Trend Alert! Jennifer Lawrence & Penélope Cruz Wear Coats as Dresses

Celebs are turning up on the red carpet in chic toppers

We've all had those days when we've reached for a chic coat to cover up a lazy-day ensemble. And with a wide selection of tasteful toppers to choose from, ranging from sharp trenches to ladylike swing coats, there's no limit to how you can battle the elements—and bad taste—this season.

In fact, celebs like Penélope Cruz and Bérénice Marlohe have recently styled coats as dresses for major red carpet events. Marlohe proved outerwear is definitely in at the Skyfall photocall in New York, where she wore a double-breasted Salvatore Ferragamo Fall 2012 military-green coat with slouchy Tod knee-high boots. Cruz went for a similar look with a Versace Resort 2013 leather trench while promoting Venuto Al Mondo in Rome. Though seemingly innocent, each look piques an is-she-or-isn't-she curiosity about what the stars are—or aren't—wearing underneath their jackets. 

For a less risqué take on the trend, Kirsten Dunst, Leelee Sobieski and Jennifer Lawrence have stepped out in darling Dior coat-style dresses. While Sobieski's red wool coatdress undoubtedly helped keep her warm in Paris during Fashion Week, it still managed to have a flirty quality thanks to a figure-flaunting cinched waist and voluminous skirt. Lawrence's fit-and-flare coatdress brought a new spin to the little black dress at a screening of Silver Linings Playbook in Beverly Hills, while Dunst's navy pea coat-like number was both sexy and sweet.

Whether you wear an actual coat or a dress styled to look like one, make sure to keep accessories to a minimum. A coat-turned-centerpiece makes enough of a statement to make jewelry and over-the-top heels unnecessary.