Sunday Style Files
Collected Court Couture
I’m back home, exhausted from a Park City whirlwind adventure — details of which will land tomorrow in a full-length ‘ski gate’ recap (probably the most fun I’ve ever had in court.)
In the meantime, I wanted to drop by with a timely edition of Style Files since Gwen’s courtroom attire has garnered so, much, fawning.
It’s funny to me, the praise she’s getting for looking sleek and stylish when it’s literally her obligation as founder of a wellness brand that caters to chic rich women. It’s her job to look impeccably styled in public to ensure the Goopies stay hooked.
Yes, she was on trial for a collision dispute, but it provided the perfect opportunity to shill Goop (personified) every time she entered that court. A rotation of sleekly overpriced but understated pieces - did we really expect anything less? Did we anticipate the shock of a Zara item appearing on her well nourished frame?
Not a chance.
Everything Gwen represents is essentially unattainable for 90% of the population, and she’s ok owning that.
On her way into court that first week she threw the internet into a frenzy when she stepped out of the SUV wrapped in a $5,445 olive green Jaka oversize wool-blend felt coat from the Row, paired with $1,200 tan lace-up Celine boots and a pair of classic Ray-Ban aviators.
Day after day, she nailed a version of stealth wealth, but nothing to me was all that surprising, in that she looked exactly as I would imagine Gwyneth Paltrow in court, at 50, would look. Regardless of how you feel about her, the woman is skilled at being perpetually put together. And the quirky addition of those clunky boots & loafers, paired with her lean silhouette - Absolute PERFECTION. The Foundrae necklaces, however, a little too predictable. They are everywhere on everyone to the point that it’s nearly impossible to catch sight of a female celebrity on IG without some variation of these hefty charms around their neck.
Don’t get me wrong, I love them, it’s just such an expected accessory now unlike, say - Isabel Maxwell, who singlehandedly revived our interest in vintage charm bracelets when she showed up one day wearing one lined with little French symbols. Reminding us how fun dangling trinkets on our wrists, to represent our likes and personalities, still are.
The point of trial wardrobes is to convey a certain desired image to match the story told (or sold) in court. Some manage better than others, but all efforts deserve our reflection. Trial is theater after all. And what is theater without proper set design and wardrobe?
Saving further fashion notes for tomorrow’s feature, but below I rounded up a few trial style flashbacks I thought worth a revisit.
Winona:
Remember when she shoplifted $5,500 worth from Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills in December of 2001? The case went to trial in 2002. Ryder made several court appearances in outfits “so noteworthy they prompted a Robin Givhan Washinton Postthink piece.
"She may be a shoplifter, but she has impeccable taste," Givhan wrote in the article.
In court, Ryder secured a “50s-inspired aesthetic that was feminine without being too girly, elevated without being flashy. Knee-length, A-line silhouettes, Mary Jane heels, and thick headbands were all key. Highlights included an eggplant-hued coat dress paired with a Fendi bag (top) and a Marc Jacobs sweater dress with a trompe l'oeil collar.”
Martha:
In 2004, Martha Stewart and her former Merrill Lynch stockbroker, Peter Bacanovic, went to trial for securities fraud and obstruction of justice at the U.S. District Court in Manhattan. She ended up serving 5 months in a federal prison near Alderson, West Virginia, for lying about her sale of ImClone stock in 2001.
Her look was classically “Martha in trouble, but unfazed because she is Martha Stewart.”
“Her pea green pashmina, structured handbag, and leather booties are a testament to the fact that you can still look chic, even when you're facing jail time. We could all stand to take a page out of Stewart's book (her style book, that is).” - Huffpost.com
Nicole:
In 2008 Kidman testified (and won) a defamation suit against photographer Jamie Fawcett, who dubbed himself the “Prince of Paparazzi.”
Nicole appeared in a gray knee-length skirt, cream-colored blouse, and pale pink cardigan with her curly hair drawn up in a loose low bun.
Nicole:
In 2007, Nicole Richie, several months pregnant at the time, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of drugs (she also failed a field sobriety test and admitted she had smoked marijuana and taken the prescription painkiller Vicodin) and was sentenced to four days in jail. Just a month after Paris Hilton had completed her three-week stint behind bars.
Richie was also fined $2,048, placed on three years probation, and ordered to enroll in a court-supervised rehabilitation program for two-time offenders.
