The Stunning Style Transformation Of Mindy Kaling

Most people may only know Mindy Kaling as the chatty character Kelly Kapoor from "The Office." While that role was truly iconic, Kaling has accomplished so much more, both on the screen and the red carpet. From writing several books to having her own show, "The Mindy Project," and becoming a mom to three children, Kaling has kept herself busy over the years.

However, keeping busy has never stopped her from showing up to the red carpet in style. Over the years, she's made multiple appearances at A-lister events like the Met Gala and the Oscars, where she has experimented with bold colors, interesting shade combinations, and architecturally ambitious gowns. Not only that, but she has often got in on new trends and found a way to make them her own. Whether you look to Kaling for a laugh or some fashion inspiration, she is sure not to disappoint.

In the early 2000s, Mindy Kaling was just making her entrance into the comedy world with her Off-Broadway hit "Matt & Ben," which she created along with Brenda Withers. This was also her entrance into the public eye, and the beginning of her development as a fashion-savvy actor and comedian.

At an afterparty for the show, Kaling rocked a neutral one-shouldered chevron top that coordinated with her neutral lip gloss. She paired it with some simple pearl earrings and wore her mid-length hair with a trendy 2000s flip, one of the most iconic Y2K hairstyles that you can wear. A sheeny nude lip pulled it all together. At another event for her Off-Broadway show, she wore a plunging V-neck satin top with a bright geometric and floral print. With this look, she let her shoulder-length hair flow loose and opted for makeup along the lines of a deep-red lip and smokey eye.

By the mid-2000s, Mindy Kaling was making big career moves. Not only did she land a small role in the movie "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" in 2005, but by 2006, she was on the career-defining sitcom "The Office." Along with making strides in her career, Kaling was also absolutely making strides when it came to expressing herself through her fashion.

At the NBC Primetime Preview in 2005, she was rocking an ultra-trendy but also unexpectedly timeless look: bootcut jeans with a tank top and a super-thick belt cinching in her waist. Some large earrings finished off the look. Kaling showed off a new hairstyle, too. Her strands were notably longer and now featured some piecey bangs. Kaling wasn't just focusing on looking trendy, though; she also wore plenty of elegant styles on the red carpet. At the Creative Arts Emmys in 2006, she wore a simple, neutral-colored satin dress with spaghetti straps, which she completed with a glittery, dark clutch.

Satin gowns were truly working for Mindy Kaling throughout the '00s, and as the decade progressed, she went for even more inventive styles when it came to her red-carpet looks. At the 2007 Primetime Emmys, Kaling wore another neutral-colored satin dress. This time, though, instead of opting for a simple cut, she went for one with ornate detailing on the chest and bodice of her gown. She paired it with a small beaded purse and showed off a shorter and chicer chin-length haircut. With this look, she wore a gray smokey eye and a nude lip.

At the 2008 SAG Awards, Kaling rocked another satin gown with plenty of architectural interest; while it may have seemed like a simple black dress at first glance, it was anything but. This black gown had an open slit in the front, and the front panel of the bodice featured folds that fanned out across the chest. The makeup she chose for this look added some warmth and interest. Kaling rocked a red lip, a warm-pink blush, and some red nails. Clearly, she knew just the right colors of nail polish to wear to complement a black dress.

By 2009, the fashion statements that Mindy Kaling was making were getting bolder and bolder. At the 2009 Emmys, Kaling wore a strapless blue gown with blue-and-pink geometric motifs under the bust, which was totally on trend for the time. The dress featured some flowing layers, and along with its bold hue, it was super-flattering for Kaling. Keeping the focus on the dress, she paired it with some strappy silver sandals, simple silver jewelry, and a silver clutch.

At the premiere of "Inglourious Basterds," Kaling was playing with trends once again. Here, she wore a black sequin top paired with a tiered teal satin skirt. Adding a small black belt around the waist brought a simple but feminine touch to the edgy and colorful outfit. With this look, as with her Emmys look, she let her shoulder-length hair flow straight, with her bangs pinned straight back.

Mindy Kaling continued to stay on top of trends in 2010. At a NBC Universal TV Summer Press Tour party that year, Kaling wore a pink-and-black ombré minidress. The one-shouldered look was cinched in at the waist, creating a flattering silhouette. She kept the accessories to a minimum and paired the dress with loosely curled hair and a matching pink lip.

