Jennifer Garner in de la Renta at the Miracles premiere: lovely or boring?

'Miracles From Heaven' Miami Red Carpet - Arrivals
Jennifer Garner has really mixed up her style on this recent press tour, for her faith-based glurge movie, Miracles from Heaven. She’s playing the mom of a girl who had a stomach ailment which was considered incurable, but miraculously healed after the child fell from a tree and had a near-death experience. It’s based on a true story written by the woman Garner plays.

Anyway we’re used to seeing Garner with darker hair, often slicked back. She usually wears black on the red carpet, but lately she’s stepped outside her comfort zone. She’s been wearing pastels and light colors and her hair is lighter and looser. I really like her new look, she looks much younger. This Oscar de la Renta dress looks very comfortable and casual. The shoes don’t really do much for the outfit, but at least they don’t detract from it.

'Miracles From Heaven' Miami Red Carpet - Arrivals

As we heard earlier this week, Garner’s estranged husband, Ben Affleck, just did an interview with the New York Times in which he addressed her Vanity Fair interview. As many of you pointed out, Ben’s wording about his wife’s interview was curious. He said “It’s fine. She’s allowed to talk about it,” as if she needed his permission. He also said that Jen’s “A great person. We’re on great terms. I just saw her this morning, so that’s the reality that I live in.” Does it sound like he wants to live in that reality?

Garner also appeared yesterday on the Spanish morning talkshow Despierta America. She was wearing a bright orange sleeveless v-neck top and matching skirt with cream and metallic pumps and she looked like she was having a great time. You can see more photos from her appearance here. I’m telling you, having that Vanity Fair interview come out helped her get her groove back. I hope she’s ready to kick Affleck to the curb but we’ll see.

photos credit: WENN and Getty

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65 Responses to “Jennifer Garner in de la Renta at the Miracles premiere: lovely or boring?”

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  1. Sam says:

    Maybe it’s just me but I feel like no matter what she wears she always has this frumpy look to her. Like she doesn’t know how to own what she’s wearing, if that makes sense. Some women can wear a plastic bag and look fabulous because they own what they’re wearing. Not this woman.

    • Astrid says:

      I with you. The hair style isn’t helping the look either. I keep wanting to brush it and do something with it.

    • Jenny says:

      Frumpy describes her perfectly, I think she was born looking frumpy no matter what her stylist puts her in, unfortunately for her. But this particular dress is beyond unflattering even with her slim figure. Just awful. And the shoes too. Poor Garner.

    • Esmom says:

      I know what you mean. Some people are just effortlessly stylish and chic. Even with effort, she’s just not. She is lovely, though. I like her look in the white dress. Except for the shoes, yuck.

    • Esmom says:

      I know what you mean. Some people are just effortlessly stylish and chic. Even with effort, she’s just not. She is lovely, though. I like her look in the white dress, from the waist up. Those shoes are terrible.

    • K says:

      She does always look grumpy. That being said this dress is very basic it looks like you could buy it at the gap (nothing wrong with the gap) .

    • lexx says:

      Yeah, but isn’t that sort of part of her brand? Like I’m a mom, you’re a mom and we’re all just working moms out here.

    • NYer says:

      While I agree with you that she looks rumpled here, when she does big events and awards shows, she can really turn it around.

    • perplexed says:

      She doesn’t look that great here clothes-wise, but in the past (like during her Alias days?) I remember she was capable of looking glamorous. Her face generally looks good though.

    • Magnoliarose says:

      She never looks great. Just ok

    • Blair Warner says:

      Is no one else seeing the nipples?! It takes a special talent to look that frumpy whilst showing visible nip!

  2. Nikki says:

    Is she still claiming her lips are natural?

    • Josephine says:

      Google a pic of her mom – they have the exact same lips, as does her sister. Some people actually do have full lips, although my guess is that she enhances with make-up. They look particularly big in the first pic because she’s pursuing her lips; the other pics look pretty normal.

      • Crumpet says:

        Naw, in high school her upper lip is decidedly thinner. She helps it to match her full lower. Nothing wrong with that.

        http://tinseltownmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Jennifer-Garner-High-School.jpg

      • Gina says:

        @crumpet

        As someone with full lips who hasn’t always appreciated them, especially in my youth, I can tell you garner’s lips probably only appears thinner because of the way she’s deliberately smiling hard.

