Hailey Baldwin Belts a ’90s Colorblock Windbreaker, Calls It a Dress
Hailey Baldwin just gave me a street style lesson I’ve been craving for nearly a decade.
In high school, one of my favorite pastimes involved rummaging through my parents’ closets, digging up fascinating vintage finds and styling them for everyday wear. The pieces ranged structured jackets that overwhelmed my narrow shoulders to leopard print dresses that hung loosely on my small frame, but with enough imagination, I was usually able to make something stylish happen.
There was one piece I never managed to figure out, though: a colorblock windbreaker that looked like it belonged in the ’80s, ’90s or somewhere in between.
MORE: Hailey Baldwin’s Epic Beauty Evolution from Child Star to Rising Model
The windbreaker was purple, teal, white and seriously massive. It was long enough to graze my knees and wide enough that I felt completely swallowed by it. There was so much fabric to deal with that I just gave up; as much I loved the jacket’s kitschy retro vibe, I couldn’t figure out how to make it my own.
But now, a full nine years later, I finally understand how to wear it—all thanks to an outfit Hailey Baldwin stepped out in earlier this week.
The model took to the streets of Brooklyn on Monday wearing a similar windbreaker, which share combined with a gold belt, white sneakers and some oversized sunnies. That’s was it. Instead of treating it like a jacket and wearing it over a carefully assembled outfit, Baldwin repurposed the windbreaker as a dress—and she used the belt to cinch it at the waist, rather than letting it become a fabric-heavy nightmare.
MORE: 7 Celebrities Who Truly Understand Food Is the Best Accessory
Had I had Baldwin’s insight in high school, you would’ve seen me do the same damn thing. Who knew a retro outerwear favorite would become your new go-to summer mini dress?
Flip through the slideshow below to score a similar jacket—and remember to buy it oversized so you can get the whole cinched-at-the-waist-dress vibe happening for yourself, too.