The only words uttered by Richie during the hearing were: “guilty” when asked how she pleaded to a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of drugs, and “yes” when asked if she acknowledged her previous conviction.
For this appearance she opted for a 60’s style black shift that helped hide evidence of a newly rumored pregnancy.
Paris:
Arrested on suspicion of DUI on Sept. 27, 2006, while on her way to In-N-Out Burger, (a confluence of circumstances she attributed to having had one margarita on an empty stomach,) Paris pleaded down charges of reckless driving and was sentenced to three years probation, ordered to attend alcohol-education classes, and fined $1,500.
In a non descrip blazer & headband, she tried . . .
Courtney:
Too many times in court to count. Court in court, is a thing.
Lindsay:
Lindsay Lohan was sentenced to jail in 2007 after pleading guilty to misdemeanor cocaine use and driving under the influence. Then, in May 2010, Lohan missed a DUI progress court hearing and was bailed.
During this period she appeared in court 20 times before four judges (who found her in violation of her probation four times) and sentenced her to six months in jail.
Her court style was refreshingly conservative. Highlights being: a blue Givenchy suit, black platform pumps and a white Céline bag, a trench coat, mint-green dress, chunky diamond bracelets, slacks with a tan cardigan, pointy-toe platform pumps. Hair sometimes long and loose, and other times respectively pulled back.
Lohan’s troubled timeline is lengthy:
• January 2007: she entered a drug rehab program for the first time.
• May 26, 2007: Arrested on a misdemeanor drunken driving charge after she lost control of her Mercedes-Benz convertible and struck a curb in Beverly Hills, California. She checked into Promises Treatment Center in Malibu for her second visit to rehab, voluntarily fitted with an alcohol monitoring bracelet after her release from her 45-day rehab stay.
• July 24, 2007: Just two weeks after checking out of rehab, arrested again. A woman called Santa Monica police, saying Lohan was trying to run her down with a car. Lohan was charged with drunken driving, cocaine possession and driving with a suspended license.
• August 2007: Lohan entered rehab for a third time, this time at the Cirque Lodge Treatment Center in Sundance, Utah.
• August 23, 2007: She pleaded guilty to misdemeanor cocaine use and driving under the influence. The actress was sentenced to serve one day in jail, 10 days of community service, and three years of probation. She also had to pay a fine and enter an alcohol education program.
And while Lohan expressed a full range of emotions in the courtroom, her middle fingernail had a message all its own.
Amber:
In the beginning, remember how she outright skipped mascara? The worst thing a pale blonde can do under the harsh sting of fluorescent lighting. Later, her makeup layers tripled as she evolved into a Texas debutante right before our eyes. The Gucci suits were good. The bee tie was nice. It was the beauty queen hair that did us in. Her court style - like her testimony - looked overly expressed and with forced effort.
The elaborate updos were trying to tell a story ultimately no one believed. What came out of her mouth didn’t help much either.
Naomi:
Naomi Campbell was called by the prosecution to testify about diamonds she received after a dinner party in 1997, allegedly a gift from Charles Taylor. Taylor is accused of using blood diamonds to finance a brutal civil war in Liberia's neighbor, Sierra Leone.
She straight up told the court this appearance was a “big inconvenience” for her. But who can fault Naomi for acting like Naomi.
Gwyneth:
Last day in court she showed up in a navy version of the legendary velvet blazer. A la 1996 Gucci nostalgia. Sharp choice for a slick front runner.
Isabel:
Not on trial, but a steady presence in court those six weeks in support of her sister, whose own rotation of cashmere sweaters with fitted black slacks and a much-discussed blunt cut bob was a well balanced look for “disgraced madam.”
But it was Isabel Maxwell who ended up the federal court’s fashionista that season in layers of muted sweaters, Patagonia puffers, colored scarves, a classic black coat, simple gold jewelry, the infamous paisley print Jansport backpack, and an array of colored berets in rotation because she is proudly French and wasn’t about to let any of us forget about it.
Back here tomorrow — and hopefully again later this week. I’m en route to a predictable destination tomorrow (I’m sure you can guess) so stay tuned for updates with that whole debacle with one wild week ahead.
I don't know who is mad about her clothing. if I had that much money, i'd spend it on the same stuff. and face creams. and lasers. and travel. I get it, Gwen.
Gwen’s boots. I always said if I was rich I would shop normally but that was determined to be a lie. I would buy $1450 boots and not look backkk at allll