Christina Aguilera Brings Back a Chanel Classic
Instagram outfit selfies have become an art form. There are countless ways to share your style online, but the very best updates honor fashion’s past and present. Case in point: Yesterday, when Christina Aguilera posted a snapshot of herself posing in shades of lavender, she showcased one of the moment’s buzziest designers alongside a throwback piece from a now-classic prêt-à-porter collection. Dressed in one of Maisie Wilen’s Body Shop tops, leather pants, and grey boots, X-Tina looked precisely as a modern pop icon should. Wilen’s psychedelic prints are already a favorite of stars like Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, and Jorja Smith, but Aguilera added a new twist. With the focus kept on pastel tones and iridescent textures, she emphasized the tactile qualities of Wilen’s creation.
The subtle metallic sheen of her top may have complemented those oh-so-aughts transparent shield sunglasses, but Aguilera’s best accessory was her Chanel Rubik’s cube clutch. A standout from the French house’s spring/summer 2004 show, the Karl Lagerfeld-designed bag made its debut on supermodel Liya Kebede. Instantly striking a chord with collectors, the 3-D puzzle-inspired motif would later make its way onto other Chanel goodies, including an eyeshadow palette. Though the brand produced the clutch in several solid colorways, X-tina’s version is the coveted runway original. A conversation piece that remains chic nearly two decades after its release, it provided the perfect finish to a stellar look.
Mary-Kate Olsen Makes Her Noughties Chanel Work For Now
It’s no secret that Mary-Kate Olsen is something of a vintage connoisseur. As well as allowing her taste for refined classics to inform her work at The Row, Olsen, along with her twin sister, Ashley — and long before it became de rigueur for stars to pull archive looks to reflect their commitment to sustainable fashion — has long worn rare finds and legacy pieces from her own collection.
The same is true of her style away from the red carpet. This week Olsen was photographed leaving The Row’s Greenwich studio wearing a floor-length cream Chanel coat that was first sported by the designer 13 years ago at the house’s autumn/winter 2008 show during Paris Fashion Week.
Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen at Chanel’s autumn/winter 2008 show. © Serge BENHAMOU
Along with her sister’s combination of grey sweater, leather leggings and tan YSL Tributes, Olsen’s cream duster-style coat made up in classic off-white tweed is emblematic of the Noughties era. The then 21-year-old teamed her jacket with oversized bug-eyed two-tone sunglasses from a 2007 Chanel collection, a patent quilted bag, slick black leggings and — what else? — platform ankle boots.
Ashley Olsen, Karl Lagerfeld and Mary-Kate Olsen at Chanel’s autumn/winter 2008 show. © Michel Dufour
Now 34, Olsen is still making the most of the coat, juxtaposing the tweed with tailored cuff-turned trousers, a classic white shirt and chunky Bottega Veneta trainers in 2021. Where once her peroxide blonde hair tumbled in curls over the jacket’s epaulettes, this time Olsen wore her hair in school-girl plaits that poked from beneath a black beanie.
This rewear from Olsen chimes with The Row’s latest project: selling an achingly tasteful line-up of vintage and one-of-a-kind pieces from the likes of Margiela, Comme des Garçons and Chanel on the brand’s e-commerce site. Whether or not Olsen rediscovered this 2008 treasure while trawling her own archive for pieces to list online is unclear… but in her shoes, we’d be keeping it for our own wardrobe, too.
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