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Since 2009, Modern Family has been one of television’s biggest hits. Fans love to tune in to the misadventures of the Dunphy clan, an extended family getting into various hijinks. A highlight of the cast has been Sarah Hyland as Haley, the eldest child of Claire and Phil. It’s clear from the start the gal is rather scatter-brained and selfish, far more into fashion, lacking common sense and lazy to boot. However, at other times, she can show surprising heart and a smarter side than most give her credit for. Hyland has managed to make the role work well, some great laugh lines while rocking a variety of nice outfits. Like many a young starlet, she’s been boosted to fame thanks to the role and taking off on the red carpet.
With such attention for her (including social media postings), Hyland’s outfits have been focused on a lot. At times, she is able to wow fans on the red carpet with an amazingly beautiful and exotic outfit to show her hot side off. At other times, she wears an absolutely terrible outfit, a mix of bad fabrics and just a style that seems more akin to a poor college student than a TV starlet. Yet somehow, Hyland’s thin form, fantastic legs and good looks are able to make her stand out even in a bad outfit. She’s run the gamut from strikingly hot and purely bad but always does her best to be memorable. Here are 15 times Hyland has stunned with her fashion sense, good and bad, and why she’s unique in so many ways.
Sultry Surf
It’s not just the outfit itself that looks great but also the unique setting. This party had a tropical theme to it as seen by the plants behind Hyland and the surfboard set up nearby. It would have been easy for her to wear some sort of "island” type outfit to show off. But Hyland instead goes for a different vibe in a gorgeous navy blue dress that somehow fits the setting.
The dress itself is beautiful, a solid colour and open enough to make her sexy but not enough to make it too much for the tabloids. The black belt around that tight waist seems to hold it together as the slit reveals one of those gorgeous legs stepping out. Her shorter hair with blonde highlights fits the lighting along with the light eyeshadow. It’s a showcase of how Hyland’s style has evolved, as she’s letting go of some of the more childish outfits of the past to embrace being a woman. She's doing it in a wonderful way.
Flamenco Fail
Hyland is a pretty good singer and has even provided voice work for the popular Disney cartoon series The Lion Guard. She also popped up on an episode of Lip Sync Battle which included a performance of “Don’t Cha” that had the crowd going. Sadly, for this party setting, Hyland struck a wrong chord. It looks like she has some sort of bizarre flamenco fetish but it got out of hand.
The red dress alone might have been okay with some small golden belts and coverings. Sadly, the gold across her dress is far too much. Instead of flowing easily, the rest of the dress looks rumpled with golden shorts under it and the black high heels way too high. It really looks like Hyland grabbed a curtain off a wall and decided to turn it into her outfit. She may be a good dancer, but this dress is nothing to sing about.
Glamour Trapping
Before her fame on Family, Hyland’s first big TV role was on the short-lived NBC drama Lipstick Jungle. She played the teenage daughter of Brooke Shield’s character who soon drives her mother crazy acting up, complaining about her horrible life even though she is rich. The show only lasted 20 episodes but it got Hyland the attention she needed in order to land her role of Haley.
This pic shows Hyland may have learned something from the series when it came to nice dresses. The silver wrap is a nice combination of fabrics, one side sleek and smooth, the other with a good pattern to it. They tie together with a “tail” flowing down one of her legs to the matching shoes and it looks good. The short hair helps and the decision to not wear earrings works as it doesn’t distract from her easy beauty. This is a more subtle and elegant attempt at beauty, and of course, she mastered it.
White Wrappings
While she’s famed as Haley, Hyland still finds time for some other TV roles. A notable one was on Freeform’s urban fantasy series Shadowhunters. Hyland popped up as the suddenly grown up elven Seelie Queen with wild outfits, red hair and an odd accent. It was a strange look but Hyland fit with an odd exotic air in the role much different than her usual TV personas. This showcases how she can make some offbeat choices in her outfits.