        There’s a way you smile, gummy like, that stretches your top lip across your teeth and makes it seem thinner. It’s a technique big lipped white girls in the south learned to do, so their lips wouldn’t be a distraction.

        She’s from Virginia, and still grew up in an era when having big lips would have earned you some racialized comments – ‘n-word lips’ ‘soup coolers’ etc. (ask Kim Basinger what she went through in the 50s- 60s-70s)

        My guess is if you find a pic of Garner from that same era, where she isn’t smiling hard like that, the fullness of her top lip will be visible.

      • lila fowler says:

        That defies logic. There are photos of her NOW smiling broadly and her upper lip is bigger. She got an implant or something. It’s fine — she needed it desperately. She wouldn’t be the first person to get plastic surgery.

      • Gina says:

        @lilafowler

        You missed my point. I’m saying that pic of her as a tween kid she is *deliberately* trying to make her top lip look thinner.

        Here she is much younger than that, as you can see this is a natural smile and she’s not pursing and smiling hard to hide her full lips:

        http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LcVJ4-ij0_o/T-fimhIA5_I/AAAAAAAALIg/fTxQF09bjcM/jennifer-garner-1.jpg

        Case closed.

        People with full lips were teased in school during certain eras. Big juicy Jolie-like lips were not always considered a blessing back in the day. I know what she’s doing with her lips because I did it on my school pictures.

        So NO, of course in present day pics she wouldn’t pose for a pic in the same way she did as a schoolkid in the south, because there’s no stigma to large lips anymore, and they’re considered quite desirable. She’s no longer a 13 yr old in Virginia.

        This isn’t hard.

      • lila fowler says:

        I didn’t miss any point, you are just wrong and tragically gullible. A baby pic? You aren’t serious, are you? I can’t believe she doesn’t have those chubby cheeks anymore, did she have fat sucked out?1? /sarcasm There’s no effort to make her lip look thinner. It’s practically nonexistent in pics taken from her school years. Nice try, though. She got work done on it. THAT’S not a hard concept to grasp unless you are totally naive and gullible and blind.

        You actually think that she is somehow magically making her lip appear like 3/4ths thinner? Impossible. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ea/1e/61/ea1e6120d18adcd709e3df62c3afd897.jpg

      • pk says:

        Wow little Samuel looks just like her in the picture Gina posted

      • Gina says:

        @lilafowler

        I’ve determined that you have some kind of big lip envy.

        Your response to me is out of bounds and uncalled for. I’ve presented photographic evidence where Garner is not pursing her upper lip as a self conscious teen, and where her obviously full big lips are evident as a younger kid, and you ignore it….

        …because God forbid she actually HAS big lips like her mother (who I’m sure you probably also accuse of a lip job). I mean really hon? Calm. Down.

        First, a clarification – that’s not a ‘baby,’ pic dear – Garner looks anywhere between 6-8yrs old. It’s important to note the age here, because this would be a time before she became an aware adolescent and socialization, or teasing based on looks may have come in. She’s smiling naturally in that pic like a young kid would do, it is NOT a pursed hard overly gummy smile that thins out her top lip.

        Her cheeks aren’t chubby in that pic, and even if they were, cheeks aren’t lips. There’s no one who has big lips as a 7 yr old who won’t still have them at 13, 26 and 40. Get a grip.

        Lastly, ive told you that hiding your big full top lip by smiling in a gummy way and pursing it, is a technique that many full lipped kids did in school on picture day. Another poster has told you that’s what she is doing, and i told you i personally did the same thing.

        Yet you refuse to believe this is/was a thing – you prefer to believe we’re making it up/lying, all so you can cling to a wacky false fantasy of lipless Jen? Come now.

        Fine dear. Let me guess, your lips are quite thin?

        By the way…here’s Mom: http://img.wennermedia.com/620-width/4da51da7013948537e49c99f5e4d24231638e441.jpg

        Accusations of tandem lip jobs in 5..4..3..

        Somehow they’re downhome home spun frumps who don’t care about fashion or looking glam 99% percent of the time, but in your fantasy you have them both getting monthly lip injections like contestants on Rupaul’s drag race, I’m sure. Lol.

