Emma Stone’s House Bunny Fashion Breakthrough: Black Mini Dress, Red Sergio Rossi Heels & Early Style Evolution

Arriving on the hot-pink carpet on August 20, 2008, Emma Stone delivered one of her first truly memorable fashion moments—a vampy, off-the-shoulder black mini dress paired with jewel-detailed red Sergio Rossi heels.

It wasn’t just a pretty red-carpet appearance; it marked the beginning of Stone’s style evolution during her House Bunny era, a period that blended playful sorority fashion, rising-star glam, and the earliest hints of the polished Louis Vuitton–wearing icon she would later become.

This article revisits that breakthrough moment and explores the fashion and shoe choices that defined both the film and Stone’s emerging red-carpet identity.

Emma Stone turned heads at the Los Angeles premiere of The House Bunny in an off-the-shoulder black ruffled mini dress paired with jewel-detailed red Sergio Rossi heels on August 20, 2008, in Los Angeles, California (Credit: Nikki Nelson / WENN)

🎀 Inside The House Bunny: Sorority Style & Early Red-Carpet Glam

In 2008, Stone stepped into the playful sorority world of The House Bunny, starring alongside Anna Faris, who led the film as Shelley Darlingson, a sweet but clueless former Playboy bunny who becomes the unlikely mentor to a misfit sorority.

Faris, who was 30 when filming took place during the summer of 2007, brought a bubbly, high-gloss energy to the role that shaped much of the movie’s fashion identity.

Anna Faris was 30 when she filmed Fred Wolf’s comedy The House Bunny, bringing her signature bubbly charm to the role of Shelley (Credit: Sony Pictures)

🌟 Emma Stone’s Character Arc & How It Shaped Her On-Screen Style

Stone initially auditioned for the sharper, rival-sorority role of Ashley before being asked to read for Natalie instead—a shift she later said made the story resonate more with her own experience of finding confidence during the college-age years.

Filmed when she was just 18, the movie arrived early in her Hollywood rise, and by the time of the August 2008 premiere, she was already signaling the polished, stylish red-carpet persona she would later refine as a Louis Vuitton ambassador and awards-season regular.

Emma Stone was 18 when she filmed The House Bunny in the summer of 2007, starring as the smart and sweet Natalie Sandler (Credit: Sony Pictures)

✨ Mona May’s Clueless-Level Costume Design & Fashion Credibility

Though not always included in the modern “fashion film canon,” The House Bunny has an unexpected style pedigree thanks to its costume designer, Mona May, the force behind Clueless.

Her signature character-driven styling gives the film a surprisingly rich fashion footprint, especially in the makeover arc that transforms the Zeta sorority sisters through wardrobe, hair, and makeup.

Anna Faris, Sara Jean Underwood, Lauren Hill, Eileen Rene, and Hiromi Oshima strut down the steps in colorful mini dresses, sky-high heels, and early-2000s Playmate glam in The House Bunny (Credit: Sony Pictures)

💗 Shelley’s Bubblegum-Pink Aesthetic & High-Color Wardrobe Language

With the same designer behind Cher Horowitz’s iconic plaid sets, the film carries a fun, high-color wardrobe language rooted in personality and transformation.

Anna Faris’s Shelley is styled in bubblegum pinks, sky-high heels, glossy accessories, and ultrafeminine silhouettes—her exaggerated Playboy-inspired look is intentionally cartoonish and charming.

Anna Faris embodies Shelley’s bubblegum-pink, hyper-feminine aesthetic in The House Bunny, complete with sparkling details and playful accessories (Credit: Sony Pictures)

👠 The Zeta Sisters’ Makeover: 300 Outfits & Heel-Heavy Transformations

Each girl begins with a distinct “before” look—punk, goth, hippie, geek—and evolves into a polished but still individualized version of herself. Emma Stone’s Natalie follows this arc while retaining her character’s studious charm.

With Faris wearing around 50 looks and each Zeta sister averaging 30, the film showcased nearly 300 outfits, making fashion a constant visual engine in the story.

Heels play a defining role in the film’s visual language, from Shelley’s sky-high platforms to the more refined, sorority-glam styles worn by the transformed Zetas—an early hint at Emma Stone’s own future as a red-carpet style star.

