Mindy Kaling’s style tends to evoke words such as “colorful” and “joyful.” The writer and producer often posts photos of her bright outfits on Instagram, and her red carpet looks usually feature fabulous pops of color.
But she wasn’t always sporting such vibrant ensembles. In fact, Kaling’s earlier outfits circa 2005 featured a lot of neutrals, especially black.
In honor of her birthday, we’ve rounded up 78 photos that show Kaling’s style evolution, from early 2000s newcomer to New York Times bestseller and producer extraordinaire.
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2005
Steve Granitz via Getty Images
2005
Michael Buckner via Getty Images
2006
David Livingston via Getty Images
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2006
John Sciulli via Getty Images
2007
Jeff Kravitz via Getty Images
2007
Jason Kempin via Getty Images
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2007
Ethan Miller/Emmys via Getty Images
2007
Mark Davis via Getty Images
2008
Vince Bucci via Getty Images
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2008
Alberto E. Rodriguez via Getty Images
2008
Jeff Kravitz via Getty Images
2009
Dan MacMedan via Getty Images
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2009
Jason LaVeris via Getty Images
2009
John Shearer via Getty Images
2009
Dan MacMedan via Getty Images
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2010
Jason Merritt via Getty Images
2010
Jon Kopaloff via Getty Images
2010
Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
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2011
Dimitrios Kambouris via Getty Images
2011
Steve Granitz via Getty Images
2011
Valerie Macon via Getty Images
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2011
Jeff Vespa via Getty Images
2012
Jon Kopaloff via Getty Images
2012
Donna Ward via Getty Images
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2012
Imeh Akpanudosen via Getty Images
2013
Jeffrey Mayer via Getty Images
2013
Jonathan Leibson via Getty Images
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2013
Jon Kopaloff via Getty Images
2014
Gregg DeGuire via Getty Images
2014
Jeffrey Mayer via Getty Images
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2014
Alberto E. Rodriguez via Getty Images
2014
JB Lacroix via Getty Images
2014
Steve Granitz via Getty Images
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2014
Dimitrios Kambouris via Getty Images
2014
Jason Merritt/TERM via Getty Images
2015
Cindy Ord via Getty Images
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2015
Jon Kopaloff via Getty Images
2015
Frederick M. Brown via Getty Images
2015
Pascal Le Segretain via Getty Images
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2015
Jim Spellman via Getty Images
2015
Imeh Akpanudosen via Getty Images
2015
Grant Lamos IV via Getty Images
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2015
Jason Merritt/TERM via Getty Images
2016
Stefanie Keenan via Getty Images
2016
Ethan Miller via Getty Images
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2016
Jon Kopaloff via Getty Images
2016
Marla Aufmuth via Getty Images
2016
Jamie McCarthy via Getty Images
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2016
Astrid Stawiarz via Getty Images
2016
Michael Tullberg via Getty Images
2016
Jason LaVeris via Getty Images
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2016
Jason LaVeris via Getty Images
2017
Gregg DeGuire via Getty Images
2017
Allen Berezovsky via Getty Images
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2017
George Pimentel via Getty Images
2017
Nicholas Hunt via Getty Images
2017
Taylor Hill via Getty Images
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2017
Alberto E. Rodriguez via Getty Images
2017
David Livingston via Getty Images
2018
John Shearer via Getty Images
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2018
Dimitrios Kambouris via Getty Images
2018
Karwai Tang via Getty Images
2018
John Shearer via Getty Images
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2018
Taylor Hill via Getty Images
2018
Cindy Ord via Getty Images
2018
Karwai Tang via Getty Images
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2018
Joe Scarnici via Getty Images
2019
George Pimentel via Getty Images
2019
Cindy Ord via Getty Images
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2019
Gregg DeGuire via Getty Images
2019
Dimitrios Kambouris via Getty Images
2019
Leon Bennett via Getty Images
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2019
Rodin Eckenroth via Getty Images
2019
Gregg DeGuire via Getty Images
2020
Frazer Harrison via Getty Images
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2020
Jon Kopaloff via Getty Images
2020
Steve Granitz via Getty Images
2020
George Pimentel via Getty Images
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