Reese Witherspoon Pairs an Elle Woods Pink Sweater With Her Little Black Dress

She's already dressing for the prequel series.

Reese Witherspoon leaves a building in los angeles wearing a little black dress with an elle woods pink sweater and ray ban sunglasses
(Image credit: The Image Direct)

An official release date for Prime Video's Legally Blonde prequel series hasn't been announced. For all fans know, there isn't even a script. That didn't stop Reese Witherspoon from paying homage to Elle Woods with her recent outfit.

While out to lunch with Jenny Belushi in New York City, Reese Witherspoon updated her little black dress with a hot pink sweater flung over her shoulders. Fashion people might see the layer as a summer take on a favorite styling hack; cinephiles clock the hot pink hue as a reference to Elle Woods's magenta-coated wardrobe in the 2001 film and 2003 sequel. Any time Reese Witherspoon appeared onscreen as the plucky fashion-student-turned-Harvard-Law-student, she was wearing some shade of pink.

Reese Witherspoon is photographed leaving a building in new york city wearing a little black dress with an elle woods pink sweater over her shoulders

Reese Witherspoon looked ready for a Legally Blonde reprise in New York City, layering a hot pink sweater over a little black dress.

(Image credit: The Image Direct)

Witherspoon's Elle Woods homage was a head-to-toe situation. She matched her bright pink sweater to an equally vibrant pair of slingback heels by Chanel and tied the whole look together with splashes of gold jewelry.

Her footwear is also a nod to a celebrity-favorite heel trend of the moment. Jennifer Lopez, Kendall Jenner, and Taylor Swift have all spent summer 2024 in sharp slingback heels of their own.

Reese Witherspoon's Legally Blonde redux arrives after a week spent filming her current project, The Morning Show, in New York City. Her wardrobe to play anchor Bradley Jackson on the series is much less colorful—at least from what paparazzi have captured between takes. Instead of bold pinks and girly cap-toe heels, Witherspoon has been seen in no-nonsense blazers and fall 2024's wide-leg denim trend.

Reese Witherspoon films the Morning Show wearing a blazer and the wide leg jeans trend

Earlier this week, Witherspoon filmed episodes of The Morning Show in a much more subdued outfit.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

As celebrities from Zendaya to Blake Lively jump on the method dressing train—that is, channeling their onscreen characters in their real-life wardrobes—it isn't too much of a stretch to consider Reese Witherspoon's sudden splash of Elle Woods pink a wink to her next project. According to Variety, she's set to produce a series exploring the "origin story" of everyone's favorite Delta Nu sorority sister, years before she became a Harvard Law graduate. The pieces below will help you look the part in the meantime.

Shop Reese Witherspoon's Elle-Woods Inspired Outfit

Halie LeSavage
Senior News Editor (Fashion & Beauty)

Halie LeSavage is the senior fashion and beauty news editor at Marie Claire, where she assigns, edits, and writes stories for both sections. Halie is an expert on runway trends, celebrity style, emerging fashion and beauty brands, and shopping (naturally). In over seven years as a professional journalist, Halie’s reporting has ranged from fashion week coverage spanning the Copenhagen, New York, Milan, and Paris markets, to profiles on industry insiders including stylist Alison Bornstein and J.Crew womenswear creative director Olympia Gayot, to breaking news stories on noteworthy brand collaborations and beauty launches. (She can personally confirm that Bella Hadid’s Ôrebella perfume is worth the hype.) She has also written dozens of research-backed shopping guides to finding the best tote bags, ballet flats, and more. Most of all, Halie loves to explore what trends—like the rise of doll-like Mary Janes or TikTok’s 75 Hard Style Challenge—can say about culture writ large. (She justifies almost any purchase by saying it’s “for work.”) Halie has previously held writer and editor roles at Glamour, Morning Brew, and Harper’s Bazaar. Halie has been cited as a fashion and beauty expert in The Cut, CNN Underscored, and Reuters, among other outlets, and appears in newsletters like Selleb and Self-Checkout to provide shopping recommendations. In 2022, she was awarded the Hearst Spotlight Award for excellence and innovation in fashion journalism. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Harvard College. Outside of work, Halie is passionate about books, baking, and her miniature Bernedoodle, Dolly. For a behind-the-scenes look at her reporting, you can follow Halie on Instagram and TikTok.