Katie Holmes's Anti-Trend Summer Outfit Dresses Down Her Favorite Madewell Bag and Ballet Flats

You definitely have each piece of this formula in your closet.

Katie Holmes wears one of her classic outfit formulas, white wide-leg pants and a relaxed tee, while walking around New York City
(Image credit: The Image Direct, one time use)

Katie Holmes can turn out a red carpet look. She can transform into a high-fashion glamazon for Paris Fashion Week. But where the style icon really shines is the street. Holmes's off-duty looks are simple, frill-free, and undeniably chic.

Yesterday, July 22, Katie Holmes was spotted in one of her classic, anti-trend summer outfit formulas: a black tee shirt, loose white khakis, leather ballet flats, and a big bag. Her trousers were an under-$100 find from Banana Republic, while her accessories dipped into outfits past—specifically, through her beloved Madewell tote bag and black Mansur Gavriel ballet flats.

katie holmes walks in New York City wearing a black t shirt and khaki pants

Katie Holmes wears one of her classic outfit formulas, white wide-leg pants and a relaxed tee.

(Image credit: The Image Direct)

Holmes has worn different versions of this outfit throughout the summer. Back in June, she donned a travel outfit consisting of a relaxed yellow tee, white wide-leg jeans, a canvas weekender bag with leather trim, and dainty black cap-toe ballet flats.

The actress loves a pair of flats, but her baseball cap collection has really been the star of her summer street style. Yesterday's look included an almost-distressed, grey acid-wash denim cap that read, "Canyons," in large green font. Last week, she dressed down a tropical matching set with a royal blue Gap x Dôen baseball cap and flats, re-contextualizing her vacation-ready outfit in the city.

Katie Holmes walks around the Upper West Side wearing a tropical matching set and a Gap baseball cap

Last week, Holmes re-contextualized a vacation-ready outfit while walking around the Upper West Side.

(Image credit: Backgrid)

Earlier this month, she ran errands in an outfit that endorsed summer's big shirt trend truly embodied the term "dad hat"—an oversized half-buttoned button-up with mustard yellow and white stripes, high-waisted denim shorts, brown fisherman sandals, and a black Tribeca Film Festival dad hat.

Holmes is an unapologetic, self-proclaimed outfit repeater, so it's no surprise that—aside from a few formal moments, in head-to-toe sheer Chanel and an ethereal boho maxi dress—her summer wardrobe has some strong motifs. "I don't like to have a lot of stuff," she told Marie Claire in May, wearing a casual T-shirt and baggy jeans. "I just like to be able to have pieces that I like and that are just normal, you know?"

Shop Katie Holmes's Dressed-Down Summer Outfit

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Julia Gray
Contributor

Julia Gray is a contributing fashion writer at Marie Claire, where she covers runway trends, celebrity style, and shopping. In her six years as a journalist, Julia’s reporting has ranged across style, music, Internet culture, art, retail, tech, and more. In addition to Marie Claire, Julia writes for outlets like the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Ringer, New York Magazine, Pitchfork, Nylon, and Vice, among others. Julia's fashion reporting is led by curiosity. Julia is not only interested in critiquing and covering pop culture, but in understanding what our pop culture says about how we live and modern values. When she’s not writing, Julia hosts a podcast called Girls Room, where she and her co-host revisit shows like Girls and Gossip Girl from the beginning with guests like comedian Cat Cohen and writer Hunter Harris. Girls Room was recently cited in the New York Times.