At the Emmys that year, Kaling showed a whole new side to her style. Unlike many of her other previous red-carpet looks, which were often sleek or fitted, she went for a full-skirted look with sheer fabric showing underneath this time. This strapless black dress also featured a voluminous architectural neckline with sheer fabric. Kaling kept the bold theme going by wearing an oversized black ring and large earrings. She mirrored that same vibe with her hairstyle as well, opting for a beehive-inspired updo. This was truly a stand-out look for Kaling in terms of playing with volume and shape.

By the early 2010s, Mindy Kaling's career was undergoing yet another big change. In 2012, Kaling got her own show, "The Mindy Project," taking her career to a whole new level and giving her a creative platform of her own. Being busy chasing goals didn't stop her from showing off her style, though. This year, her fashion choices took a turn into more adventurous territory, especially when it came to prints and patterns.

At a Glamour event celebrating the release of her book, "The Office" star wore a bodycon dress with spaghetti straps and an intriguing black-and-blue pattern with a staticky chevron vibe. She wore the edgy dress with a bold red lip and minimal jewelry, and let her long hair hang straight.

At an Eco-Casino event in 2012, Kaling played with another type of bold print. This time, it was earthy tones for the win. Diamond patterns and a diamond-shaped neckline made for an undoubtedly eye-catching outfit. Kaling kept her accessories simple and finished off the dress with strappy gold heels.

Over the next couple of years, Mindy Kaling steered away from some of the more attention-grabbing prints and instead donned rich and bold colors in simple but statement-making cuts. At the Met Gala in 2013, the actor wore a deep-plum gown with a peplum bodice. She paired it with a gold collar necklace and a turquoise clutch and ring, which made for an intriguing color combination. She wore her hair loose, textured, and parted to the side. Her deep-berry lip both stood out and coordinated well with the color of her gown.

At the People Magazine Awards in 2014, Kaling was rocking a hot-pink minidress that featured some extra volume in the shoulders and a deeply plunging neckline. Keeping all the focus on her show-stopping dress, Kaling wore few accessories except for some glitzy silver earrings and pulled it all together with some silver point-toed pumps.

At Fox's Winter TCA All-Star Party, Mindy Kaling was rocking a polished but glam outfit featuring a striped shirt and a gold blazer. That wasn't the only glowing gold thing she was showing off on the red carpet, though. She was also debuting a new hair look. Now, her typically dark hair also featured a natural-looking dark-blond ombré element. Speaking to E! News on the red carpet, Kaling opened up about her motivation for trying something new with her hair, saying, "I sort of felt like blond hair should just not be for Caucasian women. I don't know, I kind of just wanted to do it!" She went on to add, "It's just something I've wanted to do the past couple of months. And then I was like, why not? It's not really, really blond."

Attending a panel discussion for her show "The Mindy Project" that year, Kaling wore a blue-and-gold ensemble that represented her Indian heritage and also looked amazing. She completed the blue outfit with gold embroidery with small gold and pearl earrings, a berry lip, and loose, side-parted hair.

By 2016, Mindy Kaling was truly taking her glamorous visions to a whole new level. At the Oscars, she wore a dramatic but elegant two-tone look. Her long black gown had a straight neckline, and her bright-blue sleeves wrapped behind her to tie together and create a long train. The look was both daring and simple, and she accessorized it with tear-drop pearl earrings. She wore her hair pulled back and parted down the middle.

At the Vanity Fair Oscar Party that year, her look was somewhat less experimental but just as sophisticated. There, she wore a black dress with a low neckline that featured crystal details on one side of the bust. The gown also featured two high slits on either side of the skirt, making the look even more sultry. Kaling wore her hair in soft waves and rocked a red lip to pull the whole look together.

Not only was 2017 the year that Mindy Kaling welcomed her first child, but it was also the year that she continued to show off her fashion chops on the red carpet. At the Met Gala, where the theme was Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between, she wore a simple but chic navy-blue sequin dress. The off-the-shoulder gown featured a long fringe at the bottom of the skirt. By keeping her hair back and opting for delicate jewelry, she maintained the focus on her shimmery gown.

At the 2018 Met Gala, where the theme was Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, Kaling took a totally different route. This time, she went full princess mode, wearing a white gown with a train and cape. Adding navy-blue opera gloves and an enormous crown made for a truly stand-out Met Gala look.

