Honestly, if you were scrolling through fashion mags or hitting the counters at Neiman Marcus back in early 2012, you couldn't escape those hazel eyes. Felicity Jones wasn't just another actress doing a side hustle. She became the face of Dolce and Gabbana's "The Make Up" at a time when the brand was doubling down on that hyper-glamorous, Mediterranean-widow-but-make-it-fashion vibe.
It was a big deal.
Jones was fresh off the Sundance high of Like Crazy—a movie that basically proved she could act circles around anyone while looking like a Renaissance painting. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana didn't just see a "pretty face." They saw what they called a "divine contradiction." It’s a bit dramatic, sure, but that’s the Italians for you. They were obsessed with her being "classically beautiful yet modern in attitude."
Basically, she was the British girl next door who could pull off a blood-red lip and look like she owned a villa in Sicily.
The "Aristocratic Sauvage" Era
When she signed on, there was a ton of chatter about whether she was replacing Scarlett Johansson. Scarlett had been the queen of the brand's beauty line since 2009. But the designers were like, "Nah, there's room for both."
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The first campaign they dropped was for the Khol Collection in January 2012.
The brief? "Aristocratic, sauvage girl."
Think messy-but-expensive hair, velvet-glide eye pencils, and skin that looked like it had never seen a pore in its life. Pat McGrath—the literal queen of makeup—was the one behind the looks. She used Jones to showcase these heavy, smudged liners and navy blue nails. It was a sharp turn from the bubbly, floral stuff we usually saw in spring.
Later that year, they pivot to the Bouquet Collection. This was the complete opposite. It was all about pastels, pinks, and greens. Jones looked totally different—softer, but still with that "audacious gaze" the designers kept raving about. You've probably seen the shot of her with the "Acqua" eyeshadow; it’s one of those images that still pops up on mood boards today.
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Why it actually worked
Celebrity brand deals happen every five seconds now. They're usually boring. But the Dolce and Gabbana Felicity Jones partnership felt authentic because she actually wore the clothes. She wasn't just showing up for the check.
- The Front Row Presence: She was spotted at the Spring/Summer 2012 show in Milan long before the ads officially leaked. She wore a cream and black lace print cocktail dress with Mary Janes. It was peak D&G.
- The Red Carpet Commitment: Years later, even during her Theory of Everything Oscar run, she was still pulling from their archives. At the 2015 Critics’ Choice Awards, she wore a sheer black gown from their Spring 2015 collection. It was embroidered, slightly gothic, and very "Sicilian Matriarch."
- The Burberry Bridge: Before D&G, she was a Burberry girl. That’s a specific trajectory. Going from the trench-coat-and-rain-slicked-London vibe to the sun-drenched-Italian-glamour vibe showed she had range.
It wasn't all sunshine and lipstick
Look, you can't talk about this era without mentioning the 2015 drama. Domenico and Stefano made those infamous "synthetic children" comments regarding IVF. It sent shockwaves through Hollywood.
Elton John called for a massive boycott. Courtney Love and Ricky Martin were out.
At the time, Jones was still a major red carpet ambassador for the brand. It put a lot of these "faces of the brand" in a weird spot. While she didn't lead the boycott charge as loudly as some others, the fashion world definitely felt a shift. Not long after, she moved on to become the global brand face for Clé de Peau Beauté in 2017.
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The D&G era was effectively over.
The legacy of those ads
Looking back, those campaigns were some of the last "pre-influencer" beauty ads that felt like actual art. They weren't trying to look like a TikTok tutorial. They were trying to sell a fantasy.
If you’re trying to capture that Felicity-inspired D&G look today, you basically need three things:
A really solid kohl liner (the smudgier, the better), a matte red lipstick that stays put, and a total disregard for "minimalist" fashion.
It was about being "sauvage" while wearing lace.
How to use this inspo today:
- Embrace the "Sauvage" Eye: Don't be afraid of heavy liner. Use a pencil, then smudge it with your finger. It's supposed to look lived-in.
- The Alabaster Base: D&G makeup was always about that matte-but-glowing skin. Skip the heavy contour and go for a soft, porcelain finish.
- Lace as a Neutral: Jones proved that black lace isn't just for funerals or weddings. It’s a texture you can wear whenever you want to feel slightly more interesting than everyone else in the room.
The whole Dolce and Gabbana Felicity Jones era was a specific moment in time when British "cool girl" met Italian "maximalism." It’s rare that a brand gets the casting that right. She wasn't just a model; she was the muse.
To really get the most out of this look, you should check out the original 2012 Khol Collection campaign photos—they're a masterclass in how to do high-fashion beauty without looking like you tried too hard. Use them as a reference the next time you want to level up your evening makeup. Don't worry about being "perfect." Just focus on the gaze.