Katie Holmes and Her Denim Collection Will Always Be In Their Honeymoon Phase

The denim minidress that reflected her state of mind during the divorce year(s). 

As we’d later learn, month(s) of planning went into a “brilliant” multi-phase divorce strategy concocted by Holmes and her attorney father. Steps included quietly renting an apartment, using burner phones, and distancing herself from mutual friends while conspicuously keeping up appearances. Holmes and Cruise arrived hand-in-hand at the 2012 Vanity Fair Oscars party in March. Holmes even flew to Reykjavik, Iceland with Suri to visit Cruise on the set of Oblivion two weeks before filing in late June. 

Divorce papers obtained by TMZ, however, told a different story. The marriage, Holmes said, had been “irretrievably” broken for at least six months. Perhaps that’s why Holmes looked remarkably put together amid the collapse of her marriage. Within days of going public about the proceedings, three generations of Holmes women were spotted enjoying a sunny day out at Chelsea Piers.

“I’m fascinated by what she’s been wearing,” the Cut‘s Charlotte Cowles told the New York Times. “It’s simple relatable clothing. She’s playing the mom role she wants to portray herself as: a loving parent and as a normal person, America’s sweetheart. It’s a clichéd term, but Tom Cruise is a wild card, and she knows she needs to play the opposite. She’s been very smart.”

The denim skirt she wore to pick up Suri from school in 2013.

Imagine looking this good to pick your daughter up from school. To me, the slightly wrinkled crewneck sweater confirms that Katie pulled this fall ‘fit from her closet, not a styling rack. The hat and oversized shades are doing double duty as paparazzi deterrents, but it doesn’t look or feel like a disguise. Her dark wash denim skirt falls just above the knee, directing the focus to those deliciously slouchy burgundy leather boots. The grey hat and sweater provide balance by keeping the rest of the look neutral.