Seeing double ain’t no trouble when your best friend is your best accessory
Every season it’s something new. Some hot-ticket item no style blogger or editor worth her Mansur Gavriel mules will be seen at fashion week without. A few years ago it was a Kenzo sweatshirt; shortly after, a Chanel Lego purse. Then came the fluffy Fendi bag charms.
Don’t let the ‘it’ item’s ubiquity in street style galleries fool you – such pieces typically carry a price tag only the Chiara Ferragnis and Anna Dello Russos of the world can afford. Until now. This year, the ultimate street style bait is something money can’t buy – your BFF.
It’s a trend that can be traced back to a photograph of Caroline Vreeland and Shea Marie at New York Fashion Week last September. All long limbs and blonde locks, the great-granddaughter of Diana Vreeland and her fashion designer friend stand arm in arm outside the Cushnie et Ochs show, a ‘Best Friend’ motif graffitied across the back of their matching Veda leather jackets, like a $3600 version of the Two Dollar Shop necklaces we all wore in primary school. It was a defining moment for the pair, who continued to coordinate their looks for the remainder of fashion month, blazing a trail that other fashion-forward BFFs would quickly follow (Kendall and Gigi we’re looking at you).
Gone are the days when a “what are you wearing?” text was motivated by the fear of turning up to an event dressed the same as someone else. Now the matchy-matchy moments are orchestrated. It makes perfect sense. You think of your bestie as an extension of yourself, and you wouldn’t carry a clutch that didn’t gel with your outfit. How is ensuring that you
are on the same style wavelength any different?
Just because it’s in to twin, doesn’t mean you should take inspiration from Mary-Kate and Ashley circa 1995 – the idea is to be cohesive, not clones. Wearing one identical item is cute. Different items in identical prints? Also cute. Other than that, stick to similar silhouettes and an agreed colour palette, then work within those parameters to accentuate your best features and play up your personality.
As for instances of accidental twinning? Though not ideal, there’s never been a better time to pretend that you did it on purpose. Make like Samantha Jones and Miley Cyrus in Sex and the City 2, find the nearest photographer, and embrace your style soul sister. Nobody will put two and two together.
