The Stunning Style Transformation Of Zooey Deschanel

Ever since Zooey Deschanel entered the world of Hollywood, it was clear that this star's style was going to be authentic. Rising to fame in the late '90s and early aughts, Deschanel was everything but the epitome of the period's fashion. In fact, she mostly looked like she time-traveled from the past. "Personally, I've always liked the 1960s — that's just my aesthetic. I like structured clothes, miniskirts, things like that," she told Real Simple in 2024. "Oversized clothes don't really look good on me — I get swallowed up by clothes really easily, so when I wear stuff that's oversized, I look like I'm wearing somebody else's clothes. ... I look better in a more tailored silhouette."

However, just because Deschanel has remained loyal to her style over the years, that doesn't mean there haven't been noticeable fashion changes throughout her career. "My style icons are Audrey Hepburn and Twiggy," Deschanel revealed — and just like her icons, the actor has also shown how important it is to pick clothes based on personal preference and not just because they're trendy. After all, trends come and go, but Deshanel's style will forever be divine simply because it's so unapologetically hers! Now, allow us to take you down memory lane as we explore the subtle yet impactful fashion changes she has gone through over the past few decades.

Zooey Deschanel kicked her professional acting career off in the late '90s, and by the early aughts, she was known for appearing in projects like "Almost Famous" and "Manic." With her more common appearances on red carpets, it was impossible not to notice Deschanel's unique style. The actor — who was in her late teens and early 20s at the time — adored vintage pieces, particularly anything that resembled fashion from the middle of the 20th century.

In fact, in her 2024 interview with Real Simple, Deschanel admitted that fashion played a major role in her life at the time. "Back in high school and college I used to be obsessed with creating looks, so I'd be super over the top and pore over every little detail in my outfit," she said. Similarly, for The Guardian in 2010, the star revealed that wearing secondhand wasn't unusual in her friend group. "At school the kids wore hippy dresses from thrift stores, and people made their own clothes," she admitted. "I've always enjoyed wearing old-fashioned clothes. I try to do a bit of research before I travel so I know where to uncover vintage finds." Fun colors and bold accessories were a must for Deschanel, who was actually rocking blond hair at the time.

2003 marked one of the most significant years in Zooey Deschanel's acting career, as she starred in "Elf," a Christmas movie that has gained cult status over the years. Hand in hand with her career flourishing, Deschanel also decided to ditch the blond and go back to her natural dark-brown locks and signature bangs — a hairstyle the star might even sport during her nuptials with Jonathan Scott.

While Deschanel's style remained retro-inspired, the actor slowly but surely decided to have a bit more fun with her looks, straying away from the classic (and kind of boring) silhouettes and incorporating more fun patterns and unique materials into her style. Accessorizing remained a must for the star, and one of her favorite quick ways to amp up any look was to add a bright-red lip.

The mid-2000s came with a change in Zooey Deschanel's style as the actor embraced a more sultry side of fashion. Silky materials and silhouettes that revealed more skin became a red-carpet norm for the star as her career continued to bloom.

Two of our favorite looks from this era of Deschanel's fashion include the floral '70s-inspired number she rocked at the Gucci Spring Fashion Show in 2006, and the modern (and almost sheer) silk dress she wore as she walked the red carpet for the 2006 "Glory Road" premiere. While the actor pulls off vintage looks like nobody in the industry, she has also shown that she looks just as stunning in modern pieces, making her a very versatile fashionista.

In 2008, Zooey Deschanel became a Hollywood staple thanks to her role in the comedy "Yes Man." With more fame, Deschanel got to showcase her style even more, and in the late 2000s, we noticed that the star was rather fond of one trend — the puffy miniskirt.

Apart from the voluminous silhouette, Deschanel also decided to enter her most colorful era, as bright pink and red became everyday looks for the star. Thanks to her signature brown hair with bangs and her increasingly quirky and colorful style — which still had a retro element to it — Deschanel became instantly recognizable no matter where she went. And while her success was growing with each new day, we can't help but notice that even though the star ventured out and explored fashion, she always remained true to herself by making fashion choices she liked. Regardless of what was trending, she continued to favor pieces that suited her personality. 

