The Stunning Style Transformation Of Julianne Hough

Ever since she shot to fame in 2007 as a professional dancer on "Dancing with the Stars," Julianne Hough has been soaking up the spotlight. Not long after her television debut, she launched her career as a country singer and showed off her acting chops in musical movies. Since then, she's branched out by launching clothing lines, hosting, and even writing a novel. What's even more amazing is that she's done it all while displaying some enviable style, too. From trendy minidresses to bold, artsy jumpsuits, Hough's style has truly transformed over the years. One thing that's remained the same, though, is that she has always prioritized expressing herself, no matter what she's doing.

In a 2024 talk with New Beauty, Hough opened up about the many different paths she's taken in her career, saying, "I love being a part of anything that is the same thread of identity, self-discovery, empathy and love and allowing people to feel as fully expressed as they can." She continued to say, "I started in dance, then went to music, acting, entrepreneurship, wellness, beauty, and fashion — all of that is about authentic self-expression. That throughline can be in any industry and there's openings for that everywhere." But regardless of what career path she's exploring, Hough is consistently stylish and continues to evolve with her growing fashion sense. 

In 2007, Julianne Hough first caught national attention by winning the fourth season of "Dancing with the Stars" along with partner Apolo Ohno. Not only was she taking over the dance floor, but she was taking over red carpets as well. Many of her early red-carpet looks have a similar feel, with trendy satin minidresses being a style staple. While she sometimes wore bright colors like lime green, teal, and coral, one color, in particular, seemed to be her favorite: white. At the 2007 premiere of "Ocean's Thirteen," she wore a swishy, shiny white dress with a halter neck and white accessories, all of which nearly matched the color of her bleach-blond hair. Clearly, she knew the best colors to wear with blond hair in any season. At the 2008 premiere of "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," she wore another loose-fitting white minidress, this time with subtle floral detailing around the high neckline.

The world was taking notice of the 19-year-old professional-dancer-turned-country singer in a big way. Besides winning "Dancing with the Stars," one of her songs had made Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, and she had been dubbed "100 of the most beautiful women in the world" by Maxim. In a 2008 interview with American Noise, Hough discussed her feelings about her new fame and image, saying, "It's funny, with being 'sexy.' I don't think that at all. It's kinda flattering, but funny at the same time."

By 2010, Julianne Hough's career was heating up. She wasn't just dancing or singing; she was also establishing herself as an actor with roles in music-driven movies like "Burlesque" and "Footloose." This was also the year a new romance came into her life, and she and TV personality Ryan Seacrest began dating. Similarly, things were changing when it came to her style as well. She was not only injecting more color into her looks, but she was also showing more skin.

While attending the 2011 Academy of Country Music Awards, Hough wore a flowing coral-colored gown with a floral print on the skirt and an ultra-low back. She paired the daring and sultry look with gold hoop earrings and a gold clutch. She also wore her hair in a high, center-parted pony, which undoubtedly helped her show off her backless dress. At the premiere of "Footloose," Hough was also having more fun with color, by wearing a bold, red 'fit with long, sheer sleeves. By keeping her jewelry minimal and wearing nude heels along with soft, side-swept curls, she kept the look simple but polished.

In 2012, Julianne Hough was continuing to sing, dance, and act. She was also entering a new era in her style where she increasingly opted for sleeker and simpler looks. Something that also started to make an appearance around this time was a taste for menswear and masculine details that would continue to pop up in her red-carpet styles over the years.

While at the GQ Man of the Year Party, Hough fittingly wore a menswear-inspired white, double-breasted suit with a plunging neckline. The rolled-up sleeves, gold clutch, and bold, red lip gave it a classic and feminine touch. Hough, who was now also rocking shorter, above-the-shoulder length hair, was wearing another bold red lip at the premiere of her new movie "Rock of Ages." Obviously, she knew just what clothing colors to avoid pairing with a classic red lip. She wore her hair in a messy topknot along with a highlighter-yellow dress. The full-length gown featured angled mesh cutouts that brought a subtle but edgy feel to the eye-popping, modern look.

Julianne Hough only continued to branch out when it came to her red-carpet looks in 2013. She was starting to play with different kinds of fabrics and patterns. One great example of this is her look from the premiere of "The Lone Ranger." There, she donned a black-and-white peplum top and pants that featured a bold, intricate, symmetrical print, which she paired with white sandals and red nail polish.

