Jennifer Lawrence is only 31, but already, she’s logged the kind of Hollywood career accolades any young actress would die for: a couple of Oscars, starring roles in two juggernaut franchises and the kind of killer street style that keeps her in the headlines, even when she’s not up to much.
This summer, as in summers past, Lawrence has been frequently spotted on walks with her husband, Gladstone and Gagosian gallery alumnus Cooke Maroney, wearing an array of low-key ensembles with just enough of a twist to send any detail-oriented fashionista into paroxysms of delight.
Like Katie Holmes, Lawrence favors outfits that reek of low-maintenance glamour: both actresses are fans of overalls. But Lawrence’s looks frequently emit a crispness and trendy youthfulness that Holmes tends to forgo.
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In the first paparazzi shots of Lawrence and Maroney with their new baby, the actress was spotted scowling at the camera (understandable) wearing white drawstring pants, a white T-shirt and a fuzzy white cropped sweatshirt, topping the whole look off with Nike Air Max 95s.
In another new mom stroll, Lawrence again wore the Nikes with orange sweats, an oversized green T-shirt and a light pink baseball cap. I can’t quite put my finger on why this look goes so hard, but it does.
“I would call Jennifer’s style ‘off-duty.’ It’s stylish and simple, but elevated,” Miles Pope, Associate Fashion Director at GQ & Associate Menswear Director at Vanity Fair, told The Daily Beast. “It’s understated and approachable, with accessories like a bag, personal jewelry, a belt, and sunglasses pulling it together.”
On an outing with Maroney this week, Lawrence paired a simple white T-shirt and wide-leg tan trousers with movie star shades and a smart brown handbag; it’s a look that works perfectly for a weekend stroll or a day at the office.
Earlier this month, Lawrence sported a look that instantly sent me scouring the internet for its double, only to be discouraged by the $1,200 price tag: a blue checkered corset-bodice Tory Burch dress that perfectly threads the needle between sensuality and comfort.
Again, Lawrence is a new mom, and without speculating too hard, I’d like to believe that a crucial element to her 2022 style wins—her long, gorgeously abundant blonde hair—is due to a lingering flush of hormones. Whatever the reason for her perfect locks, keep it up, dude.
Another thing I respect about Lawrence’s looks, without putting too indelicate a point on it, is that she always looks as rich as she is, rather like Gwyneth Paltrow. She’s a young, beautiful, well-tended-to celebrity, and she looks like one: “dressing down” doesn’t really describe how she comes across on “casual walks,” and I’d never make the mistake of assuming that I’d look as good as she does, even if I bought the exact same items of every outfit and mimicked her skincare routine. We simply don’t exist in the same universe.
One element of Lawrence’s recent ensembles that is attainable, however, is her footwear: the Hunger Games star is a huge fan of jelly sandals.
“Born in the late ’40s, the ‘méduse’ (French for jellyfish) shoes were fashioned during a post-war leather shortage and then had a popularity boost during the plastic boom of the late ’50s,” Vogue explained, and Lawrence’s preference for the comfortable shoe can be observed as she pairs them with shirt-dresses, strapless dresses and overalls (again).
“I fully support the jelly shoe movement!” Pope told The Daily Beast. “It adds that wacky unconventional piece to a look that brings a level balance. Plus, they are comfortable.”
Lawrence lends the childhood staple maturity, and you can buy her exact preferred pair at Melissa for $69. For the actress who rode the peak of the “isn’t she relatable?” wave and weathered the subsequent backlash, that’s about as relatable as it gets.
