I rarely remember red-carpet dresses, because they’re usually all so similar and therefore blend together like the bottom of a bowl of five different of vanilla ice creams. Not so with the rainbow, caftan-esque number Tracee Ellis Ross wore to the MTV Awards. The dress was Rosie Assoulin, the stylist was Kara Welch, the jewelry was vintage Neil Lane, the shoes were Giuseppe Zanotti (and not at all boring). It was a magnificent, mint-chocolate-chip sundae of a team effort. I am confident in positing that Tracee Ellis Ross is one of the few actresses who could have pulled off the results with so much palpable joy.
Tracee Ellis Ross’s red-carpet style is consistently killer, thanks to the combination of a talented stylist and a client who clearly likes to have fun with what she wears. What I’m even more interested in unpacking, though, are her off-duty outfits, documented throughout her Instagram feed. I have so many tabs open on my Internet browser right now with various posts I’ve bookmarked and plan to emulate as soon as humanly possible. It’s slowing down my whole computer, but I have no regrets. First things first: I will attempt to breakdown Tracee’s rules of style according her Instagram.
1. Do not resist the urge to match your shoes to your pants whenever the inclination strikes.
2. Let