Style Evolution: Rebecca Lim
A look back at the actress' style transformation from fashion noob to red carpet darling.


Miss Singapore Universe 2005
Rebecca’s arched eyebrows, excessive eyeliner, and ugh — kitten heeled slippers — are a far cry from her current red carpet couture looks.

Star Awards 2005
Before becoming the style icon that she is today, Becks attended the Star Awards in what looks like a prom dress from Forever 21 and a whole lot of bronzer.

Star Awards 2006
This was one of Becks' most memorable Star Awards looks 'cos it was the first time she got to walk the red carpet... and she borrowed her manager’s dress for it. "I actually thought I looked very nice, you know," she said.

Mobile World Magazine (2006)
In what is the most 2000s magazine cover we’ve ever seen, Rebecca fell victim to “the Rachel”…almost 10 years after it stopped being relevant. Oops. We’d also love to know how she resurrected her eyebrows after the egregious over-plucking.

2007
Rebecca looked like any other schoolgirl on the set of drama My Dearest Kin, where she showed off burnished highlights and excessive under-eye concealer.

Star Awards 2007 Show 2
This look has prom written all over it.

Mr. and Mrs. Kok Press Conference (2009)
Seatbelts as suspenders? Who signed off on this?

2009
We can’t say that this mini dress, seemingly constructed by party streamers, was a significant improvement.

Asian Television Awards (2010)
Despite its crunchy-looking texture, this shortcake-like dress is actually kind of cute — until you look down at Rebecca’s accompanying footwear (no nude heels in her shoe closet? Really?).

No Limits Press Conference (2010)
Oh, Rebecca — we too owned a collection of plasticky waist belts for our equally large collection of shapeless cotton dresses.

S.League Awards Night (2010)
Rebecca looks like she is cosplaying Rui En.

Star Awards 2010 Show 2
Yikes, this satiny, rumpled mess looks like it came straight from the post-Halloween bargain bin.

2011
Ah, 2011, a year when Rebecca still had her baby fat, and her stylists hadn’t figured out that the classy look suits her more than the cutesy one.

Prosperity press conference (2011)
While this look hasn’t aged as badly as some of the rest, we can’t help but think her frock was a little tacky with that diamante belt disaster.

SKII event (2011)
We definitely wore a version of this dress — purchased on a blogshop, naturally — to a reunion dinner many, many Chinese New Years ago.

Star Awards 2011 Show 2
This boho-inspired maxi dress looked okay until we zoomed in and noticed that the skinny waist belt had struck again.

Star Awards 2012 Show 1
And for the 2012 Star Awards, Rebecca upgraded her boho garden dress to one with 3D flowers.

Star Awards 2012 Show 2
Rebecca’s fuschia dress is one of our favourites. Look at how radiant she is in this cut and colour!

Drama 30th Anniversary Show (2012)
The dress looks like something a tai tai in her 50s would wear.

Star Awards 2013 Show 2
Rebecca’s feathery (or is it furry?) blue tube dress may bear an uncanny resemblance to the skin of a Sesame Street character, but she managed to pull it off with aplomb.

Celebrate TV50 Show (2013)
While Rebecca doesn’t usually show a lot of skin, she looked poised and natural in this plunging gown on New Year’s Eve in 2013.

Star Awards 2014 Show 1
Yellow is a tricky colour for Asians but Rebecca dazzled in this canary Stella McCartney gown.

Star Awards 2014 Show 2
Rebecca and her sparkly haute couture Giambattista Valli gown look like a work of art.

Star Awards 2015 Show 1
Rebecca’s Naeem Khan gown was one of our favourites from the show: not only was it memorable, but it was truly one of a kind — no one else wore anything that even resembled it.

Star Awards 2015 Show 2
Rebecca’s pristine Zac Posen gown and statement jewellery were one of the highlights of that year's red carpet.

Star Awards 2015 Show 2
It’s hard to go wrong in Zac Posen. Forest green, an oft-forgotten alternative to black, suited Rebecca well when she accepted her award for Best Actress.

