2004 SAGs

Sure! Fine! Whatever!

Oscars 2004

I have to note that I think this is FANTASTIC on her.

The Emmys, 2004

And that I hate this much less than I did when I first saw it. (Don't ask me why the photo here is so tiny and weird. This dates from like two months after GFY started.)

2005 Golden Globes

What did I tell you about red dresses?

The SAGs, 2005

In case you are wondering, she is not pregnant here, although almost! This was February 5th, 2005, and Violet was born December 1, 2005. It is just a bad dress. And she WON in this. Oh, girl. I know that you were leaning toward Jane Austen Heroine, but you leaned over so far that you fell over.

2005 Emmy Awards

There we go!

2006 Oscars

In case you're wondering, she really does love to attempt the empire-waisted thing. Here, she'd just had a baby like three months ago, and it makes perfect sense.

2007 Golden Globes

I LOVE this dress on her. This might be one of my favorites of all time. Ben needs to get his pants hemmed more correctly.

2008

I'd forgotten about this dress, but it is SO PRETTY.

2009

I'd also forgotten that she had made Ghosts of Girlfriends Past with Matthew McConaughey, and I suspect they also would like to pretend that movie never happened.

2009

I don't hate this, but it's more severe than we usually see on her. Like Jennifer Garner: Governess Edition.

2010 Golden Globes

This was a good one. (This was the year where Pacey jauntily held an umbrella for Diane Kruger all the way down the red carpet. MEMORIES.)

2010

See what I mean about how she's often dressing herself like she might be popping over to discuss how it's a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife?

2010

As you've seen, I've mostly focused on Jen's major red carpet moments for the purposes of this slideshow and yet I could not resist this. WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING. If this had been in 2003, I'd have understood. I know it's at a Pink Party, but it feels very Elementary School Fundraising Gala of her.

2010

Fun fact: She wore this to the BAFTA party that Wills and Kate attended, when Kate wore this AMAZING DRESS.

2011

This feels casual and easy -- for the premiere of Butter -- and like something you could rewear for someone's island wedding.

2012

Heather noted at the time that this dress looks a bit like a formal Target logo, and I must agree

2013 Golden Globes

But this! Is! Fantastic. I LOVE this dress. In fact, she looked basically great throughout 2013-2014, which were the Argo/Dallas Buyers Club years.

2013 PGA Awads

Okay, this wasn't super. But still. It's the Producer's Guild Awards, which EVERYONE generally kinda phones in.

2013 SAG Awards

This is SO fab. (And you can't wear it to the Oscars because you look like an Oscar, so it's also well-deployed at the SAGs. The guy snapping a photo of her behind her agrees.)

2013 Oscars

This was also pretty, for the Oscars where Ben's acceptance speech was all about how much work their marriage is. I miss his beard.

2013

This was the Dallas Buyers Club premiere at TIFF, and things did not begin auspiciously.

2013

Better....

2014 SAG Awards

MUCH MUCH BETTER.

2014 Oscars

Best. (This fringe-y OdlR was so great in motion.)

2014

This was also an improvement on the earlier Less Fancy But Still Important Red Carpet Events. As we know from her many candid shots through the years, Ms Garner loves a stripe.

2016

This was at the Atelier Versace Fall/Winter 2016-2017 show at Paris Fashion Week, which is how we knew Garner -- heading into her Vanity Fair Interview About Ben and His Issues PR full court press -- was probably going to wear Versace to the Oscars.

2016

Let's just pretend this one never happened.

2016 Oscars

But this was a great way to show up and prove to everyone that, although her marriage w. Ben was on the rocks -- this is just after her Vanity Fair cover -- SHE was looking great.

2016

I do love this, although it might have been too twee for her? You could convince me either way.

2016

She looks fab here, but I have no idea why Jennifer Garner would be attending the CMAs. PLEASE TELL ME SHE'S DOING A COUNTRY ALBUM.

2016

And we'll end, as all birthdays ought, with a fabulous bracelet.