HGTV Star Erin Napier's Head-Turning Transformation

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

There are many reasons that "Home Town" and its multiple spinoff series, especially "Home Town Takeover," are among HGTV's most-watched shows. Undoubtedly, the hosts are two of the biggest draw cards. Despite speculation (and some debunking) of the red flags in Ben and Erin Napier's marriage, the couple seems aspirationally devoted, inspiring many #relationshipgoals comments on their posts about each other. Their loyalty extends to friends, family, and, of course, their hometown of Laurel, Mississippi.

But Erin and her head-turning transformation are a draw card of their own. As one Instagram follower wrote about her, "She is SO cute. Everything about her." Fans frequently ask for details about her outfit choices and praise her fashion sense, which is on-trend yet attainable. Her positive spirit, honesty, and dedication to her friends only enhance her appeal, and looking back through photos of the "Home Town" star show that this spirit seems to have always been part of the Mississippi native's story.

Erin Napier was born in Laurel, Mississippi, in 1985. As of the 2020 census, the population was just over 17,000 people, and she's not the only famous one. "The White Lotus" and "Dazed and Confused" actor Parker Posey has lived in Laurel, and *NSYNC member and actor Lance Bass is from the Southern town.

Napier was a creative introvert and never felt pressure from her mom to follow in her footsteps as a cheerleader. Sadly, she was bullied as a kid for being a bit different, but one of her outlets at the time was music. In an August 2023 article she wrote for Today, Napier mentioned that she "played guitar and sang every Thursday night at a coffee shop in downtown Laurel in Mississippi." The band covered a lot of '90s faves, including Alanis Morissette, Ani DiFranco, and Blind Melon. She graduated in 2003, the year her mom took her on a senior trip to California. In June 2019, Napier posted a photo from that trip in San Francisco. "I bought that denim Esprit jacket at a thrift store in Haight-Ashbury because I was freezing," she wrote, and she's still a denim devotee today. She frequently wears jeans, but has also found stylish ways to wear denim beyond jeans by donning denim dresses and overalls.

After high school, Erin Napier went to Jones County Junior College, also in Mississippi, where she had an eye for a tall student named Ben Napier. Luckily, he had also spotted her. "I remember seeing Erin the first week of school. She was walking across the student union and she had a pixie haircut. I didn't know what a pixie cut was at the time, but I knew I liked it," he reflected to People in April 2020. The two began dating in 2004 before transferring together to Ole Miss, where she graduated in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in fine arts. For their 2008 wedding, Napier wore two gowns, a long, lace wedding dress for the ceremony and a short cocktail dress for the reception. Her shoulder-length hair was done in big barrel curls.

The couple moved to Laurel, and in 2010, Napier began blogging on the Laurel Mercantile Co. website. It was there that she posted a picture of herself in red rain boots from Target and tights. She noted that "it was a very bold move for me" not to wear anything covering her bottom. This was a cute moment for Erin, showing how cute and casual outfits can still have an impact.

Thanks to Erin Napier's digital presence, HGTV came a-knockin', and the Napiers filmed a pilot for "Home Town," which had the then-highest viewership of any pilot in the channel's history, with 2.3 million people tuning in to see what the charming Southern couple had up their plaid sleeves. The couple instantly became much more visible, but Erin continued documenting their lives in blog posts and on Instagram. This is also when women around the country undoubtedly started bringing pictures of her short, side-swept locks to their hairstylists.

Erin's fashion remained relatable despite her big break. The couple took a trip to Savannah, Georgia, in 2016, where Napier posed in a breezy button-up, distressed denim shorts, and sandals. A follower immediately commented on her Instagram post of the trip to ask where the shorts were from, to which she graciously answered American Eagle. Others were obsessed with her shoes. The following year, the couple was invited to New Orleans for Mardi Gras to assume the role of grand marshals. Followers loved Napier's ombré green dress, with praise flooding the comments section of her Instagram post from the time.

Fans have continued to tune in to season after season of "Home Town," which has been renewed through 2027, and Erin Napier has continued to deliver cute, casual outfit after cute, casual outfit. So, has she enlisted hubby Ben Napier to expand her closet space? No, she hasn't needed to. The 5-foot, 5-inch host donates her clothes to a secondhand shop in Laurel, whose proceeds support a transitional housing community. She's also continued her transformation by growing her hair out to a bixie, one of the best low-maintenance haircuts for women over 30. (Erin is 40 at the time of writing.)

The HGTV star has also done a duo of duos in this era: The Napiers welcomed daughters Helen and Mae in 2018 and 2021, respectively, and published two books, "Make Something Good Today" and "Heirloom Rooms." The couple also appeared at the 2022 Country Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee. Her stylist for the event? Drew Barrymore. She reached out to the talk-show host to help her connect with gown brand Marchesa, who loaned her an ethereal confection. As red carpet appearances are rare for the couple, she doesn't need to borrow gowns too often. Instead, she continues wearing her Southern style faves, including cheerful sundresses like the plaid one she wore in Bartow, Florida, in August 2024 (pictured right above).