Out of all the characters on Modern Family, Alex is by far the most special. She’s brilliant, independent, resourceful… We don’t mean to sound surprised that she came from Claire and Phil but she’s unlike anyone else in her entire family.

As a biochemistry student at Caltech, Alex is the most prominent of the Dunphy children. She’s had her eyes on the prize since she was a kid, leaving her little time to socialize, date, or do “normal” teen things that her sister Haley was doing. Due to Alex having her nose in a book for most of her life, she doesn’t necessarily always nail her wardrobe. But with a girl as smart and witty as Alex, do we really care? No. Take a look at five of her best (and worst) outfits from Modern Family. 

BEST: OLIVE GREEN IS HER SHADE

In the 10th season, we saw Alex shine in “Commencement.” Wearing an olive shirt, matching puffer jacket, black booties, and blue jeans, she looked like a young Monica from Friends.

In this episode, Haley is super pregnant but the whole gang heads to the local high school’s graduation ceremony where Jay is giving the commencement address and Cam was asked to be chair of the graduation. It was a big day for their family and Alex looked chic and sophisticated.

WORST: UGLY PROM DRESS NIGHT

With Alex 30 minutes away at Caltech, Phil and Claire were missing their brightest and most resilient child. After having three kids at home with them for over 20 years, it was strange having one child missing from the coop.

Phil decides to visit Alex at college in between classes but it’s not what he had hoped. While Alex is doing a great job in school, she wasn’t fitting in and didn’t enjoy the college atmosphere. She told her dad she was going to commute the following year. Before leaving, Phil did his best to help Alex fit in, so he bought her an ugly prom dress and goggles to wear to a mixer the college freshman were throwing. And while she bravely put it on, it was obviously not her best look.

BEST: IS ALEX LOOKING THROUGH HALEY’S CLOSET?

Over the course of 11 seasons, we’ve really seen Alex come into her own. She’s always been an independent and smart woman but her style began to mature as well. We saw her wearing jeans, cute booties, and tighter shirts than usual.

Growing up, we typically saw Alex in graphic tees (see below) and long-sleeve plaid shirts, but as a young woman, she began wearing fitted clothing. Just look at her in this deep-v, floral number! It’s so cute that it could be from Haley’s closet!

WORST: ENOUGH WITH THE GRAPHIC TEES

Have you noticed how many sweaters Alex wore? For living in Southern California year-round, you would assume that a young girl would wear short sleeves and shorts more often. But Alex? She stuck to sweaters and long-sleeved shirts with graphics on them. And the graphics weren’t even that cool. They didn’t match another universe or someone she was studying. They were typically animals. Alex and her adorable frame deserved better.

BEST: THIS NECKLINE ON ALEX

Alex is a stunning woman and sometimes her clothes wore her — not the other way around. Modern Family focused so much on Alex’s intellect that they forgot about her femininity. She had a killer body and deserved clothes that showed it off.

She didn’t need to dress like Haley but she could have worn clothes more like the picture above to show her feminine side. With a deep neckline and bell-sleeves, Alex looked like a modern-day gal from the 70s. And thanks to her dark hair, the red shirt really pops on her.

WORST: ALEX’S GOTH SIDE

With Haley gone at college (for a whole second), Alex began playing around with her individuality. But you could tell that she was missing the daily banter with Haley. Alex would never say it but she did look up to Haley–while learning from her mistakes—from time to time. So, when Haley left, Alex began hanging out with a girl named Skylar who was super gothic. Following her new friend, Alex began wearing dark clothes and dark makeup. And while Alex would have looked pretty in anything, goth wasn’t her direction.

BEST: HER KOLA ONESIE SHOWED OFF HER FUN SIDE

In the first episode of the 10th season, we see all the families getting ready to celebrate the Fourth of July. When the camera crew heads to the Dunphy household, we find Claire and Alex snuggling on the couch in different animal onesies.

The two become a little too comfortable in their onesies and get too lazy for Phil’s liking. But considering how busy and serious Alex is all the time, it was refreshing to see her being open and relaxed. Seeing her in a koala suit was out of character for her but we didn’t hate it. It was cute!

WORST: ALEX’S WORK UNIFORM

Now that Alex is commuting to and from Caltech, she decides to get a job as a barista at a local cafe. We only saw her working there once or twice but she seemed to really enjoy it. The only thing we didn’t enjoy was the fact that they made her wear this outfit. A vest over a buttondown shirt and a knee-length skirt? It just seems too dated for such a young girl working in a cool cafe.

BEST: HER ICONIC HALLOWEEN COSTUME

In the unfortunate episode where Claire and Mitchell’s mother passes away, everyone is decked out for Halloween. This was Alex’s best Halloween costume by far.

Dressed as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Alex wore her iconic eyeglasses, robe, earrings, and wore a gold chain so people could identify her (incase the glasses and hairstyle didn’t give it away). She looked like a modern-day BAMF.

WORST: HER OUTFIT TO FRANK’S WEDDING

To give Alex a little bit of credit with this look, she was dressed for a themed wedding. However, why did her outfit from the 1920s look like she was at a funeral on the Prarie while Haley was a beautiful flapper? Even Claire looked like a 2019 version of Bonnie Parker. All we’re saying is Alex deserved better. And if she’s the one who chose this ensemble, she was clearly dedicated to authenticity.