Anya Taylor-Joy Says She 'Grew Up a Real Tomboy' Before Becoming a Red Carpet Style Star

The Last Night in Soho actress made herself known on the red carpet this year, but feminine fashion wasn't always her thing

Anya Taylor-Joy Says She 'Grew Up a Real Tomboy' Before Becoming a Red Carpet Style Star

Throughout the past year, Anya Taylor-Joy became one to watch on the red carpet. With her Old Hollywood aesthetic and feminine glamour, the actress always puts on an awe-inspiring display — but she admits it hasn't always been that way.

"It's been so interesting because I grew up a real, real tomboy. Clothes only entered into my hemisphere when I started working, so I've been getting the craziest fashion education," Taylor-Joy, 25, tells Senior Correspondent Jeremy Parsons on PEOPLE (The TV Show!).

Taylor-Joy, who was recently announced as Dior's newest global fashion and makeup ambassador, works closely with image architect Law Roach to craft her red carpet looks and says she's "so grateful" for getting to learn from the best in the business.

"It's opened me up to this whole other medium of expressing myself and having fun and enjoying it," she says.

In fact, the actress, who stars in the new psychological horror film Last Night in Soho (in theaters Friday), says fashion helps her come out of her shell. "I'm quite shy in real life. So having this really helps you kind of bring it up in the red carpet," Taylor-Joy explains.

Roach previously told PEOPLE that he and the actress have "been really playing [with fashion] that feels of another era." He added: "She has an element of fearlessness and knows who she is. I think when you have a great sense of self, identity and purpose, the clothes just translate."

Though she's still a fresh face on the red carpet, Taylor-Joy already has some favorite fashion moments from this year, including her Dior Haute Couture gown at the 2021 Emmy Awards.

"That was one of the first things that I saw complete from head to toe. The second I got the Emmy nomination, I knew exactly what I wanted to wear and how I wanted it to look," Taylor-Joy says.

"I was so grateful to the House of Dior for making my dream dress. I really, really wanted to wear that," she adds.

Another favorite? Her emerald ballgown at the 2021 Golden Globes, which she calls her "homage to [Queen's Gambit character] Beth [Harmon]."

"The color green is my favorite color and also it's a motif in Queen's Gambit. I really wanted to wear it for her," Taylor-Joy says.