Kristen Stewart Remains Hollywood’s Queen of Cool 

It’s easy to spot a Kristen Stewart-worthy outfit. The actor, who turns 30 today, has clearly defined her nonchalant style and has a penchant for Chanel gowns to Converse sneakers. Never one to worry about public opinion, she’s spent the last few years experimenting with vivid hair colors, unexpected designers, and a borrowed from the boys sensibility that allows her to mix the best menswear into her repertoire of tailored suiting and ripped denim. On the red carpet, her choices feel refreshing and untroubled by the latest trends thanks to the confidence Stewart brings to every appearance.

Stewart may have a signature look now, but that wasn’t always the case. In the spotlight since childhood, she’s grown up in front of a camera and developed her style on the world stage. Few have had as prodigious a start in Hollywood as Stewart, who made her big-screen debut in 2001 opposite Glenn Close in The Safety of Objects and quickly followed it up by co-starring with Jodie Foster in Panic Room. Even at those early premieres, Stewart’s fashion choices were grown up—how many 12-year-olds would opt for all-black minimalism instead of princess frills? Her teenage years saw Stewart move towards pieces that would eventually become her favorites; mod mini dresses that showed a flash of leg, blazers cut to flatter her petite frame, and plenty of light-wash denim.

By the time she joined the juggernaut Twilight franchise, Stewart was a red carpet pro. By adeptly pulling off tie-dyed Proenza Schouler separates and dazzling in Chanel couture at the Met Gala, she made the fashion world take note. As a muse for Nicolas Ghesquière during his tenure at Balenciaga, she began to take bold new shapes onto the streets wearing them with effortless cool.

Now an indie film queen with nearly two decades worth of fashion experience, Stewart dresses to please herself. Her long-standing relationship with Chanel and its legendary late designer, Karl Lagerfeld, means that there’s always a touch of Parisian chic in her wardrobe, but don’t expect her to be prim and proper. She’s ready to kick off her heels if they pinch her feet—and reject the Cannes Film Festival’s outdated dress code in the process—or test out asymmetrical neon Peter Petrov if she’s in the mood. A look back at the many outfits that brought her this point shows that her fashion best may be yet to come.