        Just stop. Please.

    • Magnoliarose says:

      Yes I guess. They used to be more didtracting but she toned it down.

  3. Zen1016 says:

    I think there’s something fishy behind their living arrangement. Good on them for being civil for the kids’ sakes but how many people are willing to live in the same vicinity, much less breathe in the same air with same person who’s cheated on them and publicly humiliated them? Something ain’t right. I think she’s pretty, I’ve always thought that about her but she needs to stop messing with her face. She looks lovely in the pics not overdone.

  4. SusanneToo says:

    She’s looking great lately. Maybe it’s getting attention for her work rather than for being the betrayed wife or maybe she has finally, emotionally freed herself from BA. Whatever it is, it looks good on her.

  5. Snowpea says:

    She annoys me this woman. I think it’s her lack of confidence or something which is understandable after such a huge break up. But she is just so damn P + C mum: wash n go hair, those terrible shoes she wears, ugly tracksuit pants and the way she comes across as so earnest and 1950s housewife.

    I just can’t relate. I am also a mum of 3 but my girlfriends and I still get up to no good, going out for wines and silliness and catch ups and we never wear ugly mum clothes. She’s just so damn frumpy!

  6. Jayna says:

    That dress is not flattering in the least. And it looks like a loose cotton dress that all she needs is flip-flops for a trip to the supermarket.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      I agree, and if it’s Oscar de la Renta it probably cost $2000 at least. Boring and frumpy. She’s on my last nerve these days but I think this is still a fair assessment.

      • Sabrine says:

        It would be nice if she ditched her grey sweat tops. Those have got to be the worst.

    • Tara says:

      Yes! It’s totally a supermarket dress. Weird that she can look this frumpy.

  7. Patricia says:

    The plot line for that movie sounds ridiculous. How silly.
    And Jen always looks frumpy (as stated above) combined with an air of corniness. She corny!!

  8. Daphne says:

    She would never be ready to kick Ben Affleck to the curb all wishful thinking from her fans.Anyway the problem with Jennifer is she dresses to play down her sexuality like it is something awful or she is better than those women who are all sexy this all started when she got with Ben.Before she will be all tanned and sexy now she is boring would love to see which man shall go for this boring Jen.

    • Jayna says:

      On late night talk shows over the years while with Ben she usually always came out in a sexy dress or a tight dress, not frumpy. She always looked great on late night talk shows. Five months after Sam was born, she went on Conan, and he was like, “Wow” when she came out.

      True about Ben. I do think it’s good to give a united front for the kids, but she needs to move on emotionally. Ben called her a “good friend” on Ellen when Ellen complimented them for putting the children first. And Jen is carrying on how he’s the love of her life to the world in that interview still eight months after the separation. I get it, but she needs to move on.

      Move on Jen to someone who considers you the love of their life, or find your rebound Blake Shelton to show you some fun and passion again and charm you.

      • JoJo says:

        Agree. So far, now that Ben has spoken briefly, he’s said “She’s a great person .. We’re on great terms” and “We’re good friends” and “doing the best for our kids … what can you do?” Actually, these all sound like much more normal, grounded statements from someone going through a divorce than Jen’s continued gushing statements. She seems like she still needs to move on emotionally – I think she uses the kids/family rationale to put off taking that next step to truly divorced land.

        In the VF piece, she said they (she and Ben) “still need to help each other through this.” Seems to me, in a divorce, at some point you need to stop relying on that person to get you through it – you need to get through it yourself and with your own support system.

      • KB says:

        @JoJo I read a comment on another site the other day where the person pointed out that Jennifer described him as brilliant, charismatic, generous (she’s always been effusive in her praise of him), and he described her as “great” several times. I think she is considerably less guarded than he is, but I just felt pity for her.

  9. We Are All Made of Stars says:

    This is the second time I’ve looked at a photograph of her and mistaken her for Hillary Swank. Am I going crazy here?

    • JoJo says:

      No, not crazy. I can see it. Many times in the past year, I’ve also thought that she looks very much like Melissa Gilbert in certain pictures.

  10. Tig says:

    The previews for this movie were beyond goofy. The white dress looks like a sack with a zipper. The orange/coral looks much better on her.

