The New Model-Off-Duty Look at Fashion Week Is All Business 

Jeans and leather jackets used to be the hallmarks of a model’s off-duty fashion month wardrobe. But this season, as stars headed from castings and fittings, they took the “dress for success” adage a little more literally, as tailored suiting replaced streetwear as the default outfit for designer muses on the go. Granted, new faces still delight street style photographers with their nonchalant looks. Yet marquee talents like Gigi Hadid, Karlie Kloss, and Jourdan Dunn have moved on to a polished sensibility that reflects their status within the industry. The CEO staples make sense for young women who have become brands themselves—but their versions of the trend are as far from the standard office uniform as it gets.

Rather than revisiting old ideas of power dressing, the group has embraced emerging brands and innovative design. Take the pearl buttoned vest and matching trousers by Central Saint Martins alum Dilara Findikoglu that Bella Hadid wore in Paris. The look, fresh from the designer’s fall 2020 collectsion, put a girly spin on the three-piece suit, complete with crimson tie and branded belly chain. Likewise, the borrowed-from-the-boys Berluti gear worn by her sister Gigi days earlier reflected the drama of menswear’s current mood. As a two-tone take on beige plaid it could easily have read bland, but accented by a neon turtleneck and a zesty yellow suede overcoat, it became a standout.

Even the more traditional takes added something new to the equation. The navy pinstriped jacket Jourdan Dunn wore ahead of her front-row appearance at Vivienne Westwood delivered a bold play on proportion, while Karlie Kloss’s tartan suit at the Dior show featured a built-in corset. The seemingly tame slate gray Alexander McQueen blazer Kaia Gerber wore to visit the Instagram headquarters had a touch of mischief thanks to peekaboo cutouts on its back. These reimaginings of classic menswear silhouettes help stars project a professional image, without sacrificing any cool—and offer style lessons that apply even if your job doesn’t involve strutting down a runway. For the moment, the perfect look is one that works backstage, in the boardroom, and everywhere in between.