Like most American Idol contestants, Carrie Underwood’s style improved week-by-week on the show, as fashion experts had their way with her dresses and tresses, trading her sweet girl-next-door duds for haute couture frocks.

“I think Carrie’s really grown into her style wonderfully,” says Libby Callaway, fashion columnist for the Nashville City Paper. “Much like Faith Hill, she has the body and the self-confidence to pull off fashion-forward shapes like the short, graphic dresses she’s been wearing a lot.”

Even those without access to fashion stylists and designers’ shows can capture a little of Underwood’s fresh, up-to-the-minute style with some savvy shopping, says Callaway. “Designers like Phillip Lim and Alexander Wang are both really great resources for dresses in simple shapes in fashionable colors, but they can be a bit pricey,” she says. “I find that the in-house lines at Off-Fifth or the Saks Fifth Avenue outlet have great dresses for not much dough. Old Navy, Express and Forever 21 are also resources for basic frocks. And it can never hurt to make a run through Target to see what they’ve got in stock — their designers are really on fire lately.”

Underwood has now become a bona fide fashionista, the toast of red carpets everywhere, regularly showing off the latest designs by some of fashion’s biggest names.

“Personally, I think solid colors and simple shapes really flatter her the most,” says Callaway. “I loved the white geometric dress by George Chakra that she wore to Fashion Rocks last fall. It’s a great example of simplicity working in her favor. Minimal looks also allow Carrie to show off a real flair for picking unusual accessories — like the amazing stiletto sandals she wore last year with ankle straps shaped like snakes crawling up her legs.”