Jennifer Garner's Gorgeous Style Transformation After Divorcing Ben Affleck

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck's tumultuous relationship had all the makings of a Hollywood rom-com screenplay, but sadly it's a story that ended in tragedy. Affleck and Garner first met when Garner was married to someone else, with romance rumors swirling soon after her first marriage ended. The actors tied the knot in 2005, but they parted ways in 2015 following 10 years of marriage. She finalized her divorce from the "Good Will Hunting" actor in 2018, and despite the rocky relationship history, Garner then underwent a stunning style transformation.

It's not uncommon for a breakup to catalyze a sartorial volte-face — whether it's sexing up or lounging out – and Garner is by no means the first famous face to do so. There have been many post-divorce celebrity transformations, everyone from Miley Cyrus to Khloé Kardashian has given their wardrobe a shake-up after finding out their Mr. Right was actually all wrong.

Style changes can indicate a post-split identity crisis, explained well-being coach Kamran Bedi to the Stylist. "For some people, an end of a relationship can lead to a deep self-reflection around their own identity," Bedi told the magazine, before suggesting such introspection can be beneficial. "The longer the relationship, the deeper the search can be and it's also not immediate for some people, as it's always an individual and unique time in discovering your newfound self." Whether Garner's style transformation was a subconscious identity crisis or just a wardrobe revamp, it was gorgeous.

Jennifer Garner wasted no time working on her style transformation, and just months after concluding divorce proceedings with Ben Affleck in October 2018, she stepped onto the red carpet looking stylish and renewed. Aside from her divorce, Garner is mostly remembered for her GIF-worthy reaction at the Oscars. The actress was meme'd online for clapping along at the awards before suddenly stopping and wearing a look of shock on her face. As one commentator jokingly put it on X (formerly known as Twitter), "Jennifer Garner just realized she forgot to take the chicken ​​out the freezer." Or maybe, she'd just had the eureka moment of what her new style would be ...

Cut to January 2019, when Garner took to the red carpet for Art of Elysium's 12th Annual Celebration in a look that starkly contrasted with her bright blue Versace gown and bouffant-haired Oscars get-up. The Gucci dress she wore in 2019 was much more subtle: a black sleeveless number. The Italian-designer dress signalled a switch-up in Garner's style that saw her go from loud flowing dresses to demure monochrome looks.

The 'fit saw Garner rediscovering herself and hearkened back to the all-black looks she wore on the red carpet during her pre-Affleck days in the early aughts. "In a dysfunctional marriage, we can lose our sense of self and our own identity," social worker Susan Weiss told Elle. "So, post-divorce can offer an opportunity to explore different sides of ourselves. And fashion is the perfect outlet to show those changes." Indeed, Garner's dress at the event showed a side of her we thought had been lost.

On "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in 2019, Jennifer Garner showed that monochrome would define her post-marriage wardrobe as she channeled a late British royal with another monochrome dress. The royal in question: the late Princess Diana. When Diana wore an off-the-shoulder black dress with a long chiffon train to the Serpentine Gallery in 1994, the dress was notable only because it was a jaw-dropping look for a princess. The fellow divorcée donned the dress on the same night the then-Prince Charles — aka King Charles III — admitted to being unfaithful on national television. The dress has since been referred to as Diana's revenge dress and it seemed Garner had been taking notes.

When Garner stepped out from behind Fallon's famous blue curtain, she revealed a revenge dress of her own. Garner's dress mimicked Diana's in more ways than one. The black dress was cut at the knees, sleeveless, and hugged Garner's figure, not to mention her statement sparkling necklace, which was not dissimilar from Diana's. The "Ghosts of Girlfriend's Past" actress was haunting and taunting her ex-partner, Ben Affleck, by showing him what he was missing, just as Diana had over 20 years earlier to Charles. It showed Garner was ready to change up her style in the wake of her divorce and that monochrome would play a huge role in her new wardrobe — all while sticking it to her ex-husband.

Jennifer Garner's post-divorce red carpet looks were statements — it was all black dresses and big jewelry. However, her dressed-down looks took a different tack. In 2021, she strolled through LA in a cream cardigan, baby blue shirt, and jeans. It was a simple yet stylish look that was a major step away from her red carpet dresses, but she still looked as stylish as ever.

The everyday look was giving Jane Birkin in all the right ways. The late Birkin – whom the eponymous bag was named after – was the queen of making the everyday outfit look fit for the runway. Although English, Birkin had a quintessential French style: flared trousers, a shirt, with a jumper hung over her shoulders. Garner replicated this effortless French feel, except she was actually wearing her cardigan. Though, seeing as it was December at the time, we'll let her off. Again, the "Elektra" actress was taking notes from another fashion icon to spruce up her wardrobe.

