Sabrina Carpenter’s style evolution from 2014 to now: the ‘Espresso’ star just stole the show at Coachella in a series of cute minidresses, but has rocked everything from goth looks to Met Gala gowns
But Carpenter is no stranger to the spotlight. Her singing and acting career already spans over a decade and includes appearances on Disney Channel TV shows and films, including Girl Meets World and Adventures in Babysitting.
From child star to pop princess, Carpenter has honed her style just as she has her career. She’s become synonymous with playful minidresses onstage and daring sheer looks on the red carpet.
Here’s a look at Carpenter’s fashion evolution.
Platform princess
During one of her early red-carpet appearances for Nickelodeon in 2014, Carpenter experimented with edgy footwear and darker tones.
She wore a black playsuit cinched at the waist with a silver belt. Carpenter coordinated with a bold silver necklace, keeping her hair in loose, natural curls.
Being around 5 feet tall, Carpenter is known for wearing platform footwear. This early red-carpet appearance, where she wore a pair of black-and-gold laced platform heels with bedazzled stockings, was no different.
Gothic gown
She attended her first Emmys in a gothic Gemy Maalouf gown.
The gown featured silver embroidery and a semi-sheer skirt. Carpenter paired it with black strappy heels and a grey marbled clutch.
Gaining an edge
In 2017, Carpenter was spotted rocking daring fashion in the front row at notable runway shows.
For example, at Coach’s NYFW show that year, she wore a sheer skirt with a pink button-up, which she layered under a red biker jacket decorated with poppies and black-and-white lace trim. She completed the look with black stilettos.
The bandage dress
For her first VMAs appearance in 2018, the singer wore an asymmetrical Versace gown, complete with a high collar and slit.
She paired the bandage-style dress with nude pointed-toe heels, white nail polish, and minimal jewellery. She styled her hair in a loose bun.
Sleek power dressing
Carpenter put her signature playful spin on the power suit at the 2019 premiere of Tall Girl.
She ditched a shirt and accessorised her 1970s-inspired silver look with a dramatic pink dewdrop earring.
Barely there
The pop princess went all in on the “naked” dress trend at the 2020 MTV Movie and TV Awards.
Her sparkly see-through gown, designed by Ralph and Russo, had one long sleeve. She wore it with black lingerie and platform heels.
Channelling Rihanna’s sex appeal
The minidress was cinched at the waist with a black studded belt. She leaned into the show’s sultry aesthetic with wet hair and red lipstick.
Golden girl
She nailed the 2022 Met Gala’s “Gilded Glamour” dress code in a gold ensemble designed by Julien Dossena at Paco Rabanne.
The heavy sequin-and-rhinestone ensemble consisted of a flowing high-waisted skirt and a coordinating bralette. She completed the look with Jimmy Choo heels.
Carpenter described the event as her “Super Bowl” to Vogue, and praised her outfit for being “shockingly comfortable”, adding to her confidence.
All that glitters …
Later that year, Carpenter walked the American Music Awards red carpet in a silver fringed Oscar de la Renta two-piece.
The outfit consisted of a fringed crop top and miniskirt. She accessorised with coordinating silver jewellery and heels.
Paco Rabanne for the win
She partnered with Paco Rabanne again for her daring 2023 Vanity Fair Oscars after-party look.
Her dress featured a ruched white skirt and a semi-sheer top with floral accents around the chest and wrists.
In her minidress era
She wore one of her most memorable Eras Tour looks during a Buenos Aires show in November. Her all-white outfit was made up of a US$642 Seen Users corset decorated with crystal hearts, a coordinating US$450 Dominnico leather skirt, and glittery custom-made Naked Wolfe heels.
Grammys glamour
Carpenter brought an element of her daring onstage fashion to the red carpet at a pre-Grammys gala in February.
For the event, she wore a black David Koma gown with a silver rose embellishment, turtleneck, and thigh-high slit.
Cheerleader chic
Carpenter was one of the most talked-about performers at Coachella, where she wore a baby-blue look with a matching moto jacket.
- Sabrina Carpenter perfected her current minidress and platform heels look during her on stage appearances for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour – and just rocked similarly cute ensembles at Coachella too
- But the former Disney star’s style has evolved over the last 10 years, with Carpenter going from punky black ensembles to Met Gala Paco Rabanne gowns and Oscar de la Renta