Celebrity School Fashion Through the Years

Before they were styled for red carpets and galas, these stars dressed themselves for school every day – and just like everyone else, they followed the hottest styles and trends of the moment

01 of 12

1940s: Barbara Walters

Barbara Walters Senior Year 1947 Birch Wathen School, New York, NY
Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

The TV journalist looked like an Old Hollywood vision wearing pearls and a white blouse in her high school portrait. While her beauty is timeless, her coiffed curls call to mind a decade of fluffy-haired icons and movie stars.

02 of 12

1950s: Dennis Hopper

Dennis Hopper Senior Year 1954 Helix High School, San Diego, CA Voted: Most Likely to Succeed
Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Take the actor's Cuban collar and cuffed short sleeves as a sign of the times – but if that's not enough, refer to the cat-eyed glasses to his left in this yearbook snapshot.

03 of 12

1960s: Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton School Photo

It was all about the hair for the young politician. During her high school years outside of Chicago, the former New York senator kept her locks bouffant and flipped in the popular '60s style.

04 of 12

1970s: Keith Urban

Credit: Photo by News Ltd/Newspix/REX/Shutterstock (835899c) Keith Urban as a child (front) with a guitar and Sue McCarthy (back) performing with other children. Keith Urban as a child, Australia - 1970s 835899c
News Ltd/Newspix/REX/Shutterstock

The New Zealand-born, Aussie-raised musician wore dark red pants and a loosely buttoned shirt for an elementary-level jam session, accessorizing naturally with an acoustic guitar. To top off his '70s-era look, the country crooner let his blond locks hang in a shoulder-length style not unlike the signature 'do he wears today.

05 of 12

1970s: Dwayne Johnson

dwayne johnson
Dwayne Johnson/Instagram

"#Kingof2ndGrade" the actor and all-around megastar wrote on Instagram. At the time of this primary school photo op, the Black Adam star was living in Hawaii and rocked a fitting wardrobe.

06 of 12

1980s: Kim and Kourtney Kardashian

KIM & KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN
Courtesy Kardashian Family

On their first day of kindergarten and 1st grade, the reality sisters went all-in with color-coordinated outfits and plastic lunch boxes packed with nostalgia. Perhaps we can expect to see an '80s-inspired jumper dress in the next Skims collection?

07 of 12

1980s: Lenny Kravitz

beverly-hills-hs-lenny-kravitz.jpg
Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library.

The singer-songwriter is known for his rockstar-chic style, and in this snapshot from his days at Beverly Hills High School, the laidback beginnings of his layered looks and denim-filled wardrobe are clear. All he's missing is a pair of sunglasses.

08 of 12

1980s: Conan O'Brien

Conan O'Brien Senior Year 1981 Brookline High School, Brookline, MA Newspaper Staff
Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Before his late-night stardom, the TV personality wrote for his high school newspaper. Between the plaid collar, the shaggy hair and the blasé half-smile in this staff headshot — all a far cry from the tailored suits he wore on-air — he could have easily inspired a John Hughes movie.

09 of 12

1990s: Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow School Photo
Gwyneth Paltrow Senior Year 1990 Candid 2 Spence School, New York, NY Credit: Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library.

Clad in leather and denim, the Goop creator looked too cool for school in this high school candid from her senior year at the Spence School in Manhattan. While enrolled, the Shakespeare in Love actress starred in the school's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream (alongside Kerry Washington!).

10 of 12

1990s: Beyoncé

Beyonce School Photo

The "BREAK MY SOUL" singer posed for her freshman year portrait wearing a long-sleeve tee under her tank top – an outfit that could be found in any '90s teen's repertoire. That's not to say she was just another teen, though: this photo was snapped in 1996, the same year that Destiny's Child signed with Columbia Records, according to the Associated Press.

11 of 12

1990s: Pink

Pink School Photo

In the pop star's yearbook photo, her cord necklace highlighted the grunge flair of the decade. Even then, the award-winning singer was belting her heart out: she's joked that her high school choir teacher would have to reign her in and remind her, "it's NOT a solo."

12 of 12

2000s: Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence 8th Grade 2005 Kammerer Middle School, Louisville, KY
Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

The Oscar-winning actress dazzled in her middle school photo, decorating a youthful smile with dangling drop earrings and a half-up, half-down hairstyle. It was just around this time that she was "discovered" on the streets of New York, as she told Vanity Fair in 2013.

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