Garner paired her ensemble with a notebook and glasses to make her outfit even more cultured. Such versatility is key to any wardrobe, even when it's not on the red carpet, and Garner's new and improved style showed she has it in abundance.

Jennifer Garner starred in the 2022 Ryan Reynold flick "The Adam Project," and her look on the red carpet during the premiere, once again, showed she was still out for revenge. With her hair up in an elegant bun, Garner exuded classy minimalism in a black halter neck dress that was cinched at the waist and featured a thigh-high slit to show off her legs. She accessorized with a diamond Vacheron Constantin watch and long, sparkling earrings. It fitted the same Princess Diana-esque revenge theme that Garner's other newly-single red carpet looks had.

The Houston-born actress' third little black dress moment cemented this classic monochrome look as her post-divorce go-to. Prior to her split from Affleck, Garner had been far more experimental with colors. For instance, at the 2013 Oscars she wore a deep violet dress, and she went for a bold, sequinned flapper-style dress in 2014. Black is certainly a single-life switch-up for Garner, but that's only natural after a breakup, and she's taking her style back to basics in the chicest way possible.

Four years into her divorce, Jennifer Garner showed that she was ready to transform her wardrobe yet again — this time, at the 2022 Oscars. The "Love, Simon" actress looked very festive in another classy dress, ditching the dark shades for rose red. She wore American designer Brandon Maxwell, who moonlights as the stylist responsible for Lady Gaga's changing looks and whose form-fitting dress hung off Garner's shoulders, looking gorgeous paired with Nikos Koulis diamond earrings and rings. Her decision to change up her dress color saw her right on trend with Ariana DeBose, Simu Liu, and Kirsten Dunst, who also donned red at the awards show.

The mother of three, who works with the dynamic styling duo of Jill Lincoln and Jordan Johnson, ditching her all-black looks demonstrates the impressive range in Garner's style and that she was feeling like herself once again. Indeed, it was the first time she had attended the Oscars since 2018. Whilst she lived her best life at the lavish event, ex-hubby Ben Affleck — who had rekindled his romance with Jennifer Lopez — was not, after he failed to achieve a nomination for his films "The Last Duel" and "The Tender Bar." Garner thankfully looked confident despite her ex moving on, as rumors swirled during the 2022 Oscars season that Affleck and Lopez were set to get engaged (for a second time). We're glad Garner could let her hair down because that can't have been easy to take.

Jennifer Garner arrived at the White House alongside daughter Violet Affleck, with whom she shares with ex-husband Ben Affleck, and looked fit for the occasion in an all-American Ralph Lauren (you guessed it) black gown, which she accessorized with Stuart Weitzman platform heels and a clutch bag. It was a look that once again exuded Princess Diana-style revenge dress realness.

Garner attended the White House for a state dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron, and she certainly looked fit for the classy occasion. The "13 Going On 30" star beamed with a smile as she stepped past photographers for the event. She was one of 300 VIP guests, with fellow celebrities like Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Stephen Colbert, and Colbert's former band leader Jon Batiste also in attendance.

Although Garner opted for more colorful attire at the Oscars, she demonstrated that an evergreen black dress was still a very powerful weapon in her style arsenal. That's because it's a look that will never go out of style. "A little black dress is the most useful," Andreas Kronthaler, the creative director of Vivienne Westwood, told Harper's Bazaar. "It adapts to any occasion," he adds, an idea which Garner has shown throughout her gorgeous style transformation.

Jennifer Garner's post-divorce style comprised a lot of black, but she showed she's not a one-trick pony when she then donned a gorgeous white dress in April 2023. Garner returned to the red carpet to promote her limited series "The Last Thing He Told Me" while looking like she has totally forgotten the last thing that her ex-Ben Affleck told her, with a 'fit and 'do that saw the actress transformed yet again.

The four-time Emmy nominee posed beside the series producer and fellow A-lister Reece Witherspoon in a strapless white gown from Uruguayan designer Gabriela Hearst's 2023 fall collection. Hearst's dress was adorned with golden strips running down its centre and Garner matched the gold detailing with opulent diamond-and-gold earrings. It was another break from Garner's typical post-divorce shades.

Likewise, Garner's hair again showed the versatility of her gorgeous transformation. The look saw her coiffure in a slicked-back style – which was very much on trend in 2023 – transforming her usual sun-kissed hair into a dramatic and sensual wet look. Here, Garner nailed another successful style experiment.

In October 2023, Jennifer Garner proved to style critics that she's not afraid of bright colors. While staying at a hotel in Manhattan, New York, Garner was spotted in an eye-popping Valentino floral pink shirt with a white blouse and black stilettos from Yves Saint Laurent.

