Meryl Streep, who turns 77 today, is a master at shapeshifting on screen. To play Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, she styled her hair in a silver quiff that became instantly iconic – and was, naturally, brought back for the recent sequel. Death Becomes Her saw Streep play with high glamour with Hollywood waves and Bette Davis brows, while her boho side came out to play for Mamma Mia! In real life, Streep tends to wear lighter peachy tones to enhance her porcelain skin tone, while experimenting with darker colours around her eyes for definition.
Forward-thinking when it comes to ageing in the film industry, Streep has financially supported screenwriting labs for women over 40 – the age at which Hollywood bosses have a habit of dismissing female actors as “too old”. “That’s the key, I think, to being alive: always breaking new water. Always breaking the waves. And we’re not done yet,” she said in her US Vogue cover interview with Anna Wintour and Greta Gerwig, while reflecting on ageing.
To mark her birthday, British Vogue shares some of Meryl’s best looks from over the years.
2026
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