When looking for the best styles or a cool new trend, the first people we turn to are A-list celebrities—they’re total fashion icons right? Well, maybe. Actually, some of our favorite trendsetters are still in the process of getting the whole “fashion” thing down. In fact, if you take a look at how your favorite celebs dressed nine, five or even two years ago, it could lead you to second-guess their fashion cred. Thankfully these stars have all turned their style around, and gone from mismatched dressers to being the face of (or designing for) some of our favorite brands. Ahead we show you the before and after looks of today’s biggest fashion influencers.
Taylor Swift
Okay, we get that just a few years ago Taylor Swift was a country singing kid who was still trying to navigate her way through those awkward teen years. But now that she’s maturing, her styling is changing with her. She’s since added a signature red lip, a youthful, but sophisticated wardrobe (and an on-again-off-again love affair with hats) and is now a muse for designers like Olivier Rousteing of Balmain.
Rihanna
There is no question that Rihanna is a total risk taker and icon when it comes to fashion, but she wasn’t always that way. Sure, we’ve always loved her look, but in the past few years she’s definitely come into her own. Now she’s a Fashion Week vet, a muse for designers like Tom Ford, Balmain and is the latest face of Dior (breaking records as the first black woman to be the face of the brand). She even won the CFDA Fashion Icon Award in 2014.
Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian was always a stylish kid. When you’re an LA socialite and grow up with friends like Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie you tend to dress better than most teenagers. Her style began to improve when she was hitting red carpets due to the success of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, but it was arguably her relationship with Kanye West that helped her gain some fashion recognition (like the controversial cover of Vogue). Now she’s a front row regular and has even posed for designers like Balmain.
Kristen Stewart
Known for being the moody apathetic heroine of the Twilight saga, Kristen Stewart has always had a dark, don’t-give-a-f*ck attitude that made her pretty cool—unfortunately her style wasn’t. But over the years she’s slowly evolved from a mismatched, gawky teen to a well-dressed style favorite. She’s known Karl Lagerfeld since she was 17, but didn’t land a campaign gig with Chanel until 2013. Now that she’s a muse for the brand we can only assume her style cred will continue to improve.
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is known for her outlandish and unique style—it’s the reason we love her. But before she was rocking the Super Bowl stage with sharks or changing up her hair with bright, funky colors she was opting for basic red carpet looks that were, well, boring. Now that she’s come into her own, she’s put out a line of beauty products that include false lashes and a perfume collection. She’s also the muse and face of Moschino—she and designer Jeremy Scott are basically BFFs.
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence is known for being the awkward girl next door and for a while her wardrobe complemented that aesthetic—that is until Dior got ahold of her. Don’t get us wrong we love J. Law and her style wasn’t bad, but compared to her new red carpet looks it’s like night and day. Of course that goofy personality shines through even in couture gowns—mostly when she’s taking a tumble on a stairway. Recently she’s been noticed for her cool-girl street style, and she’s definitely topping the list of our style favorites.
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus is the queen of style reinventions. Ditching her good-girl Hanna Montana persona, Cyrus has been seen in everything from candy-colored Jeremy Scott designs to Tom Ford nipple pasties. While the change was initially met with some backlash and more than a few hits on the worst-dressed list, we’ve come around and so has the fashion world. In addition to partnering with Scott for some funky capsule collections, she’s also landed a Marc Jacobs campaign and continues to make the rounds on the red carpet.
Victoria Beckham
There was a time when girl power and a little, black Gucci dress ruled Victoria Beckham’s closet. But her transition from pop star to fashion designer (and relationship with David Beckham) took her from our favorite Spice Girl to our favorite style icon. While no one took her very seriously when she first started her fashion line, she’s now a Fashion Week regular and one of the most popular shows on the schedule. Celebs line the front row at her presentations and wear her pieces to award shows, premieres and Hollywood parties. Now that’s girl power.
