Fashionably 30-Something

Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger and other stars look better today than they did in their twenties – PEOPLE style expert Susan Kaufman explains why. By Emily Fromm

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DEBRA MESSING, 37

With her brown hair and brown outfit, Messing (left, in 1996) literally blended into the background. "The thing that really transformed her was turning into a redhead," says Kaufman. "Finding things that work with that hair color" – such as the lavender Dolce & Gabbana dress she wore in Beverly Hills this summer – "gave her that great fashion personality. She found the fun in fashion."