The Stunning Style Transformation Of Miley Cyrus
For anyone who grew up at the same time as Miley Cyrus, her name resonates with the essence of reinvention and unapologetic self-expression. The singer has been in the spotlight since she was a child, and she's undergone a remarkable evolution under public scrutiny.
From her early days as a charming Disney star to her more recent projects as a bold and boundary-defying artist, Cyrus has left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry. With that, the singer also managed to create a great impact on the fashion landscape, inspiring fans across the globe to defy trends and instead make fashion choices that feel right for them.
While her looks aren't everyone's cup of tea, no one can deny that Cyrus has a marvelous talent for reinventing herself, whether that be through her music or her fashion choices. She's known for embracing a more liberated and edgier aesthetic, but even within that category, she constantly manages to switch things up. From bohemian chic to glam rock and everything in between, Cyrus fearlessly embraces a spectrum of styles as she evolves in her career and grows in her personal life. Say what you want about the former Disney star, but no one can call any stage of her fashion journey boring.
2006-2007: The world gets to know Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana
Miley Cyrus rose to international fame in 2006 as the star of the Disney Channel hit show "Hannah Montana." At the time, Cyrus' style seemed to mesh very much with her character's. She was all about super colorful clothing, fun graphic designs, and ultra-long and luscious hair.
"There was a time when I didn't have as much control because I was playing a character," the star revealed in 2023 (via Us Weekly). "It wasn't always about my own feeling, but it was about what was best for the character. And as I started to understand the magic of Hannah is actually the magic of me, I started infusing my own style into her style." Classic Y2K teen aesthetics such as skirts over jeans and lots of sequins were closet staples for both Cyrus and the character she played.
Portraying Hannah Montana and Miley Stewart at such a young age also had a negative effect on the Cyrus — one that she opened up about years later. "From the time I was 11, it was, 'You're a pop star! That means you have to be blond, and you have to have long hair, and you have to put on some glittery tight thing," she explained to Glamour. Looking back, perhaps it was the lack of control over her own look that fueled her to experiment with her fashion choices as much as she did later on.
2008-2009: Miley Cyrus explores an edgier and more grown-up look
While it was clear from a young age that Miley Cyrus loves having fun with fashion, the star revealed to Teen Vogue in 2009 that picking clothes is fun, "but you don't show your personality by what you wear — it's about how you present yourself, by always having a smile."
Her style, while still youthful and Disney-appropriate, became slightly edgier and a tad rebellious, with Cyrus embracing a wardrobe characterized by ultra-short mini dresses and skirts paired with an abundance of layered necklaces and bracelets. During this era, Cyrus even dyed her signature hair darker, foreshadowing to the world that she couldn't be tamed. Her now-slightly darker locks became a signature look, as it was impossible to imagine her without the iconic waist-long hair that became synonymous with her identity. While we weren't aware of it at the time, these were the beginnings of Miley Cyrus signaling to the world that she was ready to break free from the creative constraints a Disney star faces.
2010-2011: Miley Cyrus sheds her innocent image and embraces her sensuality
With her departure from Hannah Montana and her shift into the music industry, Miley Cyrus' style became more grown-up and experimental. "I don't really have a style — I'm just me. My style is kinda whatever I feel like wearing," she revealed at the time (via Yahoo! News). "A lot of girls feel like they need to wear what everyone else is wearing. But it's good to have your own trend. People will start following it!"
Cyrus' signature look at the time consisted of long brown hair with lots of blond highlights and tight dark clothing — the then-19-year-old singer was ready to embrace the role of a rebellious pop star. One of her most memorable looks from this era is surely the stunning Roberto Cavalli animal print dress with a deep V-neck that the star wore to the 2011 Grammy Awards. Slowly but surely, Miley Cyrus was growing up in front of our eyes, and the adorable tween we associated with her was turning into a brave and bold young woman who wasn't going to be told what she could and could not wear.