    • Size Does Matter says:

      I was thinking it looked like a pillowcase. Just awful. Is she actively trying to look bad, so the masses can relate?

  11. Cynd8013 says:

    I think she’s very pretty and being a woman who’s going through a tough time, maybe fashion isn’t her biggest concern at the moment. A lot of women seem to step it up and become more fashion-conscious when they are in her position, and yes, her job is to look good, but it’s kinda refreshing to think that maybe she has other things going on that are more important than what she is wearing.

  12. Mrs. Darcy says:

    The beige De La Renta is a miss but I can see what she was going for – a sort of not quite sack day dress, which in theory can be cute, but the cut of this one is too blah for the color. If it had been a soft print it might have worked. She looks great in orange but the skirt is soooo wrinkly ack my eyes! The orange blouse would have looked cute with a beige or brown leather pencil skirt instead I think. She needs to let go of the center parting, esp. with the half up do. I come from being young in the 90’s too Jen, and there’s no going back there! Since everyone is calling her frumpy I will point out her shoes with the orange outfit are pretty hot and sassy. I agree her general day to day Mom style is frumpy but so what. I do think she is upping her red carpet game, no she’s not the best dressed, but I doubt she spends as much time thinking about clothes as most actresses. She could do with a new stylist maybe, I have no idea who dresses her.

  13. Anguishedcorn says:

    That orange color looks amazing on her; too bad for the wrinkles!

    The beige thing is just no.

  14. lila fowler says:

    She is always so drab and frumpy. The hair though: I must say that there is a huge difference when she wears it down (and covers her big ears) versus when she pulls it back. The smile never reaches the eyes, ever.

  15. MaryJo says:

    The real housewife of the fifities.

  16. Gs says:

    Its embarssing to be called obssesed even for promo stuff. Some of the ways these women choose just…I mean BA is not a man who worth this really. Too bad When you are the lesser actor the fear of what comes with him go with him is some of it to these women I dont think it is all “love” for the person.
    Still,I think he needs a clean you up lady he won’t be the same in long run unless he get the same type of woman again. He’s kidding himself if he think he can be able to be with level headed or equal actress who needs him to do it himself mainly and wont be willing to the by all means with him.

  17. AnotherDirtyMartini says:

    Lovely, but I want to see her go a lil crazy. Wear her hair beachy, wear a sexy dress, and get caught making out with Benecio Del Toro

  18. Zaytabogota says:

    Her boob job is showing in that see through dress. I don’t understand why she spends so much on cosmetic surgery and goes through the risks of that when most days she wears the most hideously unflattering clothes. There’s something very sexless about her. She’s too far into the mommy role.

  19. Jayna says:

    I guess she was on the Today Show this morning, and Savannah asked her about the divorce and Jen talked about their new normal. She had her hair different, back, and a pretty blue outfit on.

    “You know what? We’re doing really well,” she said. “The kids are great, they’ll be getting up and going to school soon. And Ben is there, and he’ll be taking them.”

    In short, she said of their new direction: “We will make it work.” “It’s not easy to go through it — period,” she told Savannah. “I have found going through it in the public eye, it’s just another facet of it. But for anyone, when your life shifts in any way, it’s tricky enough. But I have found people to be so warm and loving that it hasn’t been nearly as bad as you might imagine.”

    • lila fowler says:

      Well they have apparently been living separate lives behind closed doors for ages now. Who knows how long it’s been terrible even before that? I think what she really doesn’t like is the idea of being twice-divorced at her age.

    • JoJo says:

      If you watch the clip, you’ll see at another point, she throws Ben’s name in again. This is the same thing we talked on another Ben/Jen thread the other day – where she just can’t seem to stop name-dropping him, like she still just isn’t ready to stand on her own as single or maybe just can’t fully let go of trying to own him in the public sphere (like Goop / Chris Martin, etc.)

      In the clip, she talks about her childhood and going to church, and says, “I took my kids…” and then immediately backtracked and started over saying, “Ben and I took our kids…” I know that I am completely being judgey and probably being too literal, but she just seems to do it repeatedly. I feel like she needs to stop phrasing everything in the context of “Ben and I.” How will she ever move on … seriously.

