The Two Words Nina Dobrev Uses To Describe Her Red Carpet Style

After years on the award-show circuit, Nina Dobrev has the whole red carpet thing down. Be it the Emmys, the after parties, or even the Met Gala, the actress one-ups herself with every passing appearance. But how would she characterize her step-and-repeat approach? For that, we went straight to the source.

"Reliant…on my stylist," Dobrev told Refinery29 last weekend, at Reebok's Classics Crib during Coachella Weekend 2. She was half joking, and half describing, in a somewhat refreshing way, the behind-the-scenes work that goes into crafting a "Best Dressed" look. The actress has been working with Ilaria Urbinati since the 2011 Emmys. Although the stylist has been predominantly recognized for her male clients (which include Riz Ahmed, Rami Malek, Armie Hammer, Tom Hiddleston, and many more of your Internet boyfriends), she's been Dobrev's right-hand woman for all things style for almost six years, from red carpets to Coachella. "If you look at earlier photos — pre-Ilaria to post-Ilaria, there’s a big difference," she said.

We caught up with the former Vampire Diaries and Degrassi star to talk fashion, fitness, and the ever-growing intersection of the two. While odds are you might spot the actress repping the athleisure trend more often than not, Dobrev has cultivated a pretty impressive red carpet record, with credits from Hollywood go-to's like Zuhair Murad and Elie Saab to industry favorites like Dior and Zac Posen. "It’s constantly evolving," she noted of her approach to style. "'Chameleon' would probably be the way I would describe it. It depends on what event I’m going to and how I’m feeling that week. It changes."

So, "reliant" and "chameleon" are her two favorite descriptors for her style — but Dobrev teased that she's working on building that list even more. "I’m switching gears: I’m going to try to be a little edgier and fashion-forward from now on," she said. "I’ll try — we’ll see if I succeed." Luckily, the Met Gala is right around the corner, and this year's theme certainly invites ambitious dressing. In the meantime, let's look back at some of Dobrev's (and Urbinati's) greatest fashion hits from over the years in the slideshow, ahead.