Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s Line for Paige Denim Is Here: Shop Her Chic Must-Haves
Rosie Huntington Whiteley lives in her jeans. We know. She told us. The supermodel is known for her effortlessly flawless off-duty style and no one on the planet has better travel outfits. So it makes sense that she’d want to share her good jeans with the rest of the world. Her debut capsule collection with Paige launched Wednesday, and our shopping carts are already full.
Huntington-Whiteley, who just revealed that she’s expecting her first child with fiancé Jason Statham, has been a brand ambassador for Paige since 2014, instantly connecting (stylistically and personally) with the brand’s founder, Paige Adams-Geller.
“She’s someone whose personal style I’ve always admired,” Adams-Geller tells People Style. “Even before I started working with Rosie, I had her on my Pinterest boards and on design boards at the office.
Just the fact that she wears denim with such ease, in such a natural way that always looks so stunning and polished and puts it all together so nicely is something I have always respected.
Adams-Geller adds that launching a collection together was the “perfect thing to do as the next step in our relationship.” From denim skirts to jumpsuits to the perfect LBD, the capsule offers a little bit of everything. Below we talk to the design duo about creating the line, their style inspirations and more.
Can you share your inspiration behind this capsule?
RHW: I think for me it was really about creating my ideal spring wardrobe. A lot of the inspiration came from my own closet and my own personal style. I collect a lot of vintage, so I pulled in a lot of my vintage clothes to bring into the design studio. We obviously looked at what was going on on the catwalks and then a lot of it was inspired by this sort of perfect, on the go, effortless, cool-girl glamour. And that was really what I had in mind. I always want to feel put-together and polished but comfortable and on the go and easy. I think that’s hopefully what we’ve ended up with. Some of the colors in the collection were really inspired by California. There’s some really pretty, baby blue tie-dye print that inspired by Malibu, which is where I spent a lot of my free time. The “Forever and Ever” theme came about, because Paige and I felt like it was personally a really meaningful saying to the both of us. It had a romantic nod and there was also something about these pieces lasting forever and ever in somebody’s wardrobe.
Can you each share your favorite pieces from the line.
PAG: I would say one of my favorites is the “Judy” dress because I haven’t had a little black dress that felt so fresh in a long time. I think that it’s an easy piece that I will be great to travel with and look sexy yet polished at the same time. Another one of my favorite pieces is definitely the “Flo” bomber because I do travel so much, just like Rosie does, and it feels so comfortable! When you put it on, it’s like you’re just literally snuggled up in a bubble of clouds. It’s so comfortable and easy to throw in a bag and just go, whether you’re going to the gym, going on a plane — you still look cool.
RHW: It’s really hard to narrow it down, but if I had to choose, I’m really pleased and proud of the “Shiloh” slim flare, which is kind of a unique design for us. There’s no fly zip at the front — the zip goes up at the sides. It’s almost like a yoga pant kind of waistband, which is so incredible comfortable and really, really flattering. They’re very easy to wear and transition from day to night. Then I would say I’m really excited about the “Geraldine” dress, which is our kind of frayed denim, powdery blue denim dress, which I just think is incredibly comfortable. It’s kind of that perfect on the go summer dress. You could dress it up or dress it down. You could wear it with tennis shoes or you can wear it with little heels. It has that kind of really cool girl, effortless, sort of polished feel. And definitely the “Maisie” jumpsuit. I think is so incredibly easy to wear and looks really smart on, but kind of tomboy at the same time. I kind of think of a Parisian girl wearing something like that with a cool hat and a pair of sneakers, and then at the same time, you could dress it up for the evening, with a tad bit of jewelry and a red lip. When I’m packing to go away, it’s one of those things I will always throw in my suitcase.
How many pairs of jeans do you own?
RHW: I probably have a fair amount, but I actually like to keep a tight edit on my wardrobe. I don’t have a massive wardrobe. What that kind of makes me do is really edit. I’m quite an organized person as well, so I like to stay organized, I like to see my clothes, I don’t like to hold onto things if I’m not wearing them. I probably have, bearing in mind I’m the face of Paige, I would say I probably have 75 pairs of jeans. It sounds like a lot, there’s definitely two drawers of Paige, and then the other drawer is like of all vintage styles I’ve held onto. There’s a pair of vintage jeans I’ve hung onto since I was literally 17-years-old that we used as inspiration for the collection. When I started modeling, I couldn’t afford designer clothes, but I would go to London, and somebody told me about Portobello Market and at the time, I was really obsessed with vintage and that’s what I could afford. I could afford to shop in charity shops and huge markets. I have such a special attachment to them, it’s a unique piece that no one else has, and so I’ve obviously held onto this pair of jeans which every time I’ve put on, I felt so cool and they just have this perfect, effortless fit to them. So I brought them when we started the design process and they really inspired all of the jeans because they have this low rise, kind of low cut-out pocket, which sort of lent to this
effortless, relaxed feel of denim.
PAG: You don’t want to know how many pairs of jeans I have. Honestly, it’s crazy because I wouldn’t be able to count them because what’s important to me in the process of building the Paige brand is whenever we get new fabrics, I always test new fabrics, new fits, new washes and make sure before it even goes to market, that I know what the fabric is going to feel like and how it’s going to grow and how it’s going to give. So I’ll take home wear tests and then on top of wear tests, I always want to bring home my favorite new pieces in the collection. And then I hold onto the old ones that are like cult following that I can’t get rid of them because the wash is so amazing and I might want to revive it again. I’ve got tubs of Tupperware, big tubs, filled with jeans. It’s safe to say, 300!
What’s an iconic denim moment in pop culture that always stands out in your mind?
PAG: I always think about Brooke Shields in her Calvin Klein ad. She was stunningly beautiful and the suggestiveness of like nothing getting between her and her Calvins was like Woo… risqué! That image will forever imprint the way I felt about jeans going forward and the excitement that I have towards denim in general.
RHW: I have these images in my mind immediately that pop of Cher, these series of black-and-white photographs that were taken where she has really long hair and she had this simple rolled up T-shirt and these great high-waisted jeans on. I just always loved the image. And then I think of course Cindy Crawford in the Pepsi ad with that sexy white tank top on and the cutoff shorts.
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Who are you dying to see in this collection?
RHW: In the end, I was saying this to Paige, like wouldn’t it be amazing if Blue Ivy and Beyoncé rocked the “Flo” forever and ever bomber? Like in an elevator. We were laughing about that. Whenever you see those pictures of them in little matching outfits together, you know, it doesn’t matter how big the fashion house or if it’s a tiny little brand, or a huge old fashion house, you know that the entire team in that house are just jumping out the door. It’s such a fun moment, the pictures go all around the world. I’m also such a big fan of Rihanna’s personal style, she’s such a boss, and she’s super cool and has a really unique sense of style. I’m also a big fan of girls like Kate Bosworth, Diane Kruger, they have such an effortless, cool-girl style. They’ve been girls that always have inspired my personal style as well, but I’d be thrilled to see anybody in the collection. Not just celebrities. It would be my ultimate dream to be sat in a restaurant one day and to see a girl walk past in a pair of jeans or in a jacket. That’s the ultimate compliment in the end.
PAG: I know, I always have a tough time when I think of it because I get excited when any person is walking down the street wearing Paige — I still get giddy. One of my music icons has always been Gwen Stefani. I was like I think she’d look insane in some of these pieces. She’s a fan of the brand so that would make me really excited. I was also thinking about supermodels that I grew up obsessed with, and there was one that popped in my head the other day, Karen Mulder. So if Karen Mulder was rocking this collection, it would make my little high school fantasies come to life I think.