Although the look could be seen as Garner continuing to find her style after her divorce, it could also be seen as a slight dig against her ex-husband Ben Affleck's then-wife, Jennifer Lopez. Just days prior to Garner's appearance in NYC, Lopez wore a similarly floral Bach Mai plunging pink dress to the Daytime Beauty Awards earlier that week.

Whether the actress was letting her outfit do the talking or it was just her feeling herself, it added yet another impressive sartorial revamp to Garner's post-divorce wardrobe and announced florals as a style choice that was here to stay.

Jennifer Garner is known for her elegant dresses on the red carpet, so it was a surprise to see her in this leather jacket and denim dress. Until her November 2023 appearance at NBC Studios, Garner's post-divorce style was characterized by the occasional bright color and a lot of monochrome dresses, but this leather look combined unlikely textures whilst mixing up her style. The leather jacket and denim dress have had somewhat of a renaissance in the 2020s, and the looks were given an exciting update in 2023. So, Garner's sartorial upgrade was once again on trend, with her burgundy leather jacket, matching pumps, and figure-hugging denim dress. 

We're glad that Garner was feeling herself again in form-fitting dresses, as she has been a longtime supporter of body positivity. "I have so many girlfriends who have [a slim] physique, and I'm so happy for them. I am not one of them. That is not my gig," she told Giovanna Fletcher on the "Happy Mum Happy Baby" podcast. "I can work really hard, and I can be really fit and I will still look like a woman who's had three babies, and I always will." With this leather and denim look, the actress is practising what she preaches in the best possible way.

The 2022 Oscars wasn't the only time Jennifer Garner donned a jaw-dropping red dress after her divorce, as the fiery look became another staple in her stylish wardrobe. For instance, at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con, in front of amped-up superhero fanatics — where she was promoting "Deadpool & Wolverine" after reprising her role as the assassin Elektra Natchios — Garner certainly stood out amongst her co-stars. While Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and Emma Corrin all wore muted blacks and blues, Garner went for maximum color. Much like the little black dress, the little red dress is a timeless fashion piece. The showy color symbolizes strength, energy, and vitality, and Garner had all three in abundance with her dress grabbing all the attention.

However, not everything went to plan. At the event, Garner left people waiting to see her gorgeous outfit when she got stuck in a lift for over an hour. In a post on Instagram, Garner said, "I could use a Wolverine, I could use a Deadpool. I could use someone." Adding, with a hint of sarcasm, "Thanks for having us here. My first Comic-Con." Thankfully, she was able to get out and show comic book fans the latest development in her ever-transforming style.

In February 2024, Jennifer Garner's "13 Going On 30" co-star Mark Ruffalo was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The actress was in attendance and gave a heartfelt speech which moved Ruffalo to tears saying, "Every time your name is called, Hollywood takes a deep collective breath and says okay, the good and right thing has happened" (via ABC7 Los Angeles).

Such monochrome outfits have been ever-present in her spouse-free era. But, they've never looked quite like this. The gray Chanel-esque suit and skirt combo was cut just at the knee in a subversive take on her usual dresses, featuring silver buttons and tasteful frills on the sleeves. It was a look you could wear at the office or on the red carpet, and it was the perfect choice for a classy daytime celebration. It's a testament to Garner's style transformation that she didn't just go for the flashy option but remained stylish in an outfit fit for the event. It's even more impressive that she was able to bust out moves to the "Thriller" dance with Ruffalo in heels and a pencil skirt, the same dance they had shared 20 years earlier in "13 Going On 30."

In June 2024, six years after she finalized her divorce, Jennifer Garner was in New York for an appearance on the "Today" show with her mom Patricia Ann Garner. She wore a vibrant and summery baby blue midi dress from the brand Etro, which featured a square cut neckline and technicolor flowers. While florals in the summer are hardly groundbreaking (pardon the modified "Devil Wears Prada" reference), Garner's doubling down on the pattern showed that her style transformation has seen her become more in touch with trends whilst maintaining her signature understated and classic look.

What's more, she wore the dress at a time when former lover Ben Affleck was rumored to be experiencing marriage difficulties with his on-and-off flame Jennifer Lopez, as the "Argo" star was seen having lunch with his and Garner's daughter Violet Affleck sans wedding ring. "[Garner] feels slightly used as a pawn in [Lopez's] bid to repair her marriage," a source told the Daily Mail in August 2024. Regardless of how Garner feels about Affleck's marriage troubles, the "Alias" alumna looked carefree and happy alongside her mother in the Big Apple. He's not worth the effort, Jen, but that dress definitely is.