Octavia Spencer: How She Became a Red Carpet Style Star

USMagazine, Tuesday, February 21, 2012, 1:30pm (PST)

Pre-2011, Octavia Spencer was used to taking a page out of Jennifer Aniston's guide to style and played things safe on the red carpet in basic black dresses.

PHOTOS: See Octavia Spencer before she was in The Help

But since the huge success of The Help, where she's won multiple Best Supporting Actress awards for her role as Minny Jackson, Spencer is incorporating pieces of gorgeous color into her wardrobe.

At the 2012 Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills Jan. 15, the 41-year-old star donned a lavender Tadashi Shoji gown and accessorized with a Judith Leiber clutch, Louboutin heels and Irene Neuwirth jewelry.

PHOTOS: See all the 2012 Oscars nominees

Then, at the 2012 SAG Awards, she stepped out in another Tadashi Shoji number, plus three pairs of Spanx underneath!

PHOTOS: See what all the stars wore at the SAGs

"It's wonderful because it gives you the illusion of an hourglass [figure] with the sand kind of spread out," she told Ellen DeGeneres Jan. 31.

Click here to see Spencer's style evolution.

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