At the Emmys that year, which she attended with her brother and fellow dancer Derek Hough, she was making another big style statement, but in a totally different way. Instead of a bold print, Hough was rocking an elegant and eye-catching pastel-blue gown with a sheer, rhinestone-encrusted skirt. A matching clutch with pearl details, nude nails, and low-key makeup kept the look cohesive. Despite being sheer and showing skin, the styling helped take Hough's look in a less racy and more trendy direction. 

Those weren't Hough's only stand-out style moments from 2013, though. In 2021, she would find herself looking back at her 2013 Halloween costume (of the character "Crazy Eyes" from "Orange Is the New Black") where she wore blackface. In an Instagram post from 2021, she shared some words about the situation, writing, "Wearing blackface was a poor choice based on my own white privilege and my own white body bias that hurt people and is something I regret doing to this day." She continued to say, "However, the regret that I live with pales in comparison to the lived experiences of so many. My commitment has been to reflect and act differently. Not perfectly, but hopefully with a more developed understanding that racism and white supremacy is harmful to ALL people."

By the mid-2010s, Julianne Hough's looks became even more simple and streamlined. At the 2014 American Music Awards, she wore a red dress with a trendy edge. A plunging sheer panel filled with geometric shapes brought a lot of interest to the dress, along with the super-high slit in front. She accessorized the look simply with a gold clutch and slicked-back hair. At the Elle Women in Hollywood awards in 2015, Hough was rocking another sleek, body-hugging look. Her white midi-length dress featured a rounded cut-out under her bust. With this look, she accessorized with a gold clutch once again and seemed to be having a naked nail summer with a low-maintenance-looking mani.

It wasn't just Hough's red-carpet looks that were laid-back around this time, though. While talking to Allure in 2015, Hough opened up about some of her favorite casual looks, saying, "I have seven pairs of overalls. They remind me of my childhood, and they're really comfortable. They're starting to get really stylish — they're coming back."

Around this time, Julianne Hough started playing with a new element in her red-carpet looks: bold floral details. At the "Dancing with the Stars" Season 23 finale, she wore a voluminous black gown with a tulle skirt and red, green, and white flowers and vines on the skirt and bodice. She paired it with a red nail and a red lip, which both truly popped.

Glamorous red-carpet looks aside, Hough was getting into fashion in another way — by launching an athleisure line. This of course seems like such a natural move for a pro dancer who was often photographed by paparazzi out and about in athleisure looks. While talking to Glamour, Hough discussed her feelings on athleisure saying, "I've been wearing athletic clothes my whole life, and I always felt like they've never been okay to go outside and run errands in, and go to meetings and whatever. So I was like, 'How do I create something that I can mix and match with your streetwear?' I'm really excited about it."

Clearly, Hough understood that mixing and matching, as well as accessorizing, are key for bringing athleisure outfits to the next level. In the interview, she continued to say, "I think a lot of people think workout [wear] is schlubby or like, 'Oh, I'm disgusting, I gotta go change my clothes,' and I'm like, 'No, you can make it really cute and wear it all day and not feel like a schlub.'"

For Julianne Hough, 2017 was a year of revisiting some of her style go-to pieces. At the Emmys that year, she was again rocking a black full-skirted tulle dress with some eye-catching floral details scattered across the top half. She paired the gown with a black clutch and silver rings. Her hair was pulled back with a deep side part, keeping all the focus on the detailing.

Another standout look was a glitzy gunmetal pantsuit that Hough wore to a Trevor Project Gala. While rocking a pantsuit was nothing new for Hough, this look was particularly glamorous, with the deep neckline and flared pants giving it an edgy and fun vibe. She paired the look with a black clutch, pointed-toe heels, and some classic red nails.

Maybe the most notable style moment of all for Hough that year was her wedding gown. This was the year she married her fiancé, Brooks Laich, in an outdoor ceremony. Her gown was sheer and custom-made by Marchesa with a bohemian vibe that was totally fitting for her outdoor ceremony. Of the event, Hough said to People, "Brooks and I kept eye contact the entire ceremony. We never stopped looking at each other."

