Showcasing the good, the bad, and the ugly, Look of the Week is a regular series dedicated to unboxing the most talked about outfits from the last seven days.
Kendall Jenner’s latest street style shot is a lesson in minimalism, with one notable element missing: pants.
The model was seen exiting a photo shoot in LA this week wearing nothing but a pair of slingback heeled pumps, black tights from Calzedonia and a classic navy blue knit choker. The entire look, including the exposed lingerie details, was fresh off Bottega Veneta’s Spring/Summer 2023 runway and was completed with one of the label’s $4,200 brass-handled sardine bags and an armful of sunflowers Detective stories.
Kendall paired a $4,200 Bottega Veneta bag with a pair of matte black tights and slingbacks. Recognition: Alix Newman/Shutterstock
While much of Bottega’s latest collection was designed for a double take, including leather pants meant to mimic jeans, Jenner’s look was exactly what it sounded like. And while stepping out in just tights is no doubt comfortable (it’s the kind of clothing you might wear around the house while waiting for your late-washed black miniskirt to dry on the radiator), ramp up the usage when you’re out in public.
However, it’s a silhouette we’ve seen before. Jenner’s outfit has a chic, dance-like quality, akin to a Bob Fosse chorus girl or a dancer at ease with her. The latter is trending if the rapid rise of ‘Balletcore’, a TikTok-centric fashion trend with over 142.6 million views, is to be believed. The aesthetic, heavily influenced by ballet, has swept the runways this season, from Sandy Liang’s satin pointe shoes and everyday tutus to Miu Miu flats.
For sharp-eyed fashion historians, Jenner’s outfit could also be a nod to Andy Warhol’s it girl and muse, Edie Sedgwick. The American actress and model made her trademark T-shirts, tights and underwear in the 1960s. In fact, Segdwick’s pantlessness was so notorious that Life magazine ran an article about her style in 1965 titled “The Girl in Black Tights.”
Edie Sedgwick stars in Hello! Manhattan (1972) directed by John Palmer and David Weisman. Recognition: Court Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock
“The short-haired girl with eloquent legs does more for black pantyhose than anyone since Hamlet,” the article reads. “Her style may not be for everyone, but her perky quirk is perfect for perky girls with legs like Edie’s.”
Sedgwick’s dislike of trousers contributed, at least in part, to making her a fashion icon. When Sienna Miller played the muse in her 2006 film adaptation of Her Life, Factory Girl, she wore a signature pair of opaque pantyhose (and not much else) to the screen.
Hosenlose Trendsetter
Jenner is by no means the first celeb to endorse the burgeoning pantless trend this season.
Bella Hadid walked around New York this September in men’s underwear and mini Uggs. Recognition: Jared Siskin/GC Images/Getty Images
In September, her sister Kylie attended Loewe’s Spring-Summer 2023 show in Paris wearing a gray coat, white vest and a pair of Y-shaped knickers from the Spanish brand, worn over her Superman-style tights. That same month, Bella Hadid was photographed grabbing a slice of Dollar Pizza in New York City while she wore mini Uggs, a biker jacket, and a pair of white briefs.
Kylie Jenner changed her look from sheer pantyhose to a pair of white Loewe Tighty stockings worn over it. Recognition: MEGA/GC-Bilder/Getty Images
It’s the logical culmination of both the Daisy Dukes of the mid-2000s and the once indomitable athleisure trend that dictated that second-skin Lululemon and AloYoga leggings should be worn in place of structured pants for the past couple of years.
Despite playful speculation from social media users that Kendall Jenner had a short memory lapse when she left the house, the look has been entirely calculated and we’ll likely see it replicated again.
