Diane Keaton’s Best Quotes About Her Iconic Fashion Sense: ‘I Do Love Clothes’

Diane Keaton was the ultimate style icon, both on and off the screen.

With her turtlenecks, thick belts, tinted eyewear and bowler hats, the beloved actress — who died at the age of 79 in October 2025 — pulled off an array of legendary black-and-white and monochromatic looks that, truthfully, only she could.

“I still love a turtleneck, a hat and a jacket,” she told WWD in 2024, stating that she simply wore what she liked rather than trying to conform to a specific trend. “I think I focus more on wearing suits daily than ever before. And wait … a wide belt.”

Of a cinched waist, Keaton told Vogue in September 2023, “These things are great, because they sustain the idea that I have a body. I’m not kidding! I like to have a belt that’s a little tighter.”

As for her penchant for headgear, Keaton said she owned around 40 hats.

“I’ve kept every one that I’ve had an opportunity to put on my stupid head,” she told Vogue.

Below, read some of Diane Keaton’s best quotes about her indelible fashion sense:

On Her Status as a Style Icon

“It’s an honor! Why me? I’ve been so fortunate and lucky,” Keaton told Vogue. “And I do love clothes; I love looking at them. I buy all the magazines, and I’m constantly cutting pages of things that I find interesting — a Dior outfit, hats, or how people decorate their homes. I’m an addict.”

For the Love of Turtlenecks

“Turtlenecks are particularly underrated. Buy one. I dare you. Give one a try,” she wrote in her 2014 memoir, Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Pretty. “Turtlenecks cushion, shield and insulate a person from harm.”

She told The Gloss that she learned about fashion throughout the decades, but only took one thing from the ‘60s.

“I incorporated a tie or two from the ’70s, some polka dots from the ’80s, my cross necklaces from the ’90s and absolutely nothing from the ’60s except for my black turtlenecks,” she said. “I toned down the colors from the past and leaned into my instinct and love for black and white.”

On Her Hat Collection

In her interview with Vogue, Keaton said “it hasn’t been a problem” growing her hat collection.

“I love them — nothing’s changed, I still love them. I have quite a large assortment of hats. I’ve kept every one that I’ve had an opportunity to put on my stupid head.“

When asked how many she owned, Keaton said “about 40” before joking, “Don’t you dare tell anyone.”

“I think it’s pretty weird. But I love it,” she said of her expansive assortment. “My favorite is a plain black Baron bowler hat. I’ve had it for so long. It’s good — it’s dependable. And the head is still there — mine, I mean.”

Funny enough, it was her head that led her to hats.

“I started wearing hats as soon as I realized I hated my hair,” she told The Gloss. “A hat allows me to hide the worst part of the head. You know, that strange area from your eyebrows to your hairline. A hat is the final touch to a great outfit.”

Why Belts Are a Lady’s Best Friend

Keaton frequently spoke about a belt’s ability to “lock herself in” an outfit.

In a social media video post in July 2020, Keaton showed off her extensive belt collection and praised the accessory for helping to give her figure some shape.

“I don’t have anything except my own regular body, right? So the best way to hide it, and one that I really enjoy, is to use and utilize belts. Belts are our saviors now,” Keaton gushed while slipping one on over a white coat. “I just thought I’d share that with you. Some of my tips on, you know, how to have a body that isn’t just like mine — mine is just like a stick straight, kind of bad thing with some skin popping out all over. See what I’m saying? So now I’ve got on a belt. Now, don’t you think that helps a little, right?”

Her Eye for Eyewear

Keaton has always been a lover of glasses, and even teamed up with Look Optic in 2024 to launch her own, inaugural collection.

“Some things never change for me,” she told People at the time, describing the collaboration as “simple and chic.”

“I could wear glasses day and night,” she shared. “I have even been known to sleep in them.”

Skirts and Dresses Weren’t Her Favorites

“I have always had a rough time with skirts, especially if they are too short. (My knees are ugly),” Keaton told The Gloss. “Even if they are below the knee, I put an obscene amount of tulle underneath it to make it wide. And I will never, never, never wear one without a belt.”

The same goes for frocks.

“I don’t really like dresses,” she added. “If I wear them, they are rarely form-fitting and usually with a belt.”

Coats and Jackets, and Blazers, Oh My!

Keaton told The Gloss that “a coat is my version of a ballgown.”

“A coat is perfection. It is like a cellar. I am hidden. I can relax in a coat, which is a blessing for a person like me who tends to be anxious and worried most of the time. A coat gives me the opportunity to make my own decision about how my waist will look. I lock myself in with a nice big belt.”

She also noted that Annie Hall, for which she won an Oscar for Best Actress in 1978, sparked a joy to embrace fashion.

“I look back on Annie Hall and can’t talk about that movie without talking about the fashion, it was everything to me,” she said. “I loved being able to dress like myself. My muses were the women of New York City who were walking the streets of Soho in baggy trousers and a blazer. I was layering pieces.”

A Suit is a Woman’s Game, Too

“There are so many wonderful things to love about a suit,” Keaton told The Gloss. “The pants don’t have to be too tight. Neither does the jacket. I like my sleeves to go down long, to cover me up. Suits make me feel comfortable.”

Keaton said she began experimenting with suits in the late ’80s.

“By 1990, I began to wear a lot more suits and also found an obsession with cross necklaces, typically layered upon one another like a very devoted nun,” she explained. “I also threw in some bow ties and pocket squares.”

The actress also told Vogue that she loved to wear a suit with a turtleneck and a vest.

“I don’t want to be flashy, but I do want to dress myself with what I like. [With a black and white outfit,] you can add anything to it,” she continued. “I can wear a lot of hats. Or coats with a wide belt. I don’t get too crazy with color.”

How She Found Inspiration in Thrift Stores

“[My mother] took me to Goodwill and let me express myself,” Keaton told People in 2024. “She was my biggest supporter and manifester of my creativity.”

She also told The Gloss, “The Goodwill [charity shop] was our sanctuary. Mom taught my sister Dorrie and me to rummage for the best and alter if needed. We would spend hours hunting through racks for anything that had the slightest potential.”

She continued, “We would assemble our idea, do my hair and makeup, and then head to the backyard (or even find some wall to pose up against in the neighborhood) to take pictures. “I miss my backyard photoshoots with my mom.”

On the Designers She Loves

“People on the street, to be honest,” she told WWD. “If you are asking me about designers it would be people like Ralph Lauren, Thom Browne and Celine.”

As for her belts, Keaton adored Susan Becker, saying in her social media video, “These belts have curves, and curves are much better.”

“The world of belts has been neglected. It’s been neglected for a long time. I think it’s time for all of us to take another look at what the belt can do for our bodies — in certain situations, in certain kinds of clothes.”