Flip-Flops as Fashion? Rosé Is the Queen of the High-Low Mix
BLACKPINK member Rosé is wearing a lot of Yves Saint Laurent. She looks great in it, sure, but that's not news alone. But BLACKPINK member Rosé wearing a lot of Yves Saint Laurent with faded jeans and flip-flops? Now that's interesting.
Rosé's clearly excellent taste makes it possible to achieve an impressive high-low mix that brings together the highest-end of the highest-end with one of the least luxe pieces of clothing ever made.
Only people with taste as advanced as Rosé can make this work. On paper, a leather jacket, T-shirt, jeans, and flip-flops sounds pretty normal, but it's not as easy as just putting it all together willy-nilly. One of my favorite stylistic terms is "intent," which Rosé demonstrates in spades.
Seen on a particularly muggy September 11 in New York, Rosé balanced the just-so fit of her jacket with a cropped white T-shirt and faded baggy jeans atop the humble flops. It's a tricky proposition, because we're talking about a gold-buttoned, collarless grey leather, not a typically fashionable style like the double-rider's.
But Rosé styled it like a shirt, tossing it on over proportional distinct layers.
Notice that the T-shirt is small but the jeans are relatively big, loose enough to gently contrast against the trim fit above. This creates an interesting juxtaposition in shape that's only exacerbated by the flip-flop's barely-there presence; they'd be swallowed were it not for Rosé's massive turned-up hems.
This is challenging stuff! And handled with impressive ease, making what could be a tricky balance read as toss-on effortless. You usually don't see this level of flip-flop fashion from anyone other than the Olson twins.
Rosé was so comfortable in this look that she wore it on the plane into NYC and kept it on even after she left the hotel, only changing her bag to make it more evening-appropriate.
That's smart style: knowing what clothes make you feel comfortable, so you can dress with ease for multiple situations without having to consider a change.
Flip-flops as fashion is a concept as divisive as, well, Birkenstock sandals. Even now, supercilious fashion editors turn up their nose at the German footwear company even as its signature products become ever-more elegant.
I've always liked flip-flops as the ultimate taste of exemplary style. Designer Takahiro Miyashita, for instance, makes flops look like an extension of his own good taste.
Thus, it's impressive how confidently capable Rosé is at making the world's most-modest sandal look casually stylish.
Then, that she can organically pair the most universally basic shoe with luxury accessories like her YSL bag and a $20k~ Patek Phillipe watch only magnifies the effect.
I've said it once, I've said it a million times: K-Pop stars' off-duty outfits are fascinating. Seeing BTS' Jungkook and Rosé's fellow BLACKPINK star Jennie onstage is one thing, but what do they wear in their own time, when they're ostensibly not dressing for a crowd of millions?
It's a taste of their actual personalities. In Rosé's case, it's indicative of her unfaultable taste and, perhaps, a hint of a Patek endorsement, another prize to be added to her cache of impressive brands.
Patek and YSL meets flip-flop. Only Rosé.
