The Stunning Style Transformation Of Joey King

Who would have thought that the 11-year-old girl who starred alongside Selena Gomez in "Ramona and Beezus" would grow up to become not just an incredibly talented and versatile actor but also a confident woman who knows the power of fashion? Joey King has been working in the industry since 2006, and over the years, we've seen her grow from a tween into a beautiful, smart woman who uses her platform to bring joy and awareness — and here at Glam, we have to admit that she's also bringing us plenty of fashion inspiration.

While King has always had a bold and colorful style, her outfits became more daring and funky as she grew up in the spotlight. And today, the actor isn't afraid of experimenting with her look, as she understands that fashion is supposed to be joyous and unique — and nobody's opinion is stopping her from enjoying all that it can offer.

Even though Joey King acted in projects prior to "Ramona and Beezus," it was the 2010 comedy that helped the child star gain recognition in the industry. At the time, King was only 11 years old, and her style reflected kids' fashion of the late 2000s and early 2010s, featuring colorful pieces and funky patterns.

In a 2010 interview with Just Jared Jr., the young star revealed that one of the major fashion icons she looked up to at the time was singer Lady Gaga. "But I am a humongous fan of Lady Gaga. I love her outfits! I like her because of her outfits," King gushed. "And she's really cool! I love her songs and I love her outfits, of course, and sometimes I'm like, 'I want that. I want those sunglasses. I want that wig.'" While King's fashion choices weren't as extreme as Gaga's, the love for dramatic clothing pieces was certainly already noticeable.

After the success of "Ramona and Beezus," no one could stop Joey King. In 2011 and 2012, she appeared in some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters like "Crazy, Stupid, Love" and "The Dark Knight Rises." Even though she was now incredibly busy, the budding star revealed to My Entertainment World that she wouldn't want to have it any other way. "I have been really busy this past year and I'm loving it," King admitted. "I like working a lot, I like traveling."

Now a staple on the red carpets, the young star was making bold and eye-catching choices, often gravitating toward maximalist fashion. In fact, textured fabric seemed to be huge in King's wardrobe, as the actor loved everything from crochet to lace. One of the most memorable looks of the period is definitely the lace A-line dress the actor wore to an event to celebrate the 2013 Golden Globes Awards season. While the dress could have easily looked too sophisticated and serious for her age, King made it more youthful by accessorizing it with a colorful necklace.

As a teen, Joey King became even more confident and comfortable in her fashion choices. "I don't know, with my age, a lot of girls are like, "Oh my god, I love what's in style right now," King told Cosmopolitan in 2014. "And then, like, a year later, they drop them when they're not popular anymore. I think that, mostly, I stick with what I like."

While she did begin to explore more grown-up silhouettes, there was no denying that her name was still written all over the clothing she wore. The star never gravitated toward simple pieces; instead she always made sure her clothes were as complex as she is — and it was clear she had plenty of fun putting her fashion moments together. In fact, for the premiere of the 2013 comedy "This Is The End," King decided to go for a simple black-and-white 'fit, but that didn't mean it was boring. The actor wore a pair of shorts with a long, lace train at the back. And while most would have paired it with a simple top, King opted for a white sheer tank with delicate embroidery on it. Somehow, it all worked together, proving that even as a teen, King had a keen eye for style.

As far as her fashion journey goes, the mid-2010s marked major changes for the star. In 2015, Joey King attended her first-ever New York Fashion Week — and she loved it. "It was incredible. I am so taken aback and in awe of Fashion Week," she gushed to Teen Vogue. "I love the fashion world and I'm starting to really understand and enter it, so hopefully it'll be a way for me to expand my fashion knowledge."

Even though acting was her main passion, King admitted that fashion was becoming more and more fun for her. "... I'm really excited because a lot of the fashion choices I've been making lately are really reflecting who I am now," she admitted. King also added that she doesn't like putting her style in a specific box — and based on the looks she has worn over the years, that is clear as day. "You can be whoever you want when you dress up, whether it's what you wear on a carpet or in your everyday life. You can change your style and just be a different person," she said. "People get too caught up in like, 'Oh, I have this specific style, I'm a tomboy' or 'I have a '60s-type style.' Hey, wear whatever you want ... There's no limitations on fashion and that's what l love about it." And as a teen, King was certainly allowing herself to explore fashion without boundaries, always making sure she felt like herself in the clothes she chose. During this specific period, the actor developed a love for leather pieces, whether they were skinny leather pants or a classic edgy leather moto jacket.

