Inspired by… Zooey Deschanel

Zooey Deschanel became one of my favorite celebrities for style inspiration after I wrote a piece on her style in (500) Days of Summer. I just love her feminine look and vintage-inspired garments.
After conducting some research on Ms. Deschanel, I also appreciate the fact that she’s a self-proclaimed shopaholic. In fact, in an interview with People Magazine, Deschanel admitted, “I go shopping every week, literally. There’s something about getting a new dress or shirt that makes you feel that extra 20 percent better.” And who wouldn’t agree with that?!
If you are a Zooey fan, or are merely curious about her adorable vintage sense of style, read on!
Zooey’s Style

Usually, I separate a celeb’s style into two categories: daytime/casual and evening/formal; however, Zooey is an exception because her daytime and evening looks follow relatively the same formula. She almost always wears dresses or feminine separates, such as a flirty top with a skirt. She also frequently rocks bows, floral accents, or lace elements, all of which reiterate the girlishness of her style.
Zooey chooses outfits with figure-flattering silhouettes. As you can see in the pictures above, she loves to rock a cinched waist and an a-line skirt, a combination which makes her appear very dainty and slender, without looking boyish or overly skinny.
Here is an outfit that I think showcases the different elements of Zooey’s style:

Product Information: Tea Belle Dress- TopShop, Jade Sash Belt- Dorothy Perkins (UK), Round Earrings- Forever 21, Nude Pumps- Lori’s Shoes, Wristlet/Clutch- Old Navy

Zooey is also known for wearing tights and mary-janes (above). If you’re interested in her style, but maybe don’t know how to draw inspiration from it, tights with mary-janes could be something fun for you to try! Here are some budget-friendly tights and high heeled mary-janes available for purchase:

Product Information: Honey Mustard Tights- Modcloth, Black Opaque Tights- Urban Outfitters, Dotted Semi-Sheer Tights- Betsey Johnson through Modcloth

Product Information: MIA Mary Janes- Endless, Charcoal Mary Janes- Brantano (UK), Thick Strap Mary Janes- Payless
Zooey’s Hair and Makeup

Zooey’s bangs are definitely one of her signature assets, and it certainly surprises me how she manages to wear such a “one way street” kind of a hair style in so many different ways. If you are interested in getting your hair cut like Zooey’s, I suggest you check out InStyle’s mini article on how to style your bangs like Zooey’s.
Also, if you have bangs like Zooey’s, but aren’t sure how to diversify your look like she does, check out this collection of Deschanel looks from The Hair Styler. There is also an option to upload a photo of yourself and virtually try on the look…could be fun!
In the makeup department, keep it light, fresh and natural emulate Zooey! Fortunately for us, Zooey has name-dropped a few of the products she uses in magazines, so if you are curious as to exactly which products she uses or has used before, here are a few…

Product Information: 1. MAC Goldmine Eyeshadow, 2. Water Babies by Coppertone, 3. Shu Uemura Mark Cealer in Beige 4. Delux Beauty Flush Stick in Pink, all reported in an interview with InStyle
A Penny for Your Thoughts…
Now that you’ve read all about Zooey’s style, what do you think? Are their any aspects of her style you like? Does she inspire you? Let me know with a comment!
* Top right photo is from Style.com. All other photos not individually cited are from People Magazine‘s website*
Posted on on January 17, 2010 / Filed Under: Fashion Tips / Tags: Celebrity Inspiration, Celebrity Style, Celebs, Fashion Inspiration, Inspired by, Mary-Janes, Vintage, Zooey Deschanel