In 2009, Zooey Deschanel starred in yet another cult classic — this time, we're talking about the romantic drama "500 Days of Summer." With the project, we noticed that Deschanel began gravitating toward more feminine and ethereal silhouettes. And yes, somehow, she managed to rock pastel colors without looking like an Easter egg.

For The Guardian, Deschanel opened up about her style. "I love getting dressed up and shopping, but I don't follow trends. My style fluctuates: It's whimsical and feminine," she said in 2010. "When I was little, I was a really girly girl who didn't like to wear trousers. I just wore party dresses all the time with patent-leather shoes." In fact, the star even shared some fashion advice. "Know what suits you. Now I understand proportion and recognize the shapes that look good on my figure," she admitted. "I try to stick to classic pieces. I don't go to a lot of fashion shows or pay attention to what other people are wearing." The more famous Deschanel became, the more access to fashion experts she had, not that she really needed additional knowledge. In fact, we bet that 17-year-old Deschanel would approve of all of the looks the actor wore in the late 2000s.

As the new decade kicked off — and Zooey Deschanel entered her 30s — the star decided to give herself even more fashion freedom. In contrast to what we'd seen before, the actor was now embracing silhouettes and color combinations that seemed brand new. Of course, all of it was still very much Zooey Deschanel-esque, but there was an edge to her new looks. In particular, the star was rocking a lot of black-and-white ensembles, like the fun Moschino dress that she wore to the "Our Idiot Brother" premiere in 2011.

That year, Deschanel also revealed to Glamour that she loves adding tights to her outfits. "I am a year round tights girl," Deschanel admitted. "I will wear tights even if it's 100 degrees outside. Tights are my safety blanket. In them, I know that I can do a sweet row of cartwheels anytime, anywhere without anyone catching a glimpse of my knickers." And in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she opened up about her favorite article of clothing. "I would have to say ballet flats. I'm really into flat shoes," Deschanel revealed, admitting that picking just one item that she loves is very difficult for her. In the same interview, the "Elf" star also admitted that she generally prefers "cheapy" clothes to high fashion.

Even though Zooey Deschanel enjoyed some brief experimentation with edgier and bolder looks, by 2014, she had mostly gone back to what she was best known for — classy and vintage-looking fashion with vibrant pops of color. Of course, that didn't result in a bland wardrobe by any means; in fact, her 2015 color-blocked dress by Kate Spade New York, which the actor rocked to the Governors Awards, was the epitome of trendy at the time, even though it perfectly fitted Deschanel's retro repertoire.

In 2014, the star ventured into the fashion industry as she collaborated with Tommy Hilfiger on a clothing line. While Deschanel had been known as a fashion inspiration up until that point, she hadn't really worked in the fashion industry. With lots of nautical themes and mod-inspired silhouettes, the line was everything Deschanel could have dreamt of. "Working with Tommy on this capsule collection has been really amazing," she revealed (via CNN). "I am a fashion fanatic and I am always looking for new ways to incorporate vintage, feminine pieces into my own wardrobe. Tommy and I share many of the same inspirations — old school music, classic films and Old Hollywood icons — and his guidance during the design process helped to put a really unique twist on each piece." While it isn't unheard of for Hollywood stars to venture into fashion projects, Deschanel's line was surely a long-awaited one by fans of modern interpretations of retro and vintage styles.

By the second half of the 2010s, Zooey Deschanel was a fashion icon in her own right. Anyone who loved preppy and retro fashion looked up to her and her ability to give vintage styles a modern twist. Our favorite Deschanel look from 2016 has to be the Sachin & Babi black gown with golden leaf embellishments which she wore to the Vanity Fair Oscar Party. The silhouette of the dress was classic and timeless, but the chiffon material and embellishments made it much more modern.

Apart from her red-carpet fashion, Deschanel was also making waves in this era for her street style, which was always a tad more casual than her work appearances. In fact, she was known for giving us cool-girl energy in denim overalls — a piece that is definitely difficult to pull off for most people.

