Keira Knightley Hops on the Winter Bermuda Shorts Trend Bandwagon With Knee-High Burgundy Boots

It was a very 'Pirates of the Caribbean'-coded look.

Keira Knightley leaving an event wearing a velvet blouse and bermuda shorts
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Hanna Lustig
By
published
in News

Keira Knightley is enjoying a long overdue renaissance on the heels of her Golden Globe-nominated role in Netflix's spy thriller Black Doves. On Dec. 9, the actor stepped out for a screening of the show at the Crosby Hotel in New York City wearing a full Chloé look from creative director Chemena Kamali's Resort 2025 collection. Her cropped black velvet jacket was trimmed with a scalloped edge that mirrored the femininity of the ruffled white lace blouse she wore underneath it. The top unexpectedly paired a high buttoned neckline with loose tie closures that allowed glimpses of bare skin to peek through.

That said, her velvet winter Bermuda shorts were clearly the MVP of this ensemble. Much like Knightley herself, Bermuda shorts are in the midst of an ongoing resurgence. Designers like The Row, Tom Ford, and Celine were early adopters of the trend in Spring 2020. More recently, the style picked up speed at Bottega Veneta's pre-fall 2024 presentation and Chanel's resort 2025 show.

A photo of Keira Knightley matching her velvet Bermuda shorts to a black scalloped jacket in a head-to-toe Chloé look.

Keira Knightley matches her velvet Bermuda shorts to a black scalloped jacket in a head-to-toe Chloé look.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Scalloped Open Front Velveteen Crop Jacket
Chloé Scalloped Open Front Velveteen Crop Jacket

Long Velvet Shorts
Chloé Long Velvet Shorts

As with so many polarizing runway trends, though, it takes a strong celebrity endorsement to make the look go mainstream. Only a couple of days before Knightley, Katie Holmes made the case for a winter-proof Bermuda shorts trend by layering her blue pair with black tights. Less than a week prior, Rihanna winterized her gray denim Bermuda shorts with cowhide boots. And in November, Charli XCX renewed summer's jorts trend revival her way, in slouchy black boots and a faux fur coat.

Taking cues from Charli XCX and RiRi's styling of the trend, Knightley wore her velvet shorts with burgundy fold-over boots that mimicked the effect of thigh-high styles. Both in color and silhouette, the finished look was decidedly Pirates of the Caribbean-coded—a possible reference to Knightley's breakout role in the blockbuster film franchise.

A photo of Keira Knightley wearing burgundy Chloé boots for a Black Doves screening and discussion.

Keira Knightley wears burgundy Chloé boots for a Black Doves screening and discussion.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Georgia Leather Knee Boots
Chloé Georgia Leather Knee Boots in Stormy Red

In lieu of a parrot or an eye patch, Knightley accessorized her outfit with a Chanel black quilted bubble flap bag—a small but wise deviation from Chloé's full-look policy.

A photo of Keira Knightley carrying a black Chanel bubble flap bag.

Keira Knightley carries a black Chanel bubble flap bag.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

It was a swashbuckling ensemble that honored both Knightley's past and present career triumphs. I'd definitely walk the plank for her burgundy buccaneer boots and Bermuda short outfit combo, if I weren't so invested in sticking around for Black Doves season 2. Arrgh!

Hanna Lustig
Hanna Lustig
Staff Writer

Hanna Lustig is a staff writer at Marie Claire, where she gets to gab every day about the topics she holds most dear: fashion, beauty, and celebrity. Hanna’s editorial journey began with formative internships at Elle and InStyle, where she was lucky enough to work for some of the smartest women in media while she was still in college at the University of Tennessee. Hanna then accepted a digital culture reporting fellowship at Insider, where she helped carve out a new beat dedicated to covering influencers. Those experiences later served her well as a staff writer at Glamour, where she developed a knack for spinning quick turnaround celebrity news and trend reporting into juicy feature stories. Some of her greatest hits include an earnest ode to the no-pants trend, this meticulously reported feature exploring the rise of endoscopic facelifts, this snappy take on the Chanel-designed fantasy of Sofia Richie’s wedding, this tribute to WAGs past and present, and this timeline of Katie Holmes’s life and career as told through her denim collection.

Diane Keaton once hung up on Hanna during an interview, but thankfully that mishap did not derail what has otherwise been a deeply fulfilling career writing for and about women. As one of Marie Claire's resident experts on style and culture, her current coverage ranges from exploring TikTok's contrast makeup theory and the return of the boat shoe trend to interviews with costume designers for hit shows like Nobody Wants This and The Penguin. When she’s not at work, Hanna can probably be found listening to pop music, talking to her dog, and gossiping with her best friends. For more of Hanna’s perfect opinions on pop culture, you can follow her on Instagram and X.

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