It's 11:00 AM on a Tuesday in Los Feliz. A paparazzi lens zooms in on a figure wearing a faded oversized hoodie, grey New Balance sneakers, and biker shorts that have seen better days. It’s Hailey Bieber. Or maybe it’s Kendall Jenner. Honestly, at this focal length, they’re basically the same aesthetic blueprint. But here’s the thing: that photo will get more engagement on Instagram than a polished, high-fashion Vogue cover. We can’t stop looking at celebrities in casual clothes. It feels like a glitch in the Matrix. Seeing someone who usually breathes filtered air and wears six-figure couture suddenly grappling with a cardboard coffee carrier and a loose shoelace is oddly grounding.
It’s about the "off-duty" illusion. We call it casual, but let’s be real. Most of these "effortless" looks are curated by stylists like Maeve Reilly or Dani Michelle. There’s a specific science to looking like you just rolled out of bed when your "bed" is a $20 million mansion. You’ve probably noticed the shift lately. The era of the "BBL fashion" and hyper-glam red carpet dominance is fading. In its place? The era of the $500 white t-shirt.
The psychology of the paparazzi stroll
Why do we care? Evolution. Seriously. Humans are wired to seek out social hierarchies. Seeing a "high status" individual dressed like a college student during finals week triggers a weird parasocial intimacy. It makes us feel like we’re part of the inner circle. Like we’ve caught them behind the curtain. When Jennifer Lawrence walks through Manhattan in a simple trench coat and flats, she’s not just a movie star. She’s a person navigating a sidewalk.
But don't get it twisted. There is a massive economy built around these candid shots. Sites like Just Jared or Daily Mail thrive on the "Stars—They're Just Like Us!" trope. Except they aren't. They’re wearing The Row.
The "Quiet Luxury" trap in everyday wear
You’ve seen the term "Quiet Luxury" everywhere. It’s basically the final boss of celebrities in casual clothes. Think back to Gwyneth Paltrow’s court appearances. That wasn’t casual in the "sweatpants" sense; it was tactical. A navy blue coat that costs more than a mid-sized sedan. This isn't about being relatable anymore. It’s about a "blink and you’ll miss it" level of wealth.
If you see Adam Sandler in a pair of XXL basketball shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, that’s genuine casual. He’s the king of not caring. He has become a fashion icon specifically because he refuses to play the game. Gen Z loves him for it. It feels authentic in a sea of sponsored "candid" walks. On the flip side, you have the "Clean Girl" aesthetic, which is essentially just a very expensive way to wear a ponytail and a tracksuit.
Iconic moments when casual became the trend
Remember the bike shorts? Kim Kardashian started wearing Yeezy biker shorts with heels and oversized hoodies around 2017. People laughed. They said it looked like she forgot her skirt. Fast forward two years, and every girl at every brunch spot in America was wearing the exact same thing. That’s the power of the casual celeb look. It’s accessible. You can’t afford a custom Schiaparelli gown, but you can definitely find black spandex shorts at Target.
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- The Princess Diana Blueprint: She was the original master. The oversized sweatshirt with the Harvard logo? Paired with bike shorts and white tube socks? That image is still pinned on every mood board in 2026. It’s timeless because it’s athletic but effortless.
- The Bella Hadid "Weird Girl" Aesthetic: Bella changed the game by making "ugly" clothes cool. Mismatched patterns, vintage fleeces, and tiny glasses. It’s chaotic. It shouldn't work. But because she’s a supermodel, it becomes a trend.
- Jacob Elordi and the "Short King" Shorts: He’s tall, but he wears 5-inch inseams. It sparked a massive conversation about men’s fashion and why guys are finally ditching the long, baggy board shorts of the early 2000s.
The "Street Style" industrial complex
Let's talk about the "paparazzi walk." It’s often a staged event. A celebrity’s publicist will call a photo agency. They’ll say, "Hey, [Name] will be at this specific Blue Bottle Coffee at 2:00 PM." The celeb shows up in a perfectly curated "casual" outfit. The photos "leak." Suddenly, the boots they were wearing are sold out globally.
