It’s an objective truth that Anok Yai is one of the most beautiful people on the planet. It’s also an objective truth that she has an exquisitely good sense of style, as Yai demonstrated most recently mere days after she shut down the 2023 Met Gala’s red carpet.
On the afternoon of May 3, Yai stepped out into New York’s Upper East Side wearing a shin-length faux fur coat, bandeau top, surprisingly affordable sweatpants from Jehucal, pointy boots, and a paisley Birken-like handbag.
Basic and potentially boring, in the wrong hands, but Anok Yai is no amateur. She’s got the inherent swag necessary to make anything look good but the magic is in how she’s able to make $70 sweatpants look like couture.
Good taste isn’t merely defined by clothing but how it’s worn. It’s all about confidence, though some tasteful accoutrements don’t hurt.
Like, you don’t dabble with Y2K-style exposed thongs and mullets with chopped bangs unless you’re really willing to put yourself out there, stylistically.
We aren’t all Anok Yai, obviously, but if you’re going to take anything away how easily she’s nailing the look, observe the toned-down styling (simple colors, easy silhouette) and her potential statement elements (thong, hair, jewelry) are woven into the outfit without any attempt to emphasize any of it. This is cohesive dressing and it’s key to making advanced stuff look effortless.
Speaking of effortless and advanced, Anok Yai’s look at Met Gala 2023 was easily one of the night’s best.
How refreshing it was to see someone do something outré, something with a mask, something with a crazy gold dress and train, that didn’t look like a costume but like an outfit tailormade for its wearer.
Off-duty model style is so often generalized as “Is it fashion or is she just skinny?” but there’s real artfulness in putting together a look like the one Yai’s wearing on the streets of NYC. It shouldn’t take much effort to look so effortless, just good taste.
