Carla Gem Buyo

From Annie Hall to Coastal Grandma: A Timeless Tribute to Diane Keaton’s Iconic Fashion Moments

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<div><em>Not to take away from her monumental acting talent and deep emotional transcendence, but Diane Keaton has now joined the pantheon of actresses who have become immortal style icons, in the manner of the Hepburns, Audrey and Katherine, and Grace Kelly</em></div><div><br/></div><p>People overuse and abuse the title: “style icon.”  Everyone and their mother, in this age of Tiktok and inclusivity, can declare their own fashion faves. And yet, the real ones still rise and shine just a little brighter, to light the way and show what it means to truly be a style icon.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17605130378941488421081.webp" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Photo from @diane_keaton on Instagram</span></span></span></div><p>Recent tributes to <strong>Diane Keaton</strong>, while rightfully focusing on her body of work, from acting and directing movies, to restoring architectural landmark residences, to memoirist and formidable book author, also make mention of her singular, deeply influential style.  One of the first tributes posted on Instagram came from Reese Witherspoon who ended her post by saying:  “And so for Diane, watch one of her movies. And wear a cool, interesting outfit.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>The Elements of Style<br/></strong></div><p>While the role that put Diane Keaton on the map was as <em>Kay Adams</em> on the <em>Godfather</em>, it was as <em>Annie Hall</em> that her street cred as an OG fashion influencer was solidified. The original costume designer had brought in a completely different wardrobe but Diane knew that <strong>Woody Allen</strong> had written <em>Annie Hall </em>based on her and so she brought in some of her own clothes.  In one of the movie’s most famous scenes, the Woody Allen character says, “I love what you’re wearing!”  Annie Hall then clutches her tie and goes, “This is my grandfather’s!”  And Woody Allen quips, “Did you grow up inside a Norman Rockwell?”</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:910px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1760511963356DXP4WT-H-2022.webp" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Diane Keaton as Annie Hall | Photo from NBC News</span></span></span></div><p>That oversized men’s shirt, vest, wide tie and baggy khakis look became so burned onto the pop culture consciousness that women all over the world began to dress like Annie Hall.</p><div><br/></div><p>In his posthumous tribute, Woody Allen wrote that Diane Keaton’s wardrobe choices may have “defied logic” but still worked.  The magic of Diane’s style is that she was able to add, tweak, evolve her look without losing her essential flair and panache. She played with shapes, proportions, layering of accessories from fishnets to piles of pearls, but still her personality carried the looks, and thus, she never ever became a fashion victim.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1760512586327BANNERS (4).png" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Diane Keaton in &#x27;Baby Boom&#x27; and &#x27;The Family Stone&#x27; | Photos from 20th Century Studios</span></span></span></div><p>For her role as workaholic management and mergers and acquisition expert JC Wiatt in <em>Baby Boom</em>, Diane still relied on tailoring but from the baggy and slouchy vibe of Annie Hall, she went sharp and sleek.  As the boho mom Sybil Stone in <em>The Family Stone</em>, she rocked cozy coats and artsy scarves.  As Californian suburban mom Nina Banks in <em>Father of the Bride</em><strong></strong>, she still had polished basics like chambray shirts, silk blouses, luxe knits and proper pearls; still put-together but totally believable as a sweet but firm matriarch and solid as a rock, voice of reason wife to Steve Martin’s volatile, always ready to freak out George Banks. </p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1760512956174BANNERS (5).png" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Diane Keaton at the Oscars for &#x27;Annie Hall&#x27; | Photo from The Academy</span></span></span></div><p>For her red carpet moments, she broke all the fashion rules. When she won her Oscar for Annie Hall, instead of an evening gown or a sleek tux, she went with layered knits and a prairie skirt and boots.  When revealing slip dresses or voluminous ball gowns became the red carpet uniform, she went with coat dresses over pants, plaid or checked pant suits, and all looks, she made her own with wide belts, statement necklaces and of course, hats and gloves.  While hats and gloves may denote “proper lady”, she made them quirky, fresh, absolutely iconoclastic.</p><div><br/></div><p>Many fashion writers have said that “effortless dressing takes much effort.”  But the key is that one shouldn’t look as if the effort was made at all. Diane’s charm, warmth, wit and vulnerability made the clothes an integral part of her overall magic, never a costume nor a crutch.  What the clothes did was make her singular, unforgettable and ultimately , inspiring and brave.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Something&#x27;s Always Giving</strong></div><p>In her American Film Institute tribute, Meryl Streep said it best:  “Arguably the most covered up woman in the history of clothes, is also a transparent woman, nobody stands more exposed...She is so hard to capture, she is in flight.  And when she alights down, she just stops your heart.”</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17605130685957360.webp" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Photo from @diane_keaton on Instagram</span></span></span></div><p>In all my years of loving fashion and the movies, and fashion in the movies, I have unabashedly adored Diane Keaton. And so, life, the Universe, Fate, and the fashion gods decreed that I would have the great good fortune to encounter her in real life. On a first trip to the then newly renovated and refurbished San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, I was in the same exhibit as Diane Keaton. I didn’t dare disturb her, but as I was entering an art installation of a strange material that was printed with waves and so entering it created an optical and sensorial sensation of vibrating, Diane Keaton was already inside the enclosure.  In a state of bewilderment, I said, “What’s happening?”  She motioned to me, and said, “Come over here, feel it!”  I went to her side and we giggled and sort of did a mild body wave, together.  I can’t say that I remember her exact outfit, but I somehow recall a belted jacket, a big soft scarf and a hat. What I do still see in my mind’s eye and feel deep down in my soul was that she was exactly how she was in her movies: charming, warm, viscerally alive and just high on life. On my way out of the museum, I saw her, standing in awe in front of a gigantic, authentically awesome Richard Serra metal behemoth of a sculpture, with her arms up in the air, radiating childlike wonder and true, indelible, undeniable humanity.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:910px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1760513139935diane-keaton-accessories.webp" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Diane Keaton at the Late Night Show</span></span></span></div><p>Reese Witherspoon had the right idea.  It would be a genuine and touching tribute to wear a cool, interesting outfit to honor the memory, legacy, and artistry of Diane Keaton.  But it is impossible to cobble together such a look without being instinctively aware and honestly moved by what makes life itself cool and interesting.  So yes, care about your clothes.  But care about more than life and live your life with abandon, compassion and most of all, vulnerability.</p>

From Annie Hall to Coastal Grandma: A Timeless Tribute to Diane Keaton’s Iconic Fashion Moments

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From Annie Hall to Coastal Grandma: A Timeless Tribute to Diane Keaton’s Iconic Fashion Moments

Leah Puyat

Published October 15, 2025 05:00 PM PHT

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