The Stylist Behind Katie Holmes’s Best Looks Is Calling for Fashion With Intention

During our late-August video call, fashion stylist Brie Welch's phone buzzes with an Instagram DM from Katie Holmes. The actress sent her a runway look that caught her eye. (Welch couldn't specify exactly what look or which brand; some secrets need to stay behind the curtain in the celebrity styling business.)

Welch and Holmes have been exchanging screenshots and inspiration since they started working together in 2022. “We both still have these moments where we’re able to fall for things in fashion—the charm of it all hasn't gone away,” says the celebrity stylist and creative consultant. “It's those little things that help create a strong connection when you work with someone. For instance, when I’m styling Katie for a press tour, I can be like, ‘Oh, I remember she liked this idea from a message she sent months ago. Let’s come back to it and include it now.’ There's always an intention behind what she wears — it’s not just whatever from whomever.”

Intentional is the best word to describe Welch’s overall approach. After studying fashion design at Cal State Long Beach, she moved to New York City in 2008, hoping to find a fashion brand with a junior job opening that also shared Welch’s personal values: purposeful, thoughtful creation. She struck out finding such a position and instead took on various odd jobs, from serving at a pizza restaurant to working a nine-to-five in public relations. Later, Welch found a more meaningful path as a fashion director for French lifestyle blogger Garance Doré, where she was responsible for styling the site’s broader fashion content.

After three and a half years of refining her fashion curation skills for Doré, combined with an inherently cool personal style—“I always reach for the most unexpected thing when getting dressed," she explains—Welch dove into freelance styling. With a strong network of fashion friends, she secured work styling editorial spreads for Vogue and Business of Fashion, celebrity clients like Holmes, and brand campaigns for Givenchy and Ferragamo.

Most recently, Welch has become the resident stylist for eBay, where she curates trends, pre-loved wishlists, and shares her passion for—here’s that word again—intentional consumption. “Clothing-wise, I think everything that we want already exists," says Welch. "It's not that we shouldn't have new clothes; of course, new clothes are beautiful and exciting, and circular fashion only exists because we have wonderful designers creating things. But there's a limit to how much we really need to produce.”

Through her partnership with eBay, Welch aims to encourage shoppers to explore the secondhand market first, even when looking for new-season trends or special occasion pieces. “I was the costume designer on the film Happy Hours—written, directed, and starring Katie Holmes—and so much of what I used was vintage from secondhand thrift stores and eBay. It just goes to show you that you can do big things with stuff that already exists,” she says.

Ahead, we discuss the stylist's low-and-slow approach, the unique alchemy behind Holmes’s style, and the items Welch is winning at eBay auctions.

Marie Claire: Can you share a styling tip that can turn a good outfit into a great one?

Brie Welch: What you do with your sleeve is such an underrated styling trick. It sounds silly... but are you going to button your wrists or leave them open? Are you going to push your sleeve up so it scrunches, or fold and roll it? There are so many different ways to style your sleeves that also change the shirt's silhouette.

Silk scarves are also a little accessory that can add a lot of flair. Zoë Kavitz, styled by Danielle [Goldberg], will wear a T-shirt and pants, but she's got a scarf on her head, so it’s like, ‘Wow, she looks so cool.’ Leandra Medine also did a newsletter about tying a scarf as a belt, which became this massive trickle-down moment—I now see at least five girls every day with a scarf around the waist. It's fascinating because they added just one little accessory, which you can buy for $5 or hundreds of dollars at Hermès, and it completely changes their look.

MC: Katie Holmes's style has a certain magic that makes it so appealing to the mainstream. Why do you think that is?

BW: What's interesting about Katie’s style is that she's aspirational, but her looks are attainable. That balance can only come from a certain type of person who both loves fashion and is also quite down to earth. It’s definitely who she is, and it’s also how I approach fashion, which is why we've really bonded.

MC: What are your favorite, holy-grail clothing items?

BW: I actually don’t have any favorites. I'm not a piece person—I don't look at fashion in these, sort of, hierarchical terms of what piece is better than the other. In one instance, my favorite thing I own could be a T-shirt that someone hand-printed and made for me, which has nothing to do with fashion. Or, sometimes, it’s the Khaite boots I've had from their second Fall 2017 season.

MC: What about a go-to brand?

BW: I always come back to Comme des Garçons. But it’s not the fantastical items; it's the stuff that I can wear daily—the blazers, the shirts. It’s not, ‘Oh my God, you have that CDG piece?' It’s more, ‘Oh, who made that?' Which is more of who I am anyway: I'm not a big showy person.

MC: What vintage brands do you think are overdue for a comeback?

Brie: I personally like to search [eBay] for old Alberta Ferretti and Christian Lacroix. Both those brands made a lot of things that are still relevant today. Alberta touched on so many of the boho trends we’re seeing now, and Christian did the Y2K-inspired, weird, bright colors and prints that are everywhere. Specifically, I’d say that old Alberta, now with a new designer (Lorenzo Serafini was appointed creative director in October 2024), would be one to invest in now. These older sleeper brands from Italy, which had their heyday years ago, can really trickle up—we've seen it with Bottega and Loewe.

MC: You guide your clients through getting dressed. But have they taught you any fashion lessons that you've integrated into your own style?

BW: Not so much the way I get dressed, but more of a broader lesson is just to ask for what you want. You can't get what you want unless you're willing to ask for it. It’s a good lesson for all women to know. No one is a mind reader. And it can apply to clothes, too—like, ‘Gosh, I want that new Chloé Paddington bag. How can I manifest it?’

MC: What does the fashion industry need less of?

BW: We need fewer brands creating ‘the perfect shirt.’ I feel like every week I get an email about a new brand that's discovered how to make the ultimate button-up or perfect white T-shirt for a woman. I'm like, What am I missing here? We need brands to be more intentional in what they make—they don’t all have to make 'perfect shirts,' every category, everything. Intentionality is important. Making less stuff and making it better, more well-made—I think customers would ultimately be attracted to that.

MC: We’ve covered fashion. Now, what are you currently watching and listening to?

Brie: I'm going to admit that I'm watching Lost. I never watched it, but recently just decided to dive in. It gives me some weird dreams sometimes, though, so I think I need a break. I also watch The Buccaneers and The Gilded Age. Music-wise, I really like the new Tyler, the Creator album, and I’ve also been listening to a lot of Neil Young.

MC: What about something unrelated to fashion that’s filling your cup?

BW: I watched a documentary about Sally Mann (American photographer), and as a whole, I'm always inspired by artists' personal stories, how they think, and how they got there. It's interesting to see their process, why they decided to use this technique or that, and what their medium is. Real people creating in their real lives is always inspiring to me. It makes me excited.

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