Outside of birth, death, and taxes, it's fairly difficult to come up with another Certain Thing. But we've finally got one: everybody who was around for 2020/early 2021 can agree that there's a lot of lost frolicking to make up for.
So this season, to maximize our collective Rumspringa, we're putting forth an outrageously effective outfit recipe that both eliminates the need for lengthy sartorial calculations and requires just two (2) ingredients. Drum roll, please: Our solution is...co-ords, or matching sets in oxblood leather, raw denim, and any fabric/print/cut/color you could possibly imagine in between. To demonstrate the time-saving and endlessly freak-able power of this styling hack, we've partnered with Macy's and content creator Vivid Wu to present the three easy to execute examples seen ahead. Because this spring, the energy is very "no thoughts, head empty" — just us, in our effortlessly put-together 'fits, finally out in the world.
The purest form of co-ords is the suit, and here, we've got a double-breasted one with a highly of-the-moment slouch. As temps rise, riff on the silhouette by switching out trousers for shorts or swapping the blazer for a vest.
Mango Double-Breasted Structured Blazer, $, available at Macy's
Coach Tabby Shoulder Bag 26 In Pillow Leather, $, available at Macy's
Yves Saint Laurent The Slim Glow Matte Lipstick, $, available at Macy'sThere's no stopping the wide-collar-shirt juggernaut, though denim is a bit more unexpected than your average white poplin. Up the HTT cohesiveness with jeans in the exact same wash, and add a puffy handbag for flex points.
INC International Concepts Wide-Collar Chambray Button-Front Shirt, $, available at Macy's
Cotton On Long Straight Jeans, $, available at Macy's
Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro Matte Liquid Lipstick, $, available at Macy'sTold you this outfit recipe was strong. Your inclination with non-black patent might be to keep the rest of the look neutral and matte, but we say there's no time like the present to go all in with a button-up shirt and a skirt that hits at a flattering right-above-the-ankle length.
Mango Chest Pockets Patent Finish Overshirt, $, available at Macy's
On Mother’s Day, Jennifer Lopez reminded her daughter just how cool a mom she is by reinventing one of fashion’s most iconic outfits: the Versace jungle print dress Lopez wore at the 2000 Grammys. In an Instagram video for a J.Lo Beauty campaign for the holiday, which Lopez shot alongside her daughter Emme and her mom Guadalupe, the singer-actress can be seen preparing for the photoshoot while wearing a green, jungle-print silky robe from the Italian fashion brand.
The original gown featured a below-the-navel V-neck and a slit up the center — details that made it go viral during an era that still involved dial-up. Lopez’s latest version included a super-short hemline and billowy sleeves. Later in the Instagram video, she changed into a dusty rose-colored look by LaPointe, which her daughter and mother both wore as well. Though perfect for the Mother’s Day shoot, we can’t help but prefer her choice of attire for the getting-ready portion of the video.
As any J.Lo super fan will tell you, this is hardly the first time that the “Let’s Get Loud” singer has donned the bold print in the last two decades. Most recently, she was photographed in Miami in 2020 wearing a jungle print Versace blouse with matching skinny jeans for brunch. A few months prior, in September 2019, she was spotted at Milan Fashion Week wearing a jungle print mini dress with coordinating thigh-high boots. Shortly after, history repeated when she celebrated the 20th anniversary of the dress by wearing a reissued version on the catwalk at Versace’s spring ‘20 runway show. And yes, she broke the internet again.
With the recent look, J.Lo proves (once again) that the print is versatile enough for any occasion.
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But despite their representation at the A-level, until recently, true horse girls haven’t exactly enjoyed a vaunted social status. Their exceptionally long hair got pulled, and their detailed horse drawings folded up and passed around class. Urban Dictionary describes them as “girls who gallop on the track during gym class.” And frankly, some do: In Finland, hobbyhorse riding, according to The Wall Street Journal, is a growing sport that involves young girls riding fake horses, made of cloth or plastic horse heads attached to sticks. But it’s not just hobbyhorse girls who were subject to mockery. Even those whose horse-related interests ended with My Little Pony T-shirts and binder stickers were often forbidden from sitting at the cool-kid table.