SKII event (2015)
Sorry Becks, but blush isn't really your colour — it makes your skin appear washed out and pale. And are we the only ones disturbed by the ah ma-esque hair?

Mediacorp Campus Opening (2015)
Rebecca turned heads at the Mediacorp Campus Opening in that eclectic Tiger Balm dress, and not in a good way.

Birthday celebration with fan club (2015)
This is probably the closest we’ll ever see Rebecca get to the “hipster” aesthetic.

Lions Charity Show (2016)
Feminine and demure, Becks looked gorgeous like a porcelain china.

Star Awards 2016 Show 1
Rebecca’s Ashi Studio dress and short fringe look like they came straight out of a Tim Burton film, but we have to admit that this odd getup is a welcome departure from her usual pretty, but unadventurous red carpet looks.

Fendi store reopening (2017)
Despite favouring classic looks, Rebecca isn't averse to avante-garde fashion these days.

Panthère de Cartier event (2017)
You can never go wrong with a military look.

Star Awards 2017
Becks’ Old Hollywood-worthy Oscar de la Renta gown had us green with envy.

Star Awards 2018
Best Actress winner Becks not only shone bright on stage, but she looked like a real-life jewel in her emerald green Elie Saab dress.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Launch (2018)
We're pretty sure Becks made an entrance in that stunning brocade gown from Carolina Herrera. Green was definitely her colour that year.

Asian Academy Creative Awards 2018
Becks looked flawless in this glamorous Louis Vuitton gown which had just the right amount of ruffles and bling.

Prada event (2019)
Sorry Becks, but this tie dye pattern makes it look like you stained yourself during that time of the month then tried to conceal it by turning your skirt from back to front.

Star Awards 2019
Becks brought the drama with this voluminous Valentino gown that featured an overflow of ruffles.

Louis Vuitton event (2019)
Rebecca was lucky enough to snag a pic with South Korean heartthrob Gong Yoo at a Louis Vuitton event and what stole our hearts (besides Gong Yoo) was her sparkly number. The frills on the shoulders provided the right amount of drama for this fabulous sci-fi-esque frock.

Clash De Cartier Studio opening party (2019)
Rebecca’s one-shoulder leather frock is giving us a major ’70s #throwback. We especially love the lilac colour which is a difficult hue to pull off, and the actress did it like a pro by matching it with a pair of leather boots for a tough chic look.

Chinese New Year (2020)
Not only did Becks look super huat in this gorgeous frilly dress from Max Mara when she went CNY visiting, she was red carpet-ready too.

2020
Although this bold military-meets-retro look is a huge departure from Becks' usual style, she wore it with total confidence. Nice.

A Jungle Survivor press conference
Feminine and demure, Becks looked flawless in her flowy Chanel embroidered silk dress at the press conference of A Jungle Survivor.

Asian Academy Creative Awards 2020
Becks may have gone home empty-handed at the Asian Academy Creative Awards, but she's a winner in our book with this firework of a gown. Stunning!

Star Awards 2021 press meet
We're pretty sure Becks stole all the attention when she showed up at the recent Star Awards 2021 press meet in this sexy Versace number.

Louis Vuitton fashion show
We like the playful Louis Vuitton outfit, but the flat, poker straight hair not so much. Go easy on the flat iron!

Star Awards 2021
Rebecca dialed up the glam factor at the Star Awards in this gorgeous Alexander McQueen embellished backless gown. One of our favourite looks of the night.

2021
Becks looked every inch like a screen goddess in this champagne satin frock and glitzy heels.

2021
It's pretty amazing how Becks managed to look 34-going-on-24 in this photo.

2021
Pairing two different prints requires some effort and confidence to pull off, and we think Becks made it work with stripes and the iconic Louis Vuitton logo prints, though we're still on the fence with the tunic-over-pants look. We'd rather this fashion trend stay put in the early noughties.

National Day Concert
Decked in a floor grazing, red carpet-worthy frock for her performance at the National Day Concert, Rebecca looked like a goddess who’d descended on earth.

2021
Yet another stunning Versace gown. Becks is sizzling in this charm-detail dress that fits her like a glove. Love!