Dakota Johnson Ends Her 12-Year Haute Couture Week Hiatus in a Pants-Free Valentino Outfit

Now that Dakota Johnson is Alessandro Michele's brand ambassador again, a front-row sighting at his Valentino shows is all but guaranteed. On January 28, a pantless Johnson cashed in her invite at Michele's return to Haute Couture Week—her first couture show since 2014.

Johnson joined Tyla, Kirsten Dunst, Lily Allen, and more inside the Parisian venue following the evening's dress code: head-to-toe Valentino. However, the Pre-Fall 2026 selects she chose with stylist Kate Young were missing a major element: trousers or a skirt. Look 3's '80s-inspired set instead incorporated nothing but two bow-tied, leopard print blouses and a pair of translucent hot pants. Michele crafted the underwear-as-outerwear moment from black, semi-sheer lace, which complemented Johnson's brown, floral-printed tights.

Johnson made some adjustments from the original look book styling. She swapped in a pair of thin hoop earrings, and traded green-tinted, shield sunglasses for a clear cat-eye pair. (Those only appeared outside the venue.)

A $2,100 Valentino Garavani DeVain Shoulder Bag provided a pop of color, featuring mossy green and gold texture straight from the moors. You may recognize its top-flap closure and "V" emblem from Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, and Chase Sui Wonders's closets. Johnson owns the wallet-like bag in black leather, too.

Finally, Johnson endorsed the circa-2010 Rockstud Stiletto's comeback with a pointy black pair, in lieu of the model's stark white shade. Perhaps this is her contribution to the 2016 style revival. If anyone can make Valentino Rockstuds a celebrity staple again, it's her.

Until now, Johnson has supported Michele from afar with a campaign, her 2025 Governors Awards gown, and Valentino-centric street style looks aplenty. (She rarely took off the label's $11,000 leopard-print coat in New York City last month.) But the Materialists actor couldn't miss Michele's first show after Valentino Garavanni's passing on Jan. 19.

"What we do today takes place within a history not of our making, in a house long inhabited, rich with traces and gestures," Michele shared on Instagram before the show. "Being called to guard this legacy, if only for a time, summons me. His passing does not stop the movement he set in motion."

Dakota Johnson hasn't graced a haute couture show since Chanel's Fall/Winter 2015 collection, held in July 2014. She chose a meaningful moment to revisit the circuit—and to take a welcome styling risk.