Not Just Jeans—Katie Holmes Debuts a Gala-Worthy Way to Style White Button-Down Shirts
Oxfords are still the most versatile basic, even among VIPs.
White button-downs are by far the most beloved basic in my spring wardrobe. However, after wearing them on repeat with jeans, track pants, and other seasonal pant trends, I needed a refresher from Katie Holmes on how to dress them up.
The Dawson's Creek alum and I share the same taste in Oxford shirts: We prefer them stark white and slightly oversize, much like the variation she debuted at the April 14 screening of Brunello: The Gracious Visionary at New York City's Lincoln Center. Stylist Brie Welch secured Holmes a custom Brunello Cucinelli set for the occasion, featuring the white button-down of my dreams and an unexpectedly luxe skirt.
First, she unbuttoned the long sleeve to reveal one bedazzled strap on her black bralette. Then, the Oxford's box-pleat bodice slipped underneath the high-rise waist of her A-line skirt. Wearing something so understated on top shined a spotlight on the skirt's intricate silver sequins. If she went with an equally-embellished style, the embroidery might've been overlooked.
Katie Holmes arrived at the Brunello: The Gracious Visionary screening in a white button-down and contrasting silver sequin skirt.
White, button-down-adjacent blouses stole the show at the documentary's premiere, when Love Story co-stars Grace Gummer and Naomi Watts followed Holmes's lead. Watts, for one, twinned with Holmes in an almost-identical Oxford, down to the box pleats. Stylist Jeann Williams leaned into the top's masculine suave with cummerbund trousers, a matching blazer, and an undone neck tie.
Naomi Watts also got the white button-down memo before the screening.
Later, Meryl Streep's daughter sampled the same eveningwear uniform as Holmes: a white long-sleeve with a bejeweled maxi skirt. Stylist Nicky Campbell channeled Love Story-esque minimalism with a button-less chiffon blouse. The relaxed Oxford looked so glamorous tucked into an elongated skirt, featuring cool-toned gold sequins.
Grace Gummer served Old Hollywood glam energy in a white blouse.
Katie Holmes's closet has been stocked with white button-downs like these for years. When she's not wearing them with denim trends, the New Yorker spruces them up with more exaggerated layers. For proof, see how she stacked a cropped Cinq à Sept vest and leather maxi skirt over an Oxford in Nov. 2024.
Back in 2023, Holmes wore an Oxford and jeans to an Alice + Olivia event.
The next year, she added some edge to the button-down with a black leather skirt.
Holmes wasn't the first fashion girl to put me onto white button-downs: Carrie Bradshaw's shirt dress in Sex and the City Season 4 originally won me over. But she is the muse who keeps them in my everyday rotation all year long. And thanks to Holmes, they'll rejoin my after-work options any night now.
Shop White Button-Downs Inspired by Katie Holmes
