When Vanessa Hudgens first stepped onto the Hollywood scene and starred in High School Musical, the actress was only 17 years old. Over the years, she’s blossomed into a total superstar with a pretty epic fashion sense.
Over the years, the former Disney star has starred in a ton of big movies and TV show, including The Princess Switch, The Knight Before Christmas, Rent: Live, Second Act, Powerless, Dog Days, Grease, Live!, Spring Breakers, Beastly, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, Bandslam, Suite Life of Zack and Cody and more. She has also released two epic studio albums and starred in the Broadway musical Gigi!
She’s definitely accomplished a lot since she first appeared on the Disney Channel all those years ago, and fans have seen the actress transform herself from a young child star to a mature adult.
“My style, and the evolution of it, is something that’s fascinating to me. Where I was 10 years ago is so different from where I am now,” Vanessa told Who What Wear in November 2019. “It was a very Bohemian time for me. I would always be in maxi dresses with feather earrings and my long hair. I just felt so feminine and flowy [Now], I appreciate clean lines more. I appreciate classic things more. I love an iconic look.”
Although she’s definitely evolved over the years, she knows people still associate her with High School Musical.
“People 100% still look at me as Gabriella, but it’s really sweet that I get to be a part of people’s childhood and take them back to a time for them when things were simpler, you know. That’s a beautiful thing,” she shared in the same interview. “I’ve played so many different kinds of people, I don’t think that you can put me into a box.”
Aside from her acting roles and style, Vanessa has made changes within herself throughout her career.
“Over the past couple of years, I’ve really come into my own,” the actress told Shape in October 2021. “When you’re fully accepting of who you are, and you stop trying to suppress pieces of yourself, you can conquer the world. I love how silly I am. I love how excitable I am. And I love that I’m finally at a place where I can access those things. Even the quirky stuff that might have been shut down by other people in the past, like being ridiculous with my friends, those are things I’m now allowing to thrive. For some people, I’m way too much. But I love who I am, and there’s such power in that.”
Scroll through our gallery to see Vanessa’s fashion evolution over the years.
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