In 2017, Joey King turned 18, and with that, she stepped away from being a childhood star. This was also noticeable in her roles, which became more challenging and serious. In 2019, she portrayed Gypsy-Rose Blanchard in the limited series "The Act," and for the role, she had to shave her head (something she had already done twice in her career). " ... I can say that I haven't felt more feminine in such a long time," King admitted to Teen Vogue at the time. 

As far as her biggest fashion moments go, we noticed that King was way ahead of 2023's daring red trend. In 2018, the actor rocked a wine-red dress to the Emmys, and a year later, she showed up to the same awards show in a bright red ball gown, both of which were by Zac Posen. With her success consistently growing, King was now more often seen at industry events that required glamorous attire — and she never disappointed. 

One thing that's clear by taking a quick look at her growth over the years is that King was never one to follow in anyone's footsteps. And that is also true when it comes to beauty standards. "Typical beauty standards I've never been a fan of," King admitted to Us Weekly in 2019. "I like to change it up a little bit." The actor revealed that her confidence stems from self-love, something she believes everyone needs to work on. "I think that self-love is something that's a little bit rare and that needs to not be so different. It needs to be more of a norm," she added. 

Apart from the lockdown era, during which industry events were halted, 2020 and 2021 were major fashion years for Joey King. As the actor aged, her style became more confident and unapologetic. Even though she will always be best known for her acting, we have to admit that the way she kicked off the 2020s should be studied in fashion history classes.

Two of our absolute favorite looks from this era are the stunning floral minidress she rocked to the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards and the edgy blue set she opted for at the "Moonfall" premiere in 2022. The VMA dress was by Versace, and King candidly opened up about everything that went into looking perfect for the event. "I'm wearing Versace. My first time wearing Versace," the star revealed (via Glamour). "What's up? And what all went into it is I'm wearing a lot of Spanx, I've got some fake makeup on my legs so that they look shiny, and yeah, I have extensions in my hair. So you know, I don't really look like this." For the movie premiere in 2021, King showed up in a Milkwhite set consisting of blue pants, a bra, and a matching oversized jacket — all of which gave the actor a very fashion-forward and futuristic vibe.

After the noticeable shift in the edginess of her style in the early 2020s, there was no stopping Joey King's evolution. In 2022 and 2023, she served us a variety of very different looks that all had one thing in common — they were bold and unexpected.

"I've been having so much fun with my looks, and I've been choosing them all for me, and they're making me happy, so if they're making other people happy, that's awesome," King told The Hollywood Reporter during the Los Angeles premiere of "Bullet Train" in 2022. "I'm enjoying every moment of playing around with my style. I feel like I'm entering a new form of myself where I am not afraid anymore to kind of just do what I want on the carpet," she added. For the premiere, King decided to go with a beautiful Cong Tri dress with a deep neckline and fun cutouts. When asked to describe her style, King said it is always "youthful, daring, and a mix of classic and unique" — and we couldn't agree more!

Today, Joey King is known for her sense of style, which is as diverse as her acting projects. In an interview with People, King revealed that shooting the series "We Were the Lucky Ones" resulted in her newfound love for vintage clothes. "Every time I put something on, I was like, 'I feel like this is how I'm supposed to dress every day.' It made me feel really beautiful in my own skin," the actor admitted, adding that putting on a nice outfit often helps her with productivity.

Apart from getting things done, King has always used fashion as a way to make herself feel really good. "Fashion and beauty help me embody a certain confidence. I am a confident person, but I do feel that it can be dulled by a lot of things," the star admitted to Forbes. "When I am in a look that makes me feel beautiful, or unique, or transforms me in any way, it awakens that dormant confidence that is laying underneath all this other crap that I pile on myself." And while style is so individual and evolving, we have to agree with the star: Fashion is and always should be about confidence and feeling like the best version of yourself!