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FashionStyleAdvice
I love her! She’s so edgy and feminine at the same time!
Milana
Audrey - Ohio State University
I love her girly/retro style! It fits perfectly with her voice too (She&Him is one of my favorite groups).
I want that dress in the first outfit! How perfect for a spring wedding or outdoor party.
Great post!
Meagan
Man, I love Zooey Deschanel. If I could only dress like one person, it would probably be her. She manages to look pretty and original without ever looking tacky or overdone.
Isabelle
I absolutely love all of Zooey’s outfits, she’s very adorable and has a 60′s innocence to her look which I simply adore.
Sinead
That’s so weird, I was just about to search on here for an Inspired by Zooey Deschanel and the first article that comes up on the homepage is this one! Fate!
I love her style, but especially how simple she keeps her make up, which I really admire. I’m a mascara-and-go girl as well, so I can really relate to that!
Alana @ The Good girl gone blog
Zooey is my absolute favorite. She’s so adorable- I love the photo with the bike. If only my bangs would cooperate, I’d wear my hair just like her!
Julie
I love how feminine she is! I’m very into tights right now, so I love how she wears them. Her hair is a dream *_*.
Elle
Definitely my favorite celeb of all time!
Charlene
I can’t help it– she’s THE indie queen and is the desired object of all hipster guys and envied icon of all the hipster girls…
but I love her too! Her dark eye makeup, the dark hair, the STYLE, augh. Thanks for this post, it’s great! :)
Suburban Sweetheart
I took a photo of her bangs to my stylist a few months back & asked him to chop me Zooey-style. I LOVE them. One of the best hair decisions I’ve ever made, risky as it was.
Her style is amazing. It’s a little too girly for me to pull of, but I appreciate her sense of style & try to emulate certain pieces & incorporate that feeling into my own style. Ruffles, in particular!
Parisa
I LITERALLY squealed when I saw this! So glad you picked her, I adore her.
And I adore this website. I’m single-handedly spreading it through Oxford!
Ariel
I am so glad that you finally did an article on her! I think she is so creative and beautiful. I love her look, and how her personality fits perfectly with it. It’s definitely something we all need to strive for, simply being who we are and expressing that through the clothes we pick out everyday. I think my favorite part about Zooey is that she is modest yet still manages to be such a style icon.
Maelynn
i reallyreallyreally like her style
she reminds me of katy perry, but in a different decade =]
or vice versa
Calli - LSU
Great post! I absolutely love Zooey’s style, and you definitely captured it in this article!
Madeleine
I really like her style because it’s so fresh and unique. I really like how she’s almost always in cute sundresses which adds a sunny, feminine vibe to her style. She inspires me but I don’t really dress like her because I don’t like to completely copy other people fashion-wise, I take little things from different people and mix them together and make them my own.
Michelle
\o/
I love Zooey Deschanel and her looks + style! Thanks for the article!
You guys should definitely check out her older sister, Emily Deschanel as well. She’s the star of the TV show Bones, she has a great style plus she is vegan as well. For any of those vegan readers, Emily is also a great role model. =)
JG
So glad someone did a post on this. I absolutely adore Zooey and her style. She’s absolutely gorgeous and she has some great outfits.
Love your “inspired by Zooey” outfit picks! Great post!
Kim - Cal State
She is the cutest thing, isn’t she? I’ve always loved her style and I love how she admits she’s a shopaholic (like me)! Great job breaking down her style, you definitley got the basics down (tights and dresses haha). Keep it up Kristina!
Danielle
Everything about her just seems to be from a different era, from her voice to her style. Other actresses choose to dress with emphasis on legs and cleavage, but Zooey sticks to being pretty with feminine dresses and tights. Love her.
Charlotte
ahh i love this post!!
her style is exactly what I want mine to be like!! she’s just so feminine but it has that indie edge which makes her amazing.
i also thought the bit on the products she uses was really interesting too- i wish i could use those and wake up looking like Zooey!!
i also love the fact she is a shopaholic- i can completely relate to that!!
Charlotte
xxx
Aileen
I am so glad you finally did the Inspired by … Zooey Deschanel article!!
I just love how she works vintage dresses into a uniform of sorts that never appears too formulaic and always looks fabulously stylish on her petite frame! She is definitely my style icon=) Her love for various shades of blue and the “little blue dress” are pretty inspiring too.
tasty
I am in awe of how simply original her style is,she brings in a 60s concept and crafts it to make it entirely her own!I love it,she definitely attracts many followers,what I love most is that combination of both chic and quirkiness her style brings!
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reyna
! love her style.