2012: The singer enters her Bangerz fashion era
In 2012, Miley Cyrus released her fourth studio album, "Bangerz," and with that came some major style changes. While Cyrus began the year with a stylish long bob, the musician chopped all of her hair off in the summertime, showcasing an edgy and bold blond pixie cut. With the hair change came a fashion switch, too, as Cyrus' outfits became much more revealing and provocative. It's noteworthy to mention that while her style became even edgier, Cyrus still stuck to mostly black clothing pieces, as her colorful era was yet to emerge.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, the star revealed that it was the summer of 2012, which she had spent in Philadelphia, that really influenced her style change. "Have you ever been to South Street in Philly? That's where I got my first chain. Sixteen bucks — not real," she said. "I was away from people for a minute, and I just started feeling my own vibe. I bought a pair of Doc Martens. I shaved my head. Driving a f***ing Ford Explorer around. Just blending in." 2012 marks a huge milestone in Cyrus' career and style, as that was the year she made it clear that she would do as she pleased — and nobody could stop her.
2013-2014: Miley Cyrus continues having fun with fashion
For Miley Cyrus, 2013 and 2014 were marked by a crazy and colorful wardrobe that left most people amused and quite a few shocked. The star seemed to enjoy the shock factor, and she wore the odd pieces with plenty of confidence. After all, not many can pull off an all-pink mesh Moschino set and over-the-top glasses at the same time.
In a 2013 interview with Harper's Bazaar, Miley Cyrus opened up about her childhood in the spotlight and how having to grow up quickly influenced her fashion as a grown-up. "I was an adult when I was supposed to be a kid. So now I'm an adult, and I'm acting like a kid," she said at the time, and one can't help but see this in her wardrobe, too.
"I think it is important that I execute a look better than other people. Fashion is what separates me from everyone else," the singer revealed in 2013 (via Style Caster). Cyrus also admitted that she enjoys mixing classic punk pieces with current fashion. "I like having this punk feel about it, even if it's like Louboutin. You've got to find the right designers that know how to mix. When I was in Paris working with Kenzo, that's something that they do really well there, too," she told Complex in 2013. While the Tennessee-born artist always had fun with fashion, it was in this era that she completely decided to disregard everyone's opinion as she simply went for looks that she thought were cool and fun.
2015: Miley Cyrus pushes fashion boundaries and plays around with maximalism
In 2015, Miley Cyrus hosted an episode of "Saturday Night Live," during which she joked about her maximalist style. "Well, you know that saying, 'Before you leave the house, always take off one accessory?'" she asked the audience (via Daily Mail). "Well, I do that, and I put on about 17 more."
By the mid-2010s, it was clear that Cyrus' style had drastically changed since her teen days — in fact, reflecting on her early looks, the star couldn't help but judge her own style. "I had some shady wardrobe choices when I was about 16 to 18," she admitted to Marie Claire in 2015, referring to a "hippie outfit" she wore "to Justin Bieber's "Never Say Never" premiere." In the same interview, she also admitted that she loves jumping on the bandwagon early for "weird trends, like face paint," and there is no doubt that her fans love her for her fearless approach to fashion and beauty.
While it's hard to pick just one memorable look from 2015, perhaps her most iconic was the Versace silver harness and skirt set that she wore to the MTV VMAs. The controversial ensemble once again proved that the "Wrecking Ball" singer doesn't care what the public thinks as she refuses to conform to society's expectations — and her fans adore her for that.
2016-2017: Miley Cyurs tones her style down (a bit)
To be completely honest, we're not even sure if we can call this Miley Cyrus era "toned down," but compared to her previous one, it was surely a bit more wearable and simple. And yes, it still included plenty of quirky pieces and colorful items. A perfect example of that is the sheer matching heart set the star wore to the 2017 iHeartRadio Music Festival.
At the time, Cyrus was also vocal about how fashion can be used for more than just looking good. She admitted that she often uses it to make a stance. "By sitting [on 'The Voice'] after the [2016 Presidential] election in head-to-toe pink, while on the inside being a gender-neutral, sexually fluid person, hopefully, that was saying something. I needed some sparkle in my life to make me able to deal," she told Billboard in 2017.
During the mid-2010s, the singer was known for her bold and unusual looks, and while those were fun to rock, there was a deeper reason why Cyrus gravitated towards them. "The way I dress to distract — it's a comforting thing to me," she revealed in 2016 (via Us Weekly). "I think style can be something that can make you feel comfortable," Cyrus said, adding that fashion allows her to give people "something to look at."