During the late 2010s, white was proving to be a favorite color for Julianne Hough, just as it was in her early red-carpet appearances. At the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscars Party, the star wore an off-white satiny gown with a vintage feel. With the V-necked dress, she also wore a long statement pendant necklace and carried a black clutch. The most exciting thing about this look didn't have anything to do with the outfit, though. The usually blond dancer's hair was a rich shade of red, which truly stood out against her neutral dress.

In 2019, Hough was rocking white tones again at the Billboard Music Awards. This look was a 180 from her simple vintage-inspired white 'fit from the previous year. Her blazer, bra top, and hot pants were all completely beaded and absolutely show-stopping. She kept accessories minimal and paired the outfit with some ultra-high silver heels.

That year, Hough wasn't just showing more skin on the red carpet; she was also stripping down, both physically and emotionally, in a nude photo shoot for Women's Health, where she revealed that she was "not straight." She also discussed the photoshoot itself, saying, "I didn't want to do a demure shoot where I was trying to cover my body. I wanted to do something where I was free."

In the early 2020s, Julianne Hough was continuing to have fun with fashion, and play with new elements both on and off the red carpet. At a fashion launch event in 2021, Hough could be seen wearing some timeless fall styles with an updated edge. She wore a classic knit beige sweater with a white shirt underneath. Brown sunglasses and a red clutch made for some classic accessories. It was her jeans, however, that were the main focus of this look. Featuring some quilted-looking patches on one leg, the jeans created an eclectic vibe that took the outfit beyond a basic fall style.

Later that year, Hough was showing off her style in a completely different way. While attending the Fashion Trust Arabia awards ceremony in Qatar, she rocked a super-elegant nude dress that featured floor-length sleeves, tons of crystals, and a hood. Neutral makeup and sparkly chandelier earrings suited the dress to perfection.

The year 2022 was all about singing and performing for Julianne Hough, and wearing some super glam stage looks. While performing a cabaret-style show in New York, she donned multiple gorgeous dresses. One of them featured some dramatic draping across the chest. Another look — a bright-green dress — featured a slit, cutouts at the waist, and diamond detailing at the center of her stomach. A metallic headpiece and a red lip pulled the look together.

While speaking with People, Hough opened up about the significance of the show for her: "Exploring and trying new things is what this show and season of life is all about for me," she said. "Being able to reinvent myself over and over through the years has been a great gift, to create new narratives. To find my balance of 'artist vs performer' and the space between ... is so important to me." Undoubtedly, the importance of exploration and reinvention spilled over into her approach to her style, too. 

In 2023, mixing masculine and feminine elements was paramount for Julianne Hough. That year, she was snapped in New York wearing an edgy but adorable mini blazer dress, which she paired with sheer black tights and platform heels. She was also snapped wearing a flowy white dress which she paired with a structured, cropped white menswear-inspired jacket for a subtly eclectic look. Hough wasn't just in New York looking stylish, that year, though; she was also spending quality time at New York Fashion Week. While talking to People, Hough said, "Fashion week is a highlight of the year for me and a time I really look forward to. I love seeing each designer's vision come alive on the runway."

That year, she was also opening up about her blossoming style in general. Speaking to Women's Wear Daily, she opened up about her experience with a new stylist, saying, "I've really evolved my style in the last couple years ... I always had a vision of how I feel on the inside, but it's not representing how I look on the outside, and so working with Jen [Mazur], she really helped me go into staple pieces and specific vibes, and I finally feel like I found my voice and fashion."

In 2024, Julianne Hough continued to find herself through fashion by making bold moves on the red carpet. Not only was she sporting a new, shorter, and trendy haircut, but she was also playing around with textures and shapes. At the Tony Awards, she wore a super-feminine and ethereal light-pink gown with tons of delicate texture.

At the Oscars, she tried something new. "Since the Oscars is so glamorous, I knew I wanted to do something cool and different," Hough's stylist Jennifer Mazur told People. "When Vauthier sent me a photo of this jumpsuit that they had in Paris that no one had seen yet, I knew it was an instant winner. When I showed it to Julianne, she fell in love. From the second she tried it on. We knew it was the winner for the Oscars. Julianne loves taking a fashion risk and loves to be different." Rocking her chin-length bob, Julianne Hough continues to prove that she'll always be chic, no matter what direction her style takes in the future.