Rachel Bilson is best known for having one of the best senses of style in Hollywood. The young actress became a household name when she appeared on the enormously popular show The O.C., but she has since grown into a style icon for twenty-somethings everywhere. The secret to getting Bilson’s fresh, innovative look is to pick the unexpected when it comes to your daily wardrobe choices. Bilson pairs unusual fashion choices together, but still manages to look like the coolest girl on the street. Find out how to look like you aren’t trying too hard and break traditional fashion rules just like Rachel Bilson.
One of the trademarks of Bilson’s fresh approach to fashion is that she pairs garments together that others traditionally do not. For example, she wore a fitted black blazer with a silky, bold colored scarf around her neck to reveal a collection she designed for DKNY recently. On another occasion, Bilson attended a party for the network CW sporting bright, red pants, a flower printed silk top and bold, leopard patterned heels. The pumps didn’t really match her outfit, yet still made a style statement that worked. She will wear a cropped denim jacket over a cocktail dress with heels, or pair a garment that an older woman would traditionally wear with youthful accent pieces like strappy sandals and bold jewelry to reinvent the look. Even when Bilson goes casual, she still makes the look her own through with jewelry choices or by wearing a cool hat, scarf or other accent piece.
Bilson never dresses as if it stresses her out too much. Even when she appears on the red carpet, her look is effortless chic. Part of Rachel Bilson’s magic is that if she is dressed up, her hair and makeup is typically dressed down so she never appears too overdone. For instance, at a red carpet event recently Bilson wore a gold pinstriped Chanel dress, with black and silver strappy shoes, yet her brunette hair was long and flowing, as if she had simply run a brush through it rather than sitting in a stylist’s chair for hours. Her simple, toned down makeup and friendly, approachable smile in front of the cameras that night worked to further the sense that Bilson was not trying to impress, but rather that her style is innate and effortless.
Bilson believes that having style means you do not necessarily have to abide by the traditionally accepted rules of fashion. For example, Bilson attires herself in white year round, which for many would be considered a blunder; didn’t your mother tell you never to wear white after Labor Day? Bilson never dresses in matchy colors, and she always throws in an unexpected element to her look. One example is the evening her lips were painted in a bold, vampy, purple shade against her otherwise neutral makeup. She paired this bold, original statement with casual fashion, and was still one of the most noticeable actresses at the event.