2018: The singer gives us more and more glam
Once the late 2010s rolled around, the singer seemingly ended her funky and colorful phase as she began rocking more glamorous and sophisticated looks. For the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, she opted to go with a gorgeous Prabal Gurung ivory and black gown with a high slit and deep v-neck.
However, don't be fooled — Miley Cyrus still loved unique pieces and fun looks, and even within the realm of glamorous fashion, she still managed to infuse quirkiness into her outfits. A great example of that is the Moschino ensemble she rocked to the Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party that same year. Nevertheless, the switch in her style was undeniable, especially as she toned down not only her wild clothing choices but also her makeup, and she began rocking shoulder-length blond hair, which she often wore in retro curls.
2019-2020: Miley Cyrus embraces a glamorous punk rock style
In 2019, Miley Cyrus decided to reinvent her style once again as she opted for a more punk-rock-inspired look. In 2020, the star released her seventh studio album, "Plastic Hearts," and with it, Cyrus' music leaned into a noticeable rock sound. Looking back on her youth, she admitted to Elle that she went through a lot of change. "Yeah. Well, it's a very common early-twentysomething phase to be like, 'I'm going to test my limits and try on a bunch of identities and see what I like.'"
In her late '20s, Miley Cyrus slowly began leaning into the retro aesthetic, and this change was first noticeable in June 2019 at Glastonbury. For her performance, the star wore black latex pants, a simple white tank top, plenty of jewelry, and messy wet hair. Later on, she explored the rock aesthetic even more by sporting an edgy mullet haircut, which was later remixed in 2023.
2021-2022: Miley leans into the retro rock and roll aesthetic
Once the COVID-19 pandemic was over, and celebrities began attending red carpets and industry events again, we got to see that Miley Cyrus fully embraced the punk rock style, and it wasn't just a short phase.
In an interview for the "Rock This With Allison Hagendorf" podcast, Cyrus opened up about what rock music means to her. "Rebellion and I feel that it's confrontational," she said (via Loudwire). "I feel that there's a freedom in rock and roll music that I wish for every genre, and I wish for my own ... Rock and roll is a lifestyle. It's a lifestyle choice; it's not taking 'no' for an answer, and that's something that I've learned from a lot of these females, like Joan [Jett]." This freedom that rock music gave the star was also noticeable in her fashion choices, which leaned into the '70s and '80s aesthetic that perfectly fitted Cyrus' newly found sound.
From the floral Gucci suit she wore to the 2021 LACMA Art+Film Gala to the metallic blue jumpsuit she rocked during day two of Lollapalooza Chile in 2022 — there was no doubt that the singer once again embraced having fun with her style and its essence that is true rock and roll. And we can't help but notice that by rocking colorful and unique pieces in her late 20s, Cyrus continued nurturing her inner child.
2023-present: Miley Cyrus continues being herself — and her fashion choices prove it
In 2023, Miley Cyrus continued drawing inspiration from punk rock styles, but her look became much more eclectic. It seems as if, in her early 30s, the singer decided not to restrict herself by going for just one distinct style. "Fashion to me is kind of flipping yourself inside out. It's like wearing your heart, wearing your guts, wearing your values, wearing your identity, wearing your pain, wearing your joy. There's something kind of childlike [about it]. You're so fearless when you get yourself dressed when you're a kid," she told Vogue, adding that she never knows what somebody will think and if they will judge her style. "It's just about expression and how you feel that day. There's a fearlessness. And so when I get dressed, I try to kind of think like my inner child, and be genuine and authentic in whatever I'm wearing."
In 2023, the "Malibu" singer also sported the very trendy skunk hair — a hairstyle that involves being blond with an underlayer of dark locks. While Miley Cyrus continues to make incredible music, the star — who has been in the spotlight for over a decade — has gradually also grown into a bold and rebellious fashionista, one who wears what she wants when she wants to. Frankly, we (and the rest of the world) can't wait to see how her style further evolves as she reaches new goals in her career and personal life. For Miley Cyrus, any fashion rules the industry may have come up with only exist to be broken, and that is precisely what makes her a true fashion rockstar!