Gabrielle Union Shares the Secret to Her Fierce Style: 'I'm Me 100 Percent of the Time' (Exclusive)

The actor, advocate and fashion icon opens up to PEOPLE about the power and passion behind what she wears

Gabrielle Union knows how to shut down a red carpet.

From her posing skills to her infectious smile to her incredible outfits, the actor and advocate radiates confidence at any event, something she tells PEOPLE took time to develop.

Her secret? The 51-year-old star simply remains authentic to how she's feeling and ignores outside noise.

"I'm me 100% of the time. I follow where my passion is," she tells PEOPLE in this week's issue. "Today, I'm in sweats and my Uggs, very L.A. But last night, baby, I had a slit up to my tuchus and a heel, which usually I fight back against the heels. My style evolves daily and I dress how I feel and sometimes I feel powerful in a suit and sometimes I feel most powerful naked. I indulge whatever it is that I'm feeling because the expression through clothes is going to be much more authentic if I dress the way I feel and not to be a hanger for someone else. That's worked for me."

Union works closely with stylist Thomas Christos Kikis on her wardrobe, recently pulling out two show-stopping looks for the 2024 Oscars — a glittering Carolina Herrera two-piece design for Academy Awards red carpet and a low-back beaded Zuhair Murad halter stunner at the Vanity Fair after party, both teamed with Tiffany & Co. jewelry.

"I stopped caring about what other people thought and I realized that the peanut gallery's thoughts pay not one bill," she tells PEOPLE. "They're not with me in the trenches, so why am I giving them control of how I look or what I put on my body or who I'm friends with or opportunities that I seek out? I'm me 100% of the time."

Related: Gabrielle Union Teams with Knix to Bring Awareness to Menstruation, Menopause and Everything in Between (Exclusive)

While Union and husband Dwyane Wade may be one of the best dressed couples in Hollywood, she says they are "not sentimental about holding onto" their looks and focus on closet cleanouts often.

"I saved obviously my wedding dress and my reception dress and stuff like that," she tells PEOPLE. "But I don't know if he saved his tux from the wedding or his outfit that Dsquared2 customized for him. I'll ask him that."

For more on PEOPLE's interview with Union, pick up the new issue on stands now.

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Read the original article on People.