Why Were We All Obsessed With Katie Holmes’s Style in 2019?

It was the cardigan seen around the world. On August 28, with temperatures still hovering in the mid-80s in New York, Katie Holmes hailed a taxicab wearing a cashmere cardigan and bra set from the buzzy Brooklyn label Khaite. The paparazzi captured Holmes as she raised her arm, and her cardigan—fastened by a lone button—effortlessly slouched off her shoulder to show the matching bralette (and, of course, a little bit of skin). The Khaite set appeared as if it was crafted from the most supple, buttery, just-sheared cashmere; the color was that of boiled steel-cut oats. The internet went wild, and the cardigan set ($520 for the soft-cup bralette, $1,540 for the ribbed sweater) promptly sold out.

This viral fashion moment happened just a few days after Holmes’s ex, Jamie Foxx, was seen with another woman. Did it mark the start of Holmes’s single-woman comeback? Maybe! Was she just wearing something cool and hip that benefited from a spontaneous flash of skin? Certainly. Enamored with the look, and enamored with everyone else being enamored by it, I approached Ms. Holmes (and her Neutrogena-commercial radiant skin) while she was seated front row at the Elie Tahari show to ask her about the infinitely re-grammed sexy cardigan moment. She told me that she had bought it herself. As the saying goes: Stars, they’re just like us.

This transfixing cardigan was my introduction to Holmes. I had not seen Dawson’s Creek or A Walk to Remember. I had never paid attention to her wardrobe when she was married to Tom Cruise at the age of 28, nor did I notice what she was wearing when she was with her daughter, Suri Cruise. When I look back at her ensembles during that time, they had a certain relaxed, Whole Foods–shopping feel, but there wasn’t much in the way of pizzazz—fashion-conscious, sure, but nothing to write home about. But in 2019, Holmes seems to have come into her own and hit her personal style stride. (It helps that she has recently started to work with celebrity stylist Allison Bornstein.) In October, she stepped out with an artfully messy topknot and pair of checked Khaite wide-leg pants the color of autumn leaves. (She wore the statement pants with a pink graphic T-shirt and an oversized black coat by Wardrobe.NYC.) Three days later, she headed to the Nordstrom flagship in a black mini Saint Laurent dress and polka-dot tights, a look that would be perfect for a hot date. Earlier this November, she opted for a silk slip dress with a slit by Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini and a pair of orange zebra-print knee-high boots (by Khaite yet again). Plus, she was wearing that same oversized Wardrobe.NYC coat that she was seen in on October 20—it seems Holmes is an outfit repeater too!

Speaking of outfit repeating, part of what makes Holmes, and her style, so appealing is this approachable feel. She’s been a lover of humble mom jeans. Her choice of clothing isn’t always outrageously priced: In October, she was also spotted wearing a $199 dollar pumpkin-color Mango blazer. Another thing that I like about Holmes is that she takes risks, but in her own unique way. In June, she teamed overalls, daringly sans a shirt underneath, with a pair of well-loved Christian Louboutin sandals. (I zoomed in on the sandals, and yes, those soles have had plenty of wear.) She’s also worn a pair of thong heels—this year’s most hate-to-love-it piece of footwear—but instead of wearing them with shapewear, à la the Kardashians, she went for a striped dress and a faded denim coat. Even when embracing current trends, Holmes manages to fuse them with her own timeless, low-key style.

Maybe the obsession with Holmes and her style is thanks to this balance of the attainable and aspirational. Holmes’s sartorial choices feel down-to-earth: She’s always kept one leg in the Hollywood limelight and still appears at well-heeled events, but she also hails cabs and shops in chain makeup stores like the rest of us. This past week, Holmes was spotted leaving a branch of Sephora toting the brand’s unmistakable striped bag, looking incredibly polished in a cream turtleneck, mom jeans, and that same oversized black Wardrobe.NYC coat she’s been a particular fan of lately. That’s the charm of Holmes’s style in a nutshell: effortless, incredibly chic, and, most winningly of all, within anyone’s reach.

Originally Appeared on Vogue