Shay Mitchell: Why I Wore It

For someone who prefers girlie dresses, Mitchell certainly knows how to work a menswear-inspired outfit. “I stepped out of my zone for Fashion Week,” she says of the pink trousers, blazer and black top (all by DVF) she chose to wear to the designer’s spring 2013 fashion show. “I wouldn’t normally wear it, but I felt so comfortable and chic.”

“People were like, ‘Why would she wear that dress with booties!?’” Shay reveals of pairing a feminine Juicy Couture frock with edgy Rebecca Minkoff booties at the Couture La La party in January. “But I can’t let those opinions affect me.” Plus, there was a method to her sartorial madness. “The perfume is pretty and punk, so I wanted to dress with the theme,” she says.

Her Pretty Little Liars character has little interest in fashion, but Shay likes to get glam whenever she can. So naturally she jumped at the chance to slip into this flowing white Grecian gown with a high-slit by Valentin Yudashkin at a bash for this year’s Golden Globes. “I was so excited to wear it,” Shay recalls of the straight-off-the-runway design.

“That was the most last minute dress I’ve ever chosen!” Mitchell says of the coral strapless Giorgio Armani number, which she had just a day to find for this year’s show. “I tried it on and it fit perfectly so I was like ‘Done!’” Her hairstyle, however, took a little more convincing. “I wore it up, which is not something I’m usually comfortable with.”

“I love that dress!” Shay gushes of the eye-popping Donna Karan Atelier design she chose for the red carpet in July. “Any time I can wear a bright color, that’s what I go to,” she adds, also admitting a love of “sequins and anything shiny.”

Not only did the star look crazy-hot in her plunging Giorgio Armani creation last April, but she also felt amazing in it. “It fit like a dream,” she says. “This is me – sparkly, sexy but classy.” She also reveals one of her top style rules: “It has to look good on my body or I’m not wearing it.”

“I was so new to the red carpet process,” Shay says of her first trip to the Teen Choice Awards in 2010. The starlet was introduced to a stylist who took her to the Badgley Mischka showroom where she chose this blue design with jewel embellishment. “I had such a good time that night because I was comfortable in the dress.”