The all-white motif is an interesting choice as well as the design and how it seems to mix in layers. It shows a lace bodysuit that doesn’t show the legs off as usual. The main outfit is good with flowing fabric about her shoulders into a large leg space and wrapping about rather well. The outfit does come off as something from a sci-fi or fantasy setting yet also comfortable enough for Hyland to show off in. Not many actresses would look good in this, but she, not surprisingly, does.
Summer Style
A regular bit on Modern Family is the clan going on a vacation from camping to a resort or other countries. Naturally, this almost always leads to some minor disasters and messes thanks to how they invite bad luck. Haley does her best to always look great, the kind of gal who would wait out a hotel fire lounging at the beach.
This dress, worn at the Teen Choice Awards, shows she can get a summer vibe at any time. The yellow top and matching shorts are great, showing enough of her belly not to be too obtrusive and stand out well on the carpet. Helping is her short hair with blonde highlights to match it up and a bright smile. The white shoes throw it a bit but it still looks very nice, showing her sexy style well. This photo proves Hyland can bring the heat whenever she wants.
Native Vibe
The Coachella Musical Festival is one of the biggest parties of the year. Every April, thousands gather in the desert to enjoy a variety of independent music acts and enjoy the sights. It’s gotten attention for celebrities joining in and hanging out, trying to be like everyone else while getting into the interesting dress code. However, Hyland’s first trip there had her getting a little too laid back.
The muscle shirt underneath the loose vest is to show off her arms but there's barely enough to cover her. The jean shorts are torn up and don't show off her legs in a flattering way. There’s also the abundance of bracelets and rings covering her hands that are way too distracting to be stylish. There’s also the bright crown and makeup that look like a grade school version of a Native American play. She seems to be enjoying herself but that outfit doesn’t come off a winner.
Blonde Ambition
Hyland’s dark brown hair has been a standard ever since she rose to fame. It’s shifted a bit in length from flowing past her shoulders to much shorter but that dark color has remained. Indeed, many jokes on the show are on Haley’s obsession with her hair to the point of treating any minor damage as a disaster. Thus, it was striking when Hyland took on a blonde color and let the hair grow much longer.
It makes sense to show it off at a party where Entertainment Weekly highlights “Sexy Hair” as you can’t argue she doesn’t match that. It also goes with the lovely outfit, a two piece set that looks lovely on her. The top is good to show off her shoulders and a boost to her chest. The dress part is also great to show enough of her legs without being too exploitative. There’s a hint of belly but again not too revealing, and she remains as one of the best sights on the carpet.
Flower Child
Some have complained about Hyland being thin but there’s a reason for that. In 2012, she required a kidney transplant from her own father and has been on various medications that prevent her from gaining weight. That’s why she looks so light in various pictures and it’s a testament to how she kept her work on the show going even after her treatments and surgeries.
Maybe it’s why she embraces lighter outfits such as this for the Coachella festival, an orange patterned number with a dark belt around her waist. The yellow top underneath isn’t too revealing but still looks pretty good. The glasses protect her eyes while her pink-streaked hair holds a flower crown that matches the feathered necklace around her with a golden one around her throat. Overall, a better outfit for Coachella to show her off and it shows she’s grown well despite her problems. She's a fighter.
Off Kilter
This is a good mix of layers even if it does seem a bit off in some ways. It’s a more recent look from the SAG Awards where Hyland has shared Most Outstanding Cast in a Comedy Series honors with the rest of her Family castmates.
This is a great look, a silky grey top that’s not too sheer but still inviting and shimmers well in the light. One shoulder is bare while the other has a good cloak/wrap around it, mixing with the rest of the dress in a good showcase. It also flaunts her heels and legs to show off nicely. The choker around her neck is another good touch as she flows her hair backward with nice round diamond earrings. The whole outfit was a highlight on the carpet, not too overt but sexy and showcases a good design that shows how posh Hyland can look when she dresses up nicely.
Miss Match
This is just…ugly. It looks like Hyland couldn’t decide between two different outfits for the Emmy Awards and so decided to somehow mix up both. The results are a horrendous outfit despite how good she looks.
