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

  • DEBRA MESSING, 37 photo | Debra Messing

Credit: Ron Galella/WireImage; Sara De Boer/Retna

Updated: Tuesday Nov 01, 2005 | 06:00 AM EST

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."