Couture Culture: Kaia Gerber

Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece. Quite a long time ago, people said it was home to the Gods and Goddesses, a place of worship; of moral and mythical strife with each of the Twelve Gods the victims of anthropopathy, vulnerable to the same failings of their devoted worshippers – jealousy, vanity, pride. The myths, of course, stack these human failings on top of each other, wrapping them up in a golden trench coat. Carnage and debauchery are the fastenings, chaos the seam running throughout. If it wasn’t for the work of the Muses, entertaining the Gods and inspiring humans into artistry, I’m sure Ancient Greece would have fallen a lot sooner than it did.

As the daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford, being stylish is a genetic predisposition for Kaia

The work of the modern muse is just as essential. As the torchbearers towards artistic godliness, muses light the spark of inspiration deep within the psyches of artists and artistes alike, illuminating the path so clearly that failure becomes impossible. Who would Picasso be without his weeping woman, Dora Maar?

Nowadays, the realm of the muse has been shifted, expanded even, and is no longer reserved for the doomed relationships between doe-eyed ingénues and their ‘complex’ artists. Everybody has a muse for something. And for me, my fashion muse is model and actress, Kaia Gerber.

As the daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford, being stylish is a genetic predisposition for Kaia. Yet, it is beyond her mother’s iconic legacy, and far from the catwalk where Kaia’s style steps into its iconic league and becomes, for me at least, ‘muse-worthy’. On the streets of New York City, or browsing a farmer’s market in Los Angeles, Kaia Gerber’s chicness shines. Her uniform? Easy Americana laced with French sophistication.

Take, for example, jeans, a symbol of the American West, a wardrobe staple, and a fundamental feature of Gerber’s street-style. With a strong straight-leg or bootcut flare, and in varying hues of blue, Gerber is effortless, striking a balance between completely casual and perfectly polished. In drawing upon the jean silhouettes of the 90s, she crafts a classic foundation for every look.

Gerber is able to tie her outfits together seamlessly, truly embodying the Cool French Girl aesthetic

She only elevates this through her love of tailored essentials. By throwing on an oversized blazer, whether classic tweed, or leather for yet another nod to the 90s, Gerber instantly reaches the heights of breezy sophistication. And when she pairs this with a bohemian blouse, such as her floral blouse from Dôen, or a simple button-down shirt, Gerber achieves a playful minimalism that blurs the boundaries between casual and classic.

But an outfit without accessories is like an ice cream without sprinkles – sure, it’s nice, but something is missing. Gerber knows this all too well. Hence, her accessorising often makes her outfits. Take her choice of shoes, for example, from her chunky combat boots and relaxed Converse to sleek Mary Janes and pointed kitten heels, Gerber is able to tie her outfits together seamlessly, truly embodying the Cool French Girl aesthetic she so clearly aspires to.

It is also where she continues to play with her style – Gerber’s accessories add a pop of colour and an extra dimension of interest to every outfit, whether that is a green and white tote bag paired with a white blouse and patterned maxi skirt, or bright yellow Onitsuka Tiger trainers with a tailored navy suit. With such accessorising, Kaia Gerber fortifies her ‘model off-duty’ fashion formula, alongside her status as a style icon.

Being a muse quite often indicates an element of prominence, that something striking about them – you can’t help but draw upon them for inspiration. Which all in all, makes Gerber an interesting choice of fashion muse and style icon. The All-American style is a staple in everyone’s wardrobe, jeans and a plain top are hardly innovative. Likewise, everybody aspires to be the Cool French Girl: the likes of Jane Birkin and Brigitte Bardot are name dropped constantly in fashion circles. But in tying the two together, playing with masculine and feminine silhouettes, all within the framework of classic minimalism, Kaia Gerber unlocks the heights of both coolness and chicness.

I used to think that cool, classy, and chic existed on a spectrum; that things in life fell under the title of just one of them. Kaia Gerber achieves all three, usually simultaneously. And it is for that reason that I look to her simple yet show-stopping street style for inspiration. She is indeed muse-worthy.