Katie Holmes Perfects Fall Layering in a Reversible Quilted Jacket and Red Velvet Mary Janes

Katie Holmes layers like a professional. It's aspirational, really. Personal style comes, in part, from understanding how your clothes can be worn and remixed to create looks that are more than the sum of their parts. It's something Holmes likely discusses often with stylist Alison Bornstein, and it shows. On a recent stroll in New York City, Holmes demonstrated exactly the kind of considered layering I'm talking about with an outfit that blends texture, pattern, and a pair of new Mary Janes to great effect.

It starts with green quilted utility jacket with a reversible pastel pink lining from Marfa Stance. Holmes then pulled that peachy pink shade back into the look with a brown, white, and peach-striped shirt worn beneath a cream-colored sweater. In other words, she perfected the shirt sandwich styling trend that took Substack by storm earlier this year.

For added intrigue, the Dawson's Creek star threw on a pair of two-tone jeans and a pop of color with red velvet Mary Janes from the celebrity-favorite brand Dôen. (Red and pink is such an underrated color combination, if you ask me.) Strappy flats are a recurring character in Holmes's daytime outfits: All summer long, she wore a similar, blueberry pair from Vibi Venezia, and just last week, she test-drove a pair of slingback flats. She accessorized the casual, errand-running ensemble with Tom Ford tortoise shell pilot sunglasses, a very large white tote bag, and what appears to be fabulously fresh-out-of-the-shower wet hair.

Should you ever find yourself in need of layering inspiration beyond Katie Holmes's closet, Marie Claire fashion e-commerce editor Julia Marzovilla wrote a wisdom-filled guide to layering outfits for fall and winter. It's packed with advice from the likes of celebrity stylist Ariel Tunnell, who previously told Marie Claire she recommends a "rule of three" approach to getting dressed in the colder months of the year. Specifically, she suggests starting with a T-shirt or tank top, adding a sweater or sweatshirt on top, and then picking a weightier fall jacket or coat for warmth. "I always recommend using lightweight layers and to keep textures complimentary, so they don't compete with one another," she explained.

And if you, like me, happen to be under 5'4, this note from Lwany—the author of Petite Fashion Weekly—bears repeating. "The key is to be strategic with visual elongating tactics to offset the width of thicker layers and voluminous styles," she told Marzovilla. "It's about striking a balance."

Holmes clearly does just that.