At 50, Tina Fey Remains Comedy’s Queen of Style 

Tina Fey can (and will) make you laugh. As the creative force behind 30 Rock, Mean Girls, and several seasons of Saturday Night Live, where she served as head writer, Fey, who turns 50 today, has become synonymous with an offbeat style of humor that highlights the absurdity of modern life. Whether she’s playing the beleaguered show-runner Liz Lemon trying to have it all in the male-dominated world of sketch-comedy or new kid Cady Heron navigating the ins and outs of the high school social hierarchy, Fey takes situations every woman can relate to and turns them into side-splitting social commentary. Her ability to dissect issues pertaining to feminism, politics, and self-image in a way that provokes thought as well as chuckles has won her everything from multiple Emmys to the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Given her many accomplishments, it’s easy to overlook the fact that Fey has also found success within the world of fashion. Humor is her focus, even when she’s decked out in Thom Browne. Over the years, Fey has proved adept at carving out her look—an immaculately coiffed brunette bob, thick glasses, and a great pair of heels are her signatures—and infusing variety into her wardrobe. Fey does not take cues from her fictional counterparts; Liz Lemon may pull her hair back with chip clips and hold her bra together with tape, but the lackadaisical attitude about clothing does not correspond to Fey’s reality. Always stylish when it s time for a big event, Fey has earned her fashion cred. Whether she’s front row during New York fashion week or in made-to-measure Vera Wang for the 2019 Academy Awards, she manages to exude confidence and down-to-earth glamour.

A look back through Fey’s best outfits reveals plenty about her perspective. A fan of clean lines and classically-minded designs, she skips trendier fare in favor of timeless pieces from New York-based brands such as Thom Browne, Oscar de la Renta, and Michael Kors when heading to awards shows. Gowns are nice, but Fey also understands the value of a great suit or menswear-inspired look. The opening night of the Mean Girls musical in 2017 called for executive realness, and she delivered just that in one of Gabriela Hearst’s sleek blazer dresses. Even casual moments in jeans and fitted blazers, like the one she wore for an appearance on Netflix’s Dressing Funny last year, manage to be polished.

In her 2011 autobiography, Bossypants, Fey outlines her fashion philosophy succinctly. “A wise friend once told me, ‘Don’t wear what fashion designers tell you to wear. Wear what they wear,’” she writes. “His point being that most designers, no matter what they throw onto the runway, favor simple, flattering pieces for themselves.” The sage advice, delivered before a self-effacing joke about her love of mall-staple Express, fits with Fey’s personality. You’re unlikely to see her stomp down a red carpet in an avant-garde Comme des Garçons ruffles—though what a thrill that would be—but you’ll always find her looking fabulous and entirely like herself.