Question: Have we lost the art of couple style?
It seems that in 2023, the days of Posh and Becks-era of matching leather sets or Brad Pitt emulating the beauty looks of his partner are now over. (Save for Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, of course).
This conundrum was brought to our attention by the most recent outing from Hailey & Justin Bieber.
Though once heralded by the zeitgeist for their shared 90s athletics-meets-sensual aesthetic (with TikTok’s resident stylist Alison Bornstein remarking their respective wardrobes could both be described as “oversized” and “sporty”), it seems the Biebers’ similar style reign is a relic from a bygone age.
Take, for instance, their latest outing. While in New York to promote Hailey’s recently unveiled strawberry flavor of Rhode’s best-selling peptide lip treatment, the 26-year-old did the most by wearing a triplet of saccharine red looks in one day.
Her husband, Justin also accompanied Hailey on some of her press appearances, including a stop at Krispy Kreme to pick up a dozen of the model’s strawberry-glazed doughnuts.
For the occasion, Bieber was the acme of an ‘It’ girl, wearing new season Marc Jacobs and Vivienne Westwood. However, for this outing, the model-turned-mogul opted for a crimson Ermanno Scervino mini.
She understood the assignment: street style is a currency, and she was cashing bank with her stylish hat trick.
Justin, on the other hand, rivalled Roman Roy’s ‘Escape to the Caribbean’ $7 t-shirt from the boy’s section of Walmart.
Wearing (seemingly nothing) but a grey hoodie and sweatpants cut at the knee, the Grammy Award winner eschewed any semblance of style in his leisurewear look.
Committing to the casual silhouette, Bieber completed his outfit with Drew House x Croc slides (with silicone charms) and a pink baseball cap, which he adorned over the top of the grey hoodie. Frankly, it doesn’t pass the vibe check.
Though we don’t believe that couples have to dress identically, we do believe that they should sartorially match each other’s energies.
So, if Hailey is going to put in an insane amount of effort by flying out a glam team and stylist to ensure she looks her best at a work commitment, shouldn’t Justin be required to do the same too? This could be a case of opposites attract, but in our eye, it’s the fashion version of “She’s everything, he’s just Ken.”
Allow us to be contrary here for a moment. When it comes to their off-duty ensembles, we do love to see Justin and Hailey lean into the whimsical youthfulness of their contrasting styles.
See: Justin wrapped in a kaleidoscopic crochet blanket and patchwork ski pants for the couple’s date night at Sushi Park. Or even their most recent outing, with the musician pairing white ivory skate shorts with a blue Birkin and Birkenstocks.
But when it comes to supporting your wife’s business affairs, we wonder if the sweatpants should be saved for the after-party.
