Vidya: Frumpy to fashionable

Vidya Balan, once every fashion watcher's favourite target, matched her powerhouse performance in The Dirty Picture with bold, in-character appearances at events connected with the film.

Seen here in yet another stunning, confident appearance at the success party of the film, in a black sari.

From red to white, Vidya might have gone for lighter hues this time, but the sari remained her favourite choice to look stylish and elegant at the events.

From red to white, Vidya might have gone for lighter hues this time, but the sari remained her favourite choice to look stylish and elegant at the events.

Take a look as Vidya goes from frumpy to fashionable.

In her early years, she was best remembered for her role in the hit TV series Hum Paanch. And if she were ever talked about, it was only for her ghastly dressing sense. Vidya took her own sweet time to learn that cheap bling and bad clothes don't mesh well together!

She dropped the bling but the hairstyle was giving the fashion police nightmares.

Vidya never understood her body-type well and even after Parineeta, she couldn't outdo her own image.

Her clothes in Heyy Babyy sent the alarm bells ringing and stylists everywhere were shouting for a make-over.

So it wasn't a surprise to anyone when she received the Na-Real award for Bad Dressing Sense from none other than the super-sauve SRK and ultra-male Saif Ali Khan. She justified that she deserved it alright with that orange salwar-suit that would remain forever etched in every fashion-lover's mind.

But there came no drastic change in her public appearance whatsoever. She did manage to tone down her in-your-face bling and grew her hair long. The fashion police shouts were now slowly turning into whispers.

And there came a time when she was seen in nothing but Kurtis. She sometimes made it well to the best dressed lists, but mostly not!

She was slowly learning how to accessorise right. We especially love the professor glasses on her dreamy eyes.

Before we knew it Vidya found the right look for her and how! The saree looks best on her. Ahead, Vidya's many stunning sarees. Oh how we wouldn't kill for any of these!

Vidya was the right mix of girl and all that is womanly in this pink dream.

Vidya made Parineeta fresh in our minds as she cut a stunning figure in this backless Sabyasachi.

Vidya's wowed two superheroes- RA.One and Wolverine, with her Sabyasachi clad charm at the FICCI Awards recently.

At the Global Indian Film & Television Honors, Vidya gave us a refreshing change from the sarees as she slipped in to a suit. And God, how it truly suits her!

For the biggest awards- Filmfare 2011, Vidya turned up yet again in a Sabyasachi looking just as consistently dreamy as ever. Not many were well dressed this year, so Vidya made it easily to the top.

The occassional suit here and there- but still always a Sabyasachi.

And then she likes to surprise us with such numbers only Vidya can carry. Appropriate, wouldn't you say considering she's off to meet Lord Mayor of Melbourne!

And this is how Vidya Sabyasachi-ed her way off the worst dressed lists. She's every man's dream now. Want more proof? We save the best for the last!

Now wouldn't you agree with us completely? As she said, "focussing on the inner self" works for her.