The Subtle Art of Couples Who Match Their Clothes

The other day, en route to a date at Christie’s Auction House, Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez stepped out in looks that lightly matched. Both were dressed in a kind of assassin's uniform — long coats and sunglasses — looking different enough but also in sync. The pairing felt totally unlike the cringeworthy matchy-matchy images of, say, Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears in head-to-toe eveningwear denim at the 2001 American Music Awards. Or megastars Victoria and David Beckham in 1999 who took a more-is-more approach to matching when they celebrated their wedding reception by both donning the same striking hue of purple. Instead, Lopez and Rodriguez appeared as if their personal styles had gently rubbed off on each other, with only chic results.

Couples who subtly match have historically evoked an effortlessly cool attitude. Take Gwyneth Paltrow: In the late ‘90, she had a yin-yang aesthetic with then-fiancé Brad Pitt. Both of them favored leather blazers and slacker sweaters. (An ultimate testament to their allegiance to each other came with the debut of the same double-take, chin-length, blond hairdos at a movie premiere back in 1997.) Later on, in the 2000s, she dated Ben Affleck. One stellar airport photo shows Paltrow arm-in-arm with a hulking, goatee-sporting Affleck — both are wearing gray and black and casting long and linear silhouettes.

Other famous low-key twinners include Winona Ryder and her former fiancé Johnny Depp. In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, the two had a collection of tailored blazers that they louchely styled with tee shirts and a bevy of sleeveless tanks. After Ryder and Depp had split, he began dating model Kate Moss. Paparazzi-snapped photos show Depp and Moss sporting worn-in vintage leather jackets or in chunky sweaters.

Is matching such a bizarre phenomenon among those in love? Not necessarily. My mother often says that people are attracted to partners who resemble themselves. (The first time she met my former boyfriend, she looked him up and down and said, “You two look like brother and sister.” That day, I was wearing his leather jacket.) My mother’s theory isn’t totally unfounded: Scientifically, people are attracted to mirrors of themselves.. Freakily enough, this is also true with dogs—yes, there is the idea that people choose dogs that resemble themselves.

But significant others and their mimicking outfits may be a result not of science but of sharing a wardrobe. Vogue.com Culture Editor Alessandra Codinha weighs in on this point. “My boyfriend and I share, I think, a similar affinity for the classics: good blue jeans, cashmere sweaters in neutral tones, good t-shirts,” she writes. “I think that if we had never met, he wouldn't be dressing drastically differently (nor would I), but I do think we have probably 'rubbed off' on each other. We spend a lot of time together and are exposed to the same things.”

Vogue.com’s Fashion News and Emerging Platforms Editor Steff Yotka had an almost telepathic sharing experience recently when she showed up at a concert with her boyfriend to discover they were both wearing striped shirts. This kind of thing is not that unusual. “It happens about three times a week,” she says. There is, of course, a confounding factor in Yotka's case. “I buy most of his clothes.”

On the runway, lookalike wardrobes between couples have been a thing for awhile. While Undercover and Thom Browne have gone the literal doppelgänger route, which can be a bit freaky IRL, Opening Ceremony’s Spring 2018 lookbook showed couples wearing looks that could have been charmingly plucked from the same closet. Meanwhile, Balenciaga's Spring 2018 Mens show took things a step further, presenting families all in similar styles.

As for those who put it into action? In South Korea, couples actually attend fashion week dressed up to complement one another. Maybe they're on to something. At the end of the day, an easy, breezy, and not-super-contrived matching outfit can be a way to say "we're together." And that's never a bad look.

Why Katy Perry Is Still Music’s Kookiest Fashion Chameleon

No popstar does kitsch better than Katy Perry. The performer, who turns 33 today, has a long history of wearing tongue-in-cheek creations. From her days sporting whipped cream bras to her lengthy collaboration with kindred spirit Jeremy Scott, Perry has turned her affinity for kooky clothes into an art form. Though she switched to a more sophisticated high fashion aesthetic this year with the release of her album, Witness, Perry hasn’t abandoned the sweetness she’s become known for.