In 2019, Mindy Kaling was playing around with bold metallic looks, proving just how fun they could be, and also making it clear why metallics would be everywhere in 2023. At the Vanity Fair Oscar Party that year, she donned a gunmetal silver gown that hugged her figure and featured a subtle but intriguing geometric pattern. She finished it with a matching clutch and red nails. Kaling also wore her hair straight and pulled behind her shoulders.

At the Met Gala that year, themed Camp: Notes on Fashion, she was playing with metallics once again, this time going for an effervescent shade of gold. She showed off some ultra-bright blond hair and accessorized with gold shoes, nails, and rings.

Kaling wasn't just shining on the red carpet that year, though; she was also opening up about some of the struggles she'd experienced over the years, especially when it came to fashion. In a talk with Vanity Fair, she opened up about a 2011 People shoot, where she was chosen as one of their Most Beautiful. At the shoot, they didn't have any looks that would fit her. "I went to the bathroom and just cried," she said. "It was just seen as this impossible thing to dress a woman who's a size eight." She also related how she deals with similar situations now: "I'm like, 'I don't need to do the shoot. It's not helping me that much.'"

In 2020, Mindy Kaling announced the birth of her second child and also took a new direction with her fashion. While she'd been focused on glitzy looks the year before, she was now opting for simpler styles. At the Oscars in 2020, she wore an elegant and eye-catching but simple canary-yellow gown. The one-shouldered look cinched in at the waist and was accessorized with a large diamond necklace and ring.

At the 2021 Met Gala, themed In America: A Lexicon of Fashion, Kaling was rocking yet another notably minimalistic but stylish look. Here, she wore a navy-blue gown designed by American designer Tory Burch, which featured a deep V-neck and a black corset. Kaling wore her highlighted hair low and pulled back, showing off her large gold chandelier earrings. Her makeup coordinated seamlessly with the look, with a subtle smokey eye and a dark lip. 

By 2022, Mindy Kaling was changing fashion directions once again. While she'd worn a lot of solid-colored looks in the years before, in 2022 she was rocking a range of multi-colored styles. At the "Never Have I Ever " Season 3 premiere, she donned a color-block dress with some royally fun Regencycore fashion trend vibes. The dress featured large coral puff sleeves, a light-pink bodice with criss-cross detail, and a wine-red skirt. With this look, Kaling wore her hair pulled back with a small wavy tendril hanging out, adding to the romantic vibe of the ensemble.

At New York Comic Con that year, she showed up in an even bolder and totally fun multi-colored look. Here, she wore a purple and orange ombré short suit. She paired the vibrant 'fit with some simple jewelry and wore her dark hair down and loose.

At the Vanity Fair Oscar party in 2023, Mindy Kaling was returning to one of her glamorous style stand-bys: metallics. She wore a sleek silver gown with a plunging neckline and a halter strap. She kept her accessories pared down and wore her shoulder-length hair in a smooth style with a deep side part.

In 2024, Kaling welcomed her third child and also wore a truly show-stopping style to the Met Gala. The theme that year was Sleeping Beauty: Reawakening Fashion, and Kaling's look was absolutely a fitting and lush choice. In terms of color, her gown was straightforward, with the entire look being a muted tan shade. However, in terms of architecture, it was over the top, literally. With huge wavy shapes curving at her shoulders and over her head, Kaling's gown was a sight to see. Not only did it prove she knew all the Met Gala rules attendees must follow, but she knew how to have a good time with her style, too. 

While Mindy Kaling has always had plenty of remarkable red-carpet looks, it was her street style that was really grabbing attention in 2025. Snapped by paparazzi across the globe, Kaling could be seen in a range of feminine and fun looks. At Paris Fashion Week, she rocked a matching brown plaid coat and skirt, which she accented with a small black bucket bag and black tights. In another look she wore in New York, she donned a long white fur-style coat, completing the ensemble with a long white dress with a lipstick print. She carried a small white purse and wore her mid-length hair stick-straight.

Of course, Kaling was achieving big things outside of fashion during this period, as well. This was the year that she got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. At the ceremony, she wore a simple black dress and diamond jewelry.

On her Instagram, she gushed about the event, saying, "Yesterday was one of the most special days of my life! I was surrounded by my dearest friends and family for the surreal and humbling experience of receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame." She continued, "I was told after receiving my star that I was the first South Asian woman to have a star on the Walk of Fame. I'm humbled by that. I am so proud to be South Asian, and I want to make my community proud of everything I do but more importantly, I want to help usher in the next generation of South Asian stars — who are already making a huge impact across the world."