Gilding Lily... how star struck gold in fashion evolution

LILY Allen burst on to the music scene in 2006, and hits like Smile, LDN and Knock 'Em Out, saw her topping the charts.

- BY LARA OWEN

But it wasn't just her music that drew attention. Lily had a look we had never seen on a pop star before - pairing ballgowns with trainers and flat caps with eyeliner - her style soon became as iconic as her songs. Ahead of her 40th birthday on Friday, let's take a look back at her fashion evolution...

2006

After a year of uploading demos to the social media network MySpace, Lily debuted her album Alright, Still in July 2006. It was an immediate hit, with the singer performing at V Festival that August wearing an extravagant strapless pastel ballgown, with a silver chains white trucker cap.

2008