In the last few years, however, horse girls have found themselves at the center of attention — and not because they can clear a fence with grace while galloping on all fours. Horse girls everywhere were vindicated when Musgraves performed “High Horse” horseback at the Houston Rodeo in 2019. At the same time, Western tropes were (once again) experiencing peak popularity, with Ganni’s heart-embossed cowboy boots and Canadian tuxedos spotted on every #GanniGirl from New York to Copenhagen, and Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road (Remix)” — which saw the singer in an enviable selection of cowboy wares for the music video — reaching the tops of music charts.
Today celebrities aren’t wearing lace bodysuits while horseback at a packed arena, or a custom hot pink cowboy hat at the Grammys. Instead, like most things this year, the horse girl look has mellowed out since the pandemic, becoming more outdoorsy — think cottagecore vibes — than showy. With nowhere to actually go but outside, everyday horse girls have become standard sightings on social media feeds and beyond.
On Instagram, entire lifestyle brands have embraced the sudden demand for equestrian style, like Recreational Habits, which launched in the pandemic and features a curated mood board titled @rhequestrianclub and preppy-athletic apparel. Runways, too, have become enamored with horse girls. A model on a horse, albeit in a wedding gown, closed Chanel’s spring ‘21 Haute Couture show, while Celine’s fall ‘21 film featured a lineup of Gen Z models horseback riding. The most blatantly equestrian display was at Gucci’s fall ‘21 show, when models carried whips and crops while wearing riding boots, helmets, and tailored velvet blazers. Some models wore harnesses — others carried them. The film showcasing the new collection concluded with every horse girl’s dream: two white Stallions.
In turn, sartorial items that would once live only in the wardrobes of actual equestrians are becoming closet mainstays for all. Knee-high boots, like those featured at Gucci’s show, have surpassed both ankle-height and over-the-knee styles on our spring wishlists, while cowboy boots continue to reign supreme on runways. Stirrup leggings, a big trend of the last year, have single-handedly made leggings cool again, and shrunken, fitted polos are frequently spotted on Instagram and TikTok.
Arguably the most horse girl item of all — chaps — is back, too, and not just on Hadid or Kim Kardashian. According to fashion writer Laura Reilly, chaps are the one fashion item she’s most excited to wear post-pandemic. “My friend and I are planning a chap party in their honor,” she tells Refinery29. Reilly originally bought her leather chaps on eBay for “a Halloween that never happened.” “All of my friends have a pair in the back of their closets somewhere — they just need an excuse to wear them.” But really, with horse girls taking over fashion, is an excuse even necessary?
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A week after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge celebrated their 10-year anniversary with a handful of family activities — during which Kate Middleton made a case for skinny jeans — she rewore a garment from the couple’s 2010 engagement shoot: a cream-colored, silk blouse from Whistles.
This time around, Middleton wore the blouse during a phone call with finalists from Hold Still, a community project she founded during the pandemic, in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery. The photos — which were taken last fall at Sandringham House, one of the Queen’s favorite country retreats in northern England — were released this week to coincide with Hold Still’s book launch. Honoring Her Royal Highness at the estate, Middleton paired the blouse with the Queen’s pearl-and-diamond earrings.
This isn’t the first time that the Duchess has double-dipped in her wardrobe. In fact, Middleton’s garnered a reputation for recycling past outfits. Just last week, while celebrating her anniversary at Manor Farm in Northern England, Middleton chose a pair of brown, knee-high boots from Penelope Chilvers that have been a staple in her wardrobe since 2004. In September, Middleton rewore a dress and a mask from previous sightings while touring small businesses suffering due to the pandemic. The dress, a floral number from Beulah London, was first showcased during a Zoom call with Heads Together, an organization led by the Royal Foundation that’s working to change the conversation around mental health in the U.K., the previous May. Meanwhile, her floral face mask, from Amaia, accompanied her everywhere throughout the country’s lockdown.
With Middleton bringing back her engagement blouse, maybe her Alexander McQueen wedding gown could be next on her tour of past sartorial haunts? We’ll try our best not to get our hopes up.
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