Geri Halliwell-Horner's wardrobe today can only be categorised as neutral and elegant, but her outfit at the Cannes Film Festival aimed to capture attention.
Before marrying F1 boss Christian Horner and developing her demure fashion sense, the former Spice Girl embraced the 90s and 00s trends as she attended the 50th anniversary of the event in France in 1997.
With her arms thrown in the air in an exuberant gesture, Geri modelled a slinky satin slip dress in a fiery red colour featuring a halterneck style and a silhouette-skimming cut.
The metallic material clashed with her red permed hair, with Y2K contrasting platinum blonde face-framing strands – a far cry from her toned-down strawberry blonde loose waves today.
© Times Newspapers/ShutterstockBeauty-wise, Geri sported a bright red lip, contoured cheeks and a frosty eyeshadow that reached her eyebrows.
Spice Girls style
Perhaps one of Geri's most iconic looks was the Union Jack mini dress, which was a black Gucci mini dress with a tea towel stitched on, she told Vogue.
"My sister did it because she was better at sewing, but I remember showing it to a stylist and she said to me, 'You can't wear that,'" claiming it was racist in support of the extreme party National Front.
© Getty ImagesShe added a peace sign on the back and teamed the dress with red heeled boots, which she had sprayed with car paint. Little did Geri know at the time that her supposedly controversial DIY outfit would become one of the most iconic Spice Girls looks of all time.
Geri eventually found the attention she received from her stardom "dull."
She told The Guardian: "I used to get a sense of power when I performed, but I’ve lost my ego. I don’t have that drive to be a star. Maybe it’s got something to do with being a mum. At some point, 'Me, me, me' gets a little bit dull. When I was younger, I used to get high off basking in the adulation. Now I’d rather be jamming around a piano."
Fashion muses
© Mike Marsland/WireImageAudrey Hepburn has been influential in Geri's move from attention-grabbing fashion at the height of her Spice Girls fame to more timeless motherhood style.
Walking fans through her style evolution, she told Grazia: "When I left the Spice Girls, almost when I was in my cocoon phase, I'd always go for the black Polo neck. There was lots of black and grey. And I love pearls: I’ve worn peals forever."
She has since embraced an almost entirely white wardrobe, which she considers to be her uniform – much like Steve Jobs. However, the doting mother-of-two insists that she isn't married to neutral colours.
"The Audrey look is true to me. You can get swept up in fashion, that’s fine: it’s playful and good. But the fundamental essence of ourselves – our style – never goes out of fashion.
"People say I wear cream or white a lot, but I find it so simple. And it means that when I put colour on, it feels like a celebration. The decisions I make - generally but not always - are very reflective and instinctive of where I’m at. It’s organic."