Even though Zooey Deschanel experimented with various colors over the years, in the late 2010s, she seemingly found herself drawn to the simplicity and elegance of white pieces. And even though she still rocked bold colors, it was the dresses she wore for the 2018 Heal The Bay's Bring Back The Beach Awards Gala and the 2019 premiere of "Good Boys" that left us in awe.

Apart from continuing to wow everyone with her style, the actor also opened up about her daughter's sense of fashion. "She likes to put together outfits and she has very distinct opinions on what she will or will not wear," the Hollywood star told People in 2019. "It's very sweet to see her say, 'I like this' or 'I don't like that,' and express herself in that way." Together with her ex-husband, film producer Jacob Pechenik, Deschanel has two children, Elsie and Charlie — and judging from what the actor has shared, her daughter seems to have inherited the star's love for fashion.

Not even the COVID-19 pandemic managed to slow Zooey Deschanel's fashion evolution down. In fact, we'd argue that she kicked off the 2020s with her best looks to date. After years of subtle experimentation, the Hollywood star figured out what colors and silhouettes suit her, and just like that, she proved that vintage fashion can be ultra-modern — as contradictory as that may sound.

For the 2020 premiere of "Emma," Deschanel decided to go with a vintage choice, showing up to the red carpet in a beautiful baby-pink knee-length Scaasi dress with ruffled detailing on the skirt. The delicate and feminine look was pure perfection, and we frankly didn't think she could top it. But she did. In 2021, Deschanel attended the Baby2Baby 10-Year Gala, and she somehow managed to pull off classic corduroy — yes, the type used for pants — in the form of a red-carpet gown. The emerald-green color and the elbow sleeves elevated the material which actually ended up working. And even though it's been years since we've seen this look, it remains one of our favorite Deschanel fashion moments of all time.

Even though Zooey Deschanel has her signature style that leans into a retro and vintage aesthetic, she has, over the years, shown that she can rock a variety of different looks. At the 2022 Venice International Film Festival, Deschanel stunned us all in a breathtaking custom-made Dolce & Gabbana gown that was definitely giving Old Hollywood glamour. A year later at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, Deschanel showed that she can look just as glamorous in an avant-guard piece — something we're more used to seeing stars like Lady Gaga (who loves fashion risks) wear. Deschanel wore an Iris Van Herpen Haute Couture design to the iconic Hollywood party, and even though most of us wouldn't link this design to the star, she undoubtedly pulled it off.

In 2022, Deschanel opened up to Elle about her fashion evolution over the years. "My style has evolved; it's more sophisticated," she said. "I think the thing about what you wear is, does it make you feel pretty, or handsome, or attractive, or whatever you want to look like? Is it projecting what you want to project to the world? If it makes you feel good to wear it, you should wear it." And while getting ready for the Rosie Assoulin show at New York Fashion Week 2023, she revealed to Town & Country that she still finds so much joy in fashion. "My approach to fashion is one not everybody agrees with," Deschanel admitted. "I just find it to be very fun! That's what it should be; it should be fun to dress yourself. ... And if you enjoy it and you're having fun and you are doing fashion right, in my opinion. A lot of people take it so seriously!"

Today, Zooey Deschanel is just as known in fashion as she is in the movie industry. The actor remains one of the few stars who have managed to stay true to themselves and their signature style while also exploring fashion. After all, we've all seen so many rich and famous ladies change their style and completely reinvent themselves — and while that is totally cool — it's also refreshing to see someone evolve without completely switching to a different style lane. "I don't believe in trends. Everything cycles around really fast anyway, and I think if something looks good on you, you should wear it," she told Real Simple in 2024. "Trends are universal, but style is individual. Not everything looks good on everybody. You can look amazing in something and I won't, so I don't want that being the only thing available."

And in 2024, Deschanel has looked incredibly stylish any time the cameras have snapped a photo of her. For the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, she wore a bold Patou gown, and at Paris Fashion Week, she showed up to the brand's show in a head-to-toe blue look. In fact, we're beginning to believe that Deschanel doesn't ever have a bad fashion day — and we can't wait to see the looks she serves us in the years to come! Now, since Deschanel is all about vintage styles, check out a trend that is totally up her alley: blending vintage eras!