Kaia Gerber Delivers a Timeless Summer Outfit Formula in a Dreamy LBD and Ballet Flats
The simplest looks work the hardest.
The next morning you wake up this July with no idea what to wear, look no further than Kaia Gerber's timeless summer outfit formula for inspiration.
Kaia Gerber spent Friday, July 12, walking around Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood in the platonic ideal of a summer LBD and her all-time favorite ballet flats. Her black dress, Dôen's Quinn midi, features dreamy cap sleeves, a tiny tie detail at the neckline, and a comfortable ruched bodice. The flats, meanwhile, have a coordinating bow just below the toe box and the teeniest heel. They're from Repetto, a French brand Gerber turns to repeatedly for her everyday footwear.
Black shoes and a black dress aren't a styling combination requiring all that much effort. But as Gerber shows, they're the sort of simple pairing that just works with precisely chosen details. Her dress is classic black, but the romantic puff sleeves and ruched bodice add some visual interest. (Ditto to the slight heel on her ballet flats.) Were she wearing a cotton T-shirt dress, there might not have been the same effect. But this precise duo is part French girl headed to the pharmacy, part off-duty ballerina, all immediately worthy of smashing the "Order" button online.
Of course, a Kaia Gerber summer outfit doesn't end at an LBD and flats alone. She added in three recurring characters in her model-on-the-go uniform: oversize sunglasses, wire headphones, and a canvas tote. (As the proud founder of the Library Science book club—and a noted fan of styling her books like accessories—her bag might hail from a store like McNally Jackson.)
A lot of fashion people will tell you black ballet flats like Gerber's are "classic" or "essential." Gerber has proven it with her string of back-to-back-to-back street style sightings this week. She's proven her Repetto ballet flats' versatility by pairing them with sweatpants one day and summer's white skirt trend the next.
As for her dress, Gerber is one of the California-based brand Dôen's many celebrity fans. Dôen dresses are photographed almost as often as the celebrities themselves; Elle Fanning, Lily Aldridge, and Jennifer Lopez are a few more of their most frequent customers.
In an interview with Elle, Gerber reflected on the realization that onlookers track her everyday outfits, just like today's black dress and flats. "I remember the first time being like, 'Oh, people care what I’m wearing.' That wasn’t how I felt growing up," she said. But of course we're paying attention: Her simple-yet-effective outfit formulas are too good not to notice.
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Halie LeSavage is the senior fashion and beauty news editor at Marie Claire, where she assigns, edits, and writes stories for both sections. Halie is an expert on runway trends, celebrity style, emerging fashion and beauty brands, and shopping (naturally). In over seven years as a professional journalist, Halie’s reporting has ranged from fashion week coverage spanning the Copenhagen, New York, Milan, and Paris markets, to profiles on industry insiders including stylist Alison Bornstein and J.Crew womenswear creative director Olympia Gayot, to breaking news stories on noteworthy brand collaborations and beauty launches. (She can personally confirm that Bella Hadid’s Ôrebella perfume is worth the hype.) She has also written dozens of research-backed shopping guides to finding the best tote bags, ballet flats, and more. Most of all, Halie loves to explore what trends—like the rise of doll-like Mary Janes or TikTok’s 75 Hard Style Challenge—can say about culture writ large. (She justifies almost any purchase by saying it’s “for work.”) Halie has previously held writer and editor roles at Glamour, Morning Brew, and Harper’s Bazaar. Halie has been cited as a fashion and beauty expert in The Cut, CNN Underscored, and Reuters, among other outlets, and appears in newsletters like Selleb and Self-Checkout to provide shopping recommendations. In 2022, she was awarded the Hearst Spotlight Award for excellence and innovation in fashion journalism. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Harvard College. Outside of work, Halie is passionate about books, baking, and her miniature Bernedoodle, Dolly. For a behind-the-scenes look at her reporting, you can follow Halie on Instagram and TikTok.
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