Yara Shahidi

Yara Shahidi seems to be Hollywood’s new “it” girl, from her witty ways in the show “Black-ish” to now being the star of the spinoff show, “Grown-ish.” But besides her many hats of being a young, educated actress and student, she is dominating the fashion world.

The 18-year-old does not shy away when it comes to her sense of style. She shows confidence in what works well for her. Maintaining a classy, yet urban original style of her own, she can be seen on red carpets and award shows in something that plays on her personality.

Shahidi has been on television for quite a while. She started her career as a six-year-old, appearing in TV and print ads for many companies like Ralph Lauren, Target, and Disney. With her background in modeling for companies, it’s not hard to understand why she is the fashion icon she is today. In 2016, Shahidi signed her first modeling contract with New York’s Women Management modeling agency.

Not only does she model and act, but Shahidi has also directed her own film. Working with Refinery29’s Shatterbox Anthology in 2016, she made her directorial debut with a film that follows a character throughout their life in Los Angeles—a space that they do not have ownership of, but navigate nonetheless.

Shahidi speaks up about what she is passionate about, which makes her a prominent social activist. She continues to impress her audience with how educated and outspoken she is, which in a way, plays into her fashion sense. It’s daring and consists of what she likes, instead of what society wants for her.

Shahidi shows a great amount of confidence when she steps out, and that same confidence can be seen in her style. She shows no fear being glammed up for red carpets. At the MTV Video Music Awards in August, Shahidi was dressed in a classy, one-shoulder gold dress. Shahidi has many style hats that work for her; she can be dressed up, or she can play off streetwear. At the 2017 Teen Choice Awards, Shahidi wore a baseball jacket, drawstring track pants, a sequin top, and satin heels. With the Teen Choice Awards being a casual award show, she was able to dress up a street style look and make it her own.

Aside from red carpets, you can see how Shahidi incorporates her style into the roles she plays, like Zoey from “Black-ish” and “Grown-ish.”

The young phenom has been dominating magazine covers in recent years, and everyone wants to know Yara Shahidi better. She does it all: actress, social activist, and style icon. Teen Vogue did an online thread of 15 Yara Shahidi looks, describing how she styles a bold mix of “traditional feminine silhouettes with menswear staples, from Brooks Brothers blazers to sequin Tracy Reese dresses.”

You never know what Yara Shahidi will wow with next. And that makes her who she is— someone who is not afraid to try new things and dare to be different with her style.

By Jennifer Prempeh

Photos by Allison Haas