Kate Winslet Keeps It Simple and (Sometimes) Stylist-Free

On screen, it’s been impossible to pigeonhole Kate Winslet. She’s variously played a Jane Austen heroine (“Sense and Sensibility”), rebellious Edwardian (“Titanic”), artsy hipster (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”) and intelligent villain (the “Divergent” series). Most recently, she won a Golden Globe and has been nominated for an Academy Award for her role as a Polish-Armenian computer marketing guru (“Steve Jobs”).

On the red carpet, though, the 40-year-old is more predictable. “Kate knows how to pick the piece that’s most flattering on her,” said Cheryl Konteh, a friend and on- and off-again stylist for Ms. Winslet for 20 years. That makes the actress “the easiest person to work with that you’re ever going to meet.”

In fact, Ms. Winslet often dispenses with a stylist altogether and — we know this will be hard to believe — simply dresses herself for events. If that doesn’t rankle the many young things of Hollywood who seem to have put the red carpet first and acting second, then see Ms. Winslet’s assured selection of looks this past year.

Keen for solids, “Kate can even take really strong colors,” Ms. Konteh said, pointing to Ms. Winslet’s royal blue Ralph Lauren halter-neck gown she wore to the Globes. The silhouette works on the actress because “she’s got great arms and a tiny, tiny waist,” Ms. Konteh said. These were also flaunted in a custom black halter-neck style with cobalt blue trim dress by Badgley Mischka that the actress wore to the Elle Women in Hollywood Awards in October.

You might have better luck waiting for Leonardo DiCaprio to resurface from the sunken Titanic than for Ms. Winslet to don the occasional frippery. Fitted and sleek are more her thing, and some designers, like Roland Mouret and Azzedine Alaïa, do it better than others, Ms. Konteh said. The actress bared her décolletage in a black gown at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in early January and wore a black and white below-the-knee dress to the Harper’s Bazaar Women of the Year Awards in November, both by Mr. Mouret.

“I love that his designs are unfussy — many of his pieces are figure-hugging, and the fabric does a lot of the work — and Kate just gets in the dress and looks fantastic,” Ms. Konteh said. The little Alaïa black dress with trim waist and flirty skirt Ms. Winslet wore to the London Critics’ Circle Film Awards recently was also a hit.

Ms. Konteh also likes Alexander McQueen for Ms. Winslet, such as the one-shoulder navy gown the actress wore to a “Steve Jobs” screening at the BFI London Film Festival in October. “The fabrics on McQueen dresses are always fantastic,” Ms. Konteh said. “And the design here is clean and flawless, but it’s also got a touch of edginess.”

Ms. Winslet also personally chose a head-turning vermilion gown by McQueen for the Cardboard Citizens fund-raiser in London last spring. For the premiere of “The Dressmaker” at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall, it was a gray embellished Badgley Mischka halter-neck gown, while for the New York Film Festival a few weeks later, she selected a seductive Valentino dress with plunging neckline and lace skirt.

“She knows her body inside-out by now,” Ms. Konteh said. “She’s brilliant in that way; she has a very clear idea of the kind of style she likes.”