Onstage, Perry’s get-ups are outlandish as ever. In custom looks by designers Nguyen Cong Tri and Zaldy, she treats fans to over the top performances accented by chainmail headdresses, ruffles covered in polka dots, and futuristic gold armor. Equal parts vampy and eccentric, the costumes help to bring songs such as “Firework” and “Bon Appetit” to life. Granted, Perry could choose to sing in jeans or the tracksuits she wears during rehearsals, but where’s the fun in that? Bringing the jovial spirit of her show wardrobe into every day outfits, Perry is the first to step out in statement pieces. The marabou feathered Vivetta and flame-covered Moschino resort ensembles she wore while filming American Idol in New Orleans last week are just a couple of examples.

Overall, Perry has used this year to assert her newly evolved style, a combination of elegance and attention-grabbing. Whether that meant sitting front row at Chanel in astronaut-printed culottes, or pulling out pleat-covered Masaki Matsuka for press dates in London, she’s managed to upgrade her look without losing her personality. Though she’s become a red carpet risk-taker with a wardrobe full of designer goods, Perry hasn’t lost her unconventional touch and continues to seek out quirky fashion wherever she can find it. At a meet-and-greet in Louisville, Kentucky earlier this month, she spotted a fan in a custom bedazzled dress featuring Witness’s eye-logo and ordered two on the spot: one for her and another for her dog, Nugget.

Even Royals Can’t Resist Saint Laurent—And Charlotte Casiraghi Leads the Pack

Admit it, Saint Laurent is not the first label that comes to mind when you think about royals. In its current phase, with Anthony Vaccarello turning out leather minidresses and crystal-covered thigh-high boots, the label provides hard rock glamour for anyone daring enough to take on its body-conscious aesthetic. But it turns out there are plenty of monarchs who love the style, as Vaccarello’s front row was teeming with young royals. At tonight’s Spring 2018 show, Monegasque beauty Charlotte Casiraghi led the brigade in a sleek black overcoat, sheer blouse, and leather shorts. Accompanied by her little sister, Princess Alexandria von Hannover, Casiraghi made her grand entrance in a variation of the looks seen on the Saint Laurent runway.

With a reputation as one of the best dressed royals around, Casiraghi is known for taking fashion risks, but her Saint Laurent moments always rank among her most daring. The brand provides her with minimalist pieces that never fail to make a strong statement: displaying skin or going for a bold sexiness that runs counter to accepted notions of princess dressing. While it remains to be seen whether she’ll be wearing any of the fringed boots or scrunchie tops that Vaccarello presented today, there’s no doubt she’ll continue to bring regal fashion into the present.

Bella Hadid Has the Best Track Pants In the Street Style Game

Is there anyone who does athleisure better than Bella Hadid? The supermodel has no shortage of sweat suits and sports bras hanging in her closet, and frequently wears the cozy styles everywhere from the airport to the street in new and unexpected ways. Take the monochromatic ensemble she wore earlier today in New York. Sure, there’s nothing new about pairing track pants with a midriff-baring top, but she took the idea in another direction by throwing a simple white button-down into the mix.

The supermodel’s pants are by breakout Korean designer Hyein Seo, and featured pithy phrases up and down the sides such as “permanent vacation” and “viva en la cruz,” messaging which felt right in line with her breezy linen blouse over top. She left the shirt unbuttoned, naturally, to reveal a matching bra top underneath, a styling move that was in keeping with her known predilection for the swimtimates trend. Hadid strapped on a silver metallic mini backpack with fluorescent orange straps that popped, but chose sunglasses and jewelry in a contrasting gold finish for extra flash.

Gigi Hadid Proves That Two Statement Pieces Are Better Than One

Gigi Hadid has no shortage of statement pants hanging up in her closet. This summer alone we’ve seen her turn out in every iteration imaginable: millennial pink bell-bottoms, pale blue paper-bag trousers, are just a couple of examples currently in rotation. The supermodel has taken a minimalist approach to the idea for the most part, paring back on styling the piece, so it was a refreshing change of pace to see her step out in New York today in a bold graphic T-shirt with equally eye-catching flares. After all, why settle for one attention-grabbing piece when you can have several?

Hadid zipped into lipstick-red pants by SemSem and slipped on a pair of Stuart Weitzman suede mules in the same shade. The throwback Star Wars shirt T-shirt sent a message that read fun and quirky—a nice alternative to the vintage band tees that have been popping up on the street style circuit lately. Hadid added a finishing sense of polish in the form of a Tyler Ellis top-handle bag and her signature oversize sunglasses.