Kat Dennings, Anna Faris, Katharine McPhee, Emma Stone, and Rumer Willis show off their character-defining outfits and playful heel choices in The House Bunny (Credit: Sony Pictures)

🖤 Early Style Spotlight: Emma Stone’s TRL Appearance & Jimmy Choo ‘Glint’ Booties

Two days before The House Bunny premiered in Los Angeles, Emma Stone and her co-stars stopped by MTV’s Total Request Live on August 18, 2008.

Emma delivered an early glimpse of her rising style credentials in a black Abaeté asymmetrical top, Yigal Azrouël ruched skirt, and Jimmy Choo’s black suede studded “Glint” peep-toe ankle boots—anchoring a lineup of early-2000s party dresses, bold textures, and standout heels.

Emma Stone, Rumer Willis, Anna Faris, and Katharine McPhee bring a stylish mix of asymmetric tops, printed minis, peep-toe heels, suede boots, and pointed pumps while visiting MTV’s TRL on August 18, 2008 (Credit: Bill Davila / Startraksphoto)

A decade after The House Bunny, Emma Stone had grown into one of Hollywood’s most consistent red-carpet standouts—an Oscar winner and newly minted Louis Vuitton ambassador—setting the stage for her polished appearance at the 2018 premiere of The Favourite.

✨ Louis Vuitton Elegance at The Favourite NYFF Premiere

In September 2018, Emma Stone showcased her cool style as she stepped out for the premiere of her new film “The Favourite” at the New York Film Festival, held at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Emma Stone and Joe Alwyn attend the premiere of The Favourite as part of the New York Film Festival at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center in New York City, on September 28, 2018 (Credit: Ivan Nikolov / WENN)

She was joined by her co-stars Joe Alwyn, Nicholas Hoult, Olivia Colman, and director Yorgos Lanthimos.

Emma Stone with beautiful roses intertwined into her hair (Credit: Ivan Nikolov / WENN)

The American actress flaunted her gorgeous legs in a printed dress from the Louis Vuitton Resort 2019 Collection and long diamond earrings from the same French fashion house and luxury retail company.

Emma Stone’s printed dress from the Louis Vuitton Resort 2019 Collection (Credit: Ivan Nikolov / WENN)

With beautiful roses intertwined into her hair, Emma showed off her pretty feet in ‘Call Back’ pumps in glossy patent calf leather.

Emma Stone shows off her sleek Louis Vuitton “Call Back” pumps, featuring a glossy patent finish and the brand’s signature double ankle strap (Credit: Ivan Nikolov / WENN)

Its key detail, an adjustable double ankle strap in patent Monogram canvas, not only gives this shoe a recognizable Louis Vuitton touch but is also extremely feminine.

Louis Vuitton Call Back Stiletto Heel Pumps, $950

🌈 Givenchy Rainbow Glam at Netflix’s Maniac Premiere

Earlier the same month, Emma Stone shone on the red carpet while attending the season one premiere of Netflix’s ‘Maniac’ at Center 415 in New York City.

Emma Stone glows in a rainbow-metallic Givenchy gown featuring dramatic structured sleeves and a subtle keyhole neckline (Credit: WENN)

Looking spectacular in a rainbow metallic pleated gown from the Givenchy Resort 2019 Collection, she completed the ensemble with Bulgari drop earrings and bronzed eye makeup.

Emma Stone dazzles in a rainbow-metallic pleated Givenchy Resort 2019 gown, pairing its sculptural shoulders and cutout bodice with soft waves and bronzed glam at the Maniac premiere in New York City on September 20, 2018 (Credit: WENN)

👠 Explore More of Emma Stone’s Most Iconic Shoe Moments

From her early breakout in The House Bunny to her refined red-carpet presence by 2018, Emma Stone’s style evolution has mirrored her rise to Hollywood’s top tier.

Now a two-time Oscar winner and one of Louis Vuitton’s most recognizable ambassadors, she continues to deliver standout shoe and fashion moments across premieres, press tours, and high-profile events—many of which you can explore below.