      • Jayna says:

        Yeah, it reminds me of Goopy. She has had a boyfriend for at least two years. He left his wife for her.

        They keep their relationship hidden except when you catch a glimpse of them on vacation or going to a party. she’s never once admitted she’s dating him or dating in general. They are obviously very serious and in love. Which is fine, don’t talk about him. There’s nothing wrong with keeping her private life private.

        But why is she still talking ad nauseum about Chris and their conscious uncoupling and parenting together, having stayovers, vacations, etc? It’s like she is still staking her claim to him over his girlfriends, Jennifer Lawrence, and now that other one.

        I think Jen is going to keep “Ben” as far as namedropping in her talk show rounds for quite a while.

      • JoJo says:

        @Jayna – Yeah, it’s funny the dynamic is still the same, even now. He used to complain about her talking about him too much in interviews. 🙂

  20. Magnoliarose says:

    A part of me does feel sorry for her because I think she loves Ben still and will have a hard time really letting go. On the other hand I think Ben feels free and is probably lighter and nicer to her now that he knows he’s out of there. I can totally see him being a better father now and less sulky even friendlier. The burden is lifted and no more feeling guilty for not being all in and no more pretense.
    I don’t get the living arrangements at all. I mean who would want a cheating lying ex husband around in your space who slept with the woman you trusted to care for your beloved children? A man who disrespected you so much and flagrantly, not to mention being emotionally disinterested and distant to just hang around unapologetically day in and day out. Large house or no he is there and you would know this all the time because you would feel his presence. If he didn’t make advances from time to time would you feel the same old hurt or would you be relieved?
    There is no reason for him to be there and I’m not believing it’s all for the kids.
    She probably thought if she worked really hard and was patient he would change and was used to hard work being justly rewarded and that failure is never an option. Like if she put her mind to it, hyper focused to improve herself and be what she imagines he wants and really deep down needs in her estimation, then he should love her.
    But in all honesty Ben never struck me as the marrying type much less the All American family man married to a super Mommy living a suburbanish lifestyle. Even if it was a Hollywood version. Never once. He didn’t even try to cover up his discontent.
    It’s as if their whole marriage was spent in couples counseling at her insistence.

    About the first look she’s doing. Nope. More casual lunch and PTA meeting afterward. The second is better but the wrinkles get another nope. She’s attractive but so constrained in her choices. Break free girl like the ex is but do it with fashion at least.

    • JoJo says:

      I agree, the pressure probably isn’t there for him now, so he’s able to be lighter, more friendly. Of course I’m reading into it, but he definitely seems more comfortable and at ease with the casual, “friend-like” relationship they seem to have now than she does. I also do think the living arrangements are really weird. I know others say they probably are hardly there at the same time and it’s huge and so on, but I agree, especially for someone like her who just worshipped (worships) him, how does this not open old wounds constantly, and how is she really trying to move on, etc. I feel like they’re just living in denial, a limbo-like state that’s going to blow wide open as soon as one of them dates someone else. And how will their kids cope then? It seems like they’re living In somewhat of a fantasy world and not preparing them at all. Unless they’re still trying to work things out behind the scenes.

      Agree too about her probably thinking if she worked hard enough and was patient, he would change, and I still don’t believe that has necessarily changed for her. It stood out to me (although apparently no one else :)) that she said in the VF article, “It’s not Ben’s job to make me happy” and that she has to do that on her own. Well, that’s a line straight out of therapy and it seemed odd to say it if they’re truly divorcing since of course it wouldn’t be his job anymore. But she said it, which made me think she’s possibly trying to be stronger on her own and fix things about herself, hoping they can give things yet another shot. I know others think it’s crazy, but I don’t think Jennifer is beyond that point.

  21. What's inside says:

    I think she is a master manipulator of the press. She used to dress to the 9’s before Ben and during the marriage, but later on did the Katy Holmes “I am not happy” look that she was out in public with just before handing Tom his walking papers, i.e. dressing poorly, looking sloppy, etc. I do not feel sorry for her as she knew exactly what she was getting and still signed up for it.

  22. ScotiaGirl says:

    Just read on Twitter someone giving USWeekly a heads up scoop about Ben and Kate Hudson are continually hooking up on the down low.

  23. Sean says:

    She’s always lovely. And usually a bit boring.