It’s a symbiotic relationship. The celebrity stays relevant. The brand gets a massive sales spike. The paparazzi gets a paycheck. We get "fitspiration." Everybody wins, I guess? But it does make you wonder: when was the last time we actually saw a celebrity in actual casual clothes? Like, clothes with a mustard stain or a hole in the armpit? Probably never.
Why Gen Z is obsessed with "Core" fashion
Every week there’s a new "-core." Gorpcore (wearing hiking gear in the city). Normcore (looking as boring as possible). Blokecore (wearing vintage soccer jerseys). These are all just fancy names for celebrities in casual clothes.
Take A$AP Rocky. He can wear a grandmother’s headscarf and a pair of Vans and look like the coolest person on earth. That’s "Babushka Boi" style. It’s about subverting expectations. Men’s casual fashion has shifted away from the "suit and tie" or even the "jeans and a nice shirt" look. It’s now about vintage proportions and "ugly-cool" footwear. Salomon hiking boots are the new Jordans. If you told someone ten years ago that high-end fashion would involve looking like a middle-aged birdwatcher, they’d have laughed you out of the room.
How to actually pull off the look without a stylist
You don't need a million dollars to nail the off-duty vibe. Honestly, most people overthink it. The secret isn't the price tag; it's the fit and the "sandwich" rule.
If you’re wearing something baggy on top, wear something slim on the bottom. Or vice versa. If you wear baggy on baggy, you look like a tent. If you wear tight on tight, you look like you’re heading to the gym. A pair of high-quality straight-leg denim is the foundation. Add a heavy-weight cotton t-shirt. Not the thin ones that shrink after one wash. Spend a little more on the basics.
Pro tip: Sunglasses do 90% of the heavy lifting. There’s a reason celebrities in casual clothes always have shades on. It adds a layer of "don't talk to me" mystery that instantly elevates a $10 hoodie.
The sustainability problem
We have to talk about the dark side. Seeing a different casual outfit on a celebrity every day fuels fast fashion. People want the look, they want it cheap, and they want it now. This leads to massive waste. The "Hailey Bieber street style" tag on TikTok has billions of views, and most of the "dupes" suggested are from ultra-fast fashion brands that are terrible for the planet.
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Instead of buying a new tracksuit, look for vintage. Most "iconic" celeb casual looks are just riffs on 90s sportswear anyway. You can find the same silhouettes at a thrift store for a fraction of the price.
What we get wrong about "effortless" style
The biggest misconception is that these looks are low-effort. They aren't. Often, a celebrity has spent forty minutes in hair and makeup to achieve the "no-makeup" look. Their hair is "messy," but it took a Dyson Airwrap and three types of texturizing spray to get it that way.
It’s a performance. A performance of normalcy.
But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy it. There is genuine artistry in how someone like Zoe Kravitz layers a vintage slip dress over a t-shirt. It’s about personal expression. It’s about taking the armor of "fame" off and showing a bit of personality. Or at least, the personality they want us to see.
Actionable steps to master the casual aesthetic
If you want to upgrade your daily wardrobe based on what's working for the A-list right now, skip the trends and focus on these specific moves:
- Invest in "Heavy" Basics: Swap your thin hoodies for high-gsm (grams per square meter) cotton. It drapes better and looks "expensive" even if it isn't.
- The Shoe Logic: Your footwear dictates the vibe. A pair of clean, white leather sneakers (like Vejas or Common Projects) makes casual look "intentional." A pair of technical runners (like Hoka or Asics) makes it "trendy."
- The Rule of One: Wear one "statement" piece and keep everything else boring. A vintage leather jacket over a grey sweatsuit. A designer bag with a thrifted outfit.
- Texture Over Color: Instead of bright colors, mix textures. Pair a wool coat with a cotton hoodie and nylon joggers. It creates visual depth that makes a "casual" outfit look like a "look."
- Grooming is the Secret Sauce: The reason celebs look good in trashy clothes is because their skin and hair are usually immaculate. A clean haircut or a well-kept beard makes "sloppy" clothes look like a "choice."
Stop trying to copy specific outfits piece-for-piece. The goal isn't to be a clone. The goal is to steal the silhouette. Figure out if you like the baggy-slim combo or the monochrome look. Once you find your uniform, buying clothes becomes ten times easier. You'll spend less money on junk and more on pieces that actually last. That's the real lesson from the streets of Soho and the hills of Hollywood.