Zooey Deschanel Is A Twee Trailblazer — Her Greatest Retro 2010s 'Fits

From 2000 when she had her first big role in Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical film, "Almost Famous," to the very last episode of the series, "The New Girl," Zooey Deschanel put herself on the map as both a talented actress and a style icon. Although her career involved many different roles, because of her personal style, she could never escape being labeled a "twee trailblazer." Even worse, she became the very definition of a manic pixie girl; coined by film critic Nathan Rabin to describe a one-dimensional female character who supports a male lead, but never evolves as a character. Although Rabin intended to chastise male writers, unfortunately, the women who played these roles were stuck with the label for far too long. In fact, the label is still used today, some 17 years after Rubin first coined it.

"I don't feel it's accurate," Deschanel told The Guardian in 2022. "I'm not a girl. I'm a woman. It doesn't hurt my feelings. But it's a way of making a woman one-dimensional and I'm not one-dimensional." Fun fact, women tend to never be one-dimensional unless there's a male writer at the helm.

No matter how often Deschanel was cast in manic pixie roles, she always rose above that. Yes, she was a twee trailblazer, but she was also one half of the musical duo She & Him (Him being M.Ward), created Hello Giggles which (before it was acquired by Time in 2015), among being creatively involved in other ventures. Deschanel is a fashion icon and inspiration, but she always was and will always be far more than that.

Not many people roll up to the "Late Show with David Letterman" in a dress and cardigan, but Deschanel did, because of course. She appeared on the show on May 7, 2013, presumably to promote the latest season of "New Girl" and nailed not only her personal aesthetic, but that of her character, Jess. Naturally, she wore ballet flats, because a twee fashion icon believes in comfort and simplicity. Four-inch Louboutin heels with this outfit not only wouldn't make sense, but would be a complete failure — twee, speaking. 

In true twee form, Deschanel showed up to the March 3, 2016, 100th episode of the "New Girl" party in a dress that looked like someone would have worn to prom in 1965 — it even has a black bow centered at the waistline. She paired it with a pink clutch and pink flats (it's rare to see Deschanel in heels), and her low-maintenance bangs are very much on par with the era her entire look is summoning. 

Although Deschanel made a name for herself as an actress, she has a lot of roles in which she sang. Think "Elf." While some actresses put out albums in some strange attempt to dominate more than one creative field, that was never the case with Deschanel. Unlike the majority of her fellow actors, not only can Deschanel carry a tune, but she can also write music with her musical partner M.Ward, and put on one heck of a show. At the August 2008 Newport Folk Festival in Newport Rhode Island, Deschanel and Ward — known professionally as She & Him — were spectacular. We're talking about her twee fashion blazing, her vocals, and her songwriting.

Once upon a time in a world run by Millennials, Zooey Deschanel married Ben Gibbard, lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie. If you're a member of Gen Z and scratching your head, here's some help: for many of us Millennials, especially those of us pushing 40 (don't judge), Death Cab for Cutie was a voice of our generation. When Gibbard, who's also very twee in his own right, married Deschanel, it was just too perfect for the era. Even though the marriage lasted less than three years, Deschanel's twee persisted. 

An adorable purple tiered dress, tights, and white and orange flats for the premiere of "My Idiot Brother" at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival in Park City Utah? You better believe it. While other actors and actresses may see a Sundance premiere as a moment to get decked out in full glitz and glam, Deschanel, in always knowing cute and simple trumps high-end designers, kept her look low-key and on par with the style for which she became known. She was still with Gibbard at the time, so the two were twee-ing it up with Deschanel's co-stars in the film, one of whom happened to be the forever ageless wonder, Paul Rudd.