When introducing her beauty brand Rhode earlier this year, Hailey Bieber said her philosophy around skin and make-up had evolved. “I’ve realised that, for me, more subtle is better, and less is kind of more,” said the entrepreneur, who could well have been speaking about her personal style. 2022 was the year that Hailey Bieber, the quintessential Cali girl, grew up.
With Karla Welch, one of Hollywood’s most respected stylists, on her side, the twenty-something, with the best sun-kissed glow in the business, was able to hit pause and take stock of the message she wanted to put out into the world as a model turned beauty mogul. Step one involved honing her individual style, which might sound simple, but in an industry that thrives on trends, it’s easy to get swept up wearing the Next Big Thing, like everyone else. While there was a phase when Bieber and BFF Kendall Jenner wore variations on the same look, Welch has helped Hailey go her own way.
It was not a dramatic overhaul from the streetwear-focused aesthetic her previous stylist Maeve Reilly crafted for her, but a subtle shift. Hailey darkened her signature beach-blonde hair, toned down the bikini selfies and cashed in on her Saint Laurent ambassadorship. Translation: the equivalent of gold dust in celebrity circles. I mean, who doesn’t want to sit in the same fashion camp as Zoë Kravitz, Amber Valletta and Kate Moss?
Bieber has worn her French muse status well, eschewing the unabashedly sexy trend championed by her peers in favour of Anthony Vaccarello’s insouciant Parisian way into the look: all liquid-silk gowns in classic colourways. Her innately sensual dresses have singled her out as a woman happy to be making best-dressed lists because of her effortless approach to red-carpet wear, rather than the look-at-me tactics she might have employed as the wife of a global popstar previously.
Day to day, she’s bossed it in two simple outfit formulas: baby tees, cargos and It-trainers, and boxy blazers, baggy denim and loafers. A collaboration with Wardrobe.NYC – the editors’ go-to for wardrobe foundations – cemented her status as a refined dresser with more to offer brands than just her looks. With co-founder Christine Centenera’s seal of approval, she became a poster girl for clean, unfussy style that symbolised excellent editing skills. “I wanted to take the fuss out of putting together a killer outfit,” she told Vogue at the time. If Welch once said “good clothes can open doors”, her client has been living proof of this.
As Bieber turns 26 on 22 November, we can expect the following for her next year: miniskirts (it would, after all, be cruel to strip Hailey of all her LA staples), vintage (her 1999 YSL couture Halloween costume indicated she’s working on a personal archive), more minimal everyday ensembles (that coveted Wardrobe.NYC partnership continues…) and pared-back eveningwear that shows she’s living by Coco Chanel’s style missive that it’s best to take one thing off before leaving the house. On Bieber, a budding boss bitch who understands the value of a strong image, this new sophisticated approach to dressing looks considered rather than contrived. Call it a coming of age, but the path to 30 looks good on Hailey.