The dress itself looks nice with the floral pattern, flowing downward behind her, shoulder-free and had she mixed it with something in the same style, that would have been great. But then you see the dark pants, way too dark to reflect the main dress and throws it all off. The high-heel sandals with open toes also throw it off, not the best look for such an important show. The hair isn’t bad or the earrings but the entire ensemble is one of the worst on the carpet that year. Again, had Hyland gone with a different color of pants or a more complete dress, it would have been great but as it is, this is just one bad choice.
Ride Hookup
When Modern Family began, Haley was a teenager but Hyland was 18 when cast. She does look remarkably young, even on the show with Haley out of college (mostly for being kicked out for a prank gone wrong). Thus, there’s an air of innocence to her and yet she can show it off with a wild style.
This comes up in this Instagram post, leaning on a nice car which is always a great way to show off. The top is notable with straps around shoulders and a dark color but the huge eagle on the front is a bit jarring. The shorts are a good style but the fact that they seem to go up so high to her belly throws you a bit. She does seem to like it and yet it also shows how Hyland may be growing up a bit too fast. Again, she’s always been older than she looks but it’s still sometimes troubling how she shows it in pics like this to show a hotter side.
Trailer Trash
Hyland was born and raised in New York and even attended the Professional Performing Arts school in Manhattan. She loves the city and is proud of her roots. Which is why it’s baffling that she decided to dress here like someone from a Southern trailer park.
The muscle shirt with strings at the front looks like it is barely able to hold in her chest even with the support of her bra. The jean shorts are torn up and too high with a huge number on the side. The plaid shirt wrapped around her waist makes it look even worse and the sandal/shoe combo is a rough mix. Topping it off is the bright cap atop a messy mane of hair. It looks like she’s ready to start hauling a tractor trailer across the highways rather than attend a Hollywood party. This is a bit much for the whole "laid back" look.
Black And HOT
Perhaps Hyland’s best feature are her legs. Even though she stands just five-foot-two, she possesses a fantastic set of gams that she loves to show off. It’s on the show a lot with Haley in skirts and other outfits and she knows the effect she has. Hyland carries that over to her regular life for outfits designed to focus on her legs.
This glamour magazine shoot is remarkable for how much it flaunts her legs. The jacket is open enough to tease but not too overt. The black shorts are just high cut enough to flaunt those amazing gams, covered in hose and her hair is done up to put the focus on her face. The black-and-white motif also helps, no extra coloring to distract, just focusing on Hyland’s stems. It’s overall one of her hotter looks, amazing to show off what she knows gets attention best.
Belly Flop
The Emmy Awards are a key thing for any television starlet. Sadly, this time around, Hyland made a choice of fashion that didn’t really work out very well. The dress is a good design, red with light flower pattern, not totally sheer but a good vibe to it. It stands out well, flows over her and her hair is done nicely to match. Had this just been one solid cloth, it would have been terrific.
Sadly, it looks like Hyland is wearing a two-piece as flashing your mid-riff isn’t exactly a great thing to do at one of the biggest award shows of the year. There’s also how you can clearly see the spanx she’s wearing, another faux paus in fashion. Hyland herself seems to realize it as she tried to pull it back up but it's clear that she's having trouble. A different choice of dresses would have been much better to avoid this major fashion fail.
Posh Look
Hyland has some glamour to her when she tries and this is a great choice. Her expression is notable as in 2011, she was a guest on the popular E! show Fashion Police where she took a shot at Lea Michele’s red carpet style. That included mocking Michele’s poses of hands on hips and pouted lips to get attention. It was a big bit that got some buzz as Hyland enjoyed mocking Michele a few more times. They seem to have made up but this shows Hyland can do her own take on a posh look.
The sleek top is fine with a lovely shiny veneer to it that lets it stand out under the light. The cleavage is good to boost her chest up and the arms crossed makes it look stronger. Hyland’s makeup is sharp to highlight her beauty with hair done up and it comes off looking ultra-posh. It’s a great look to show the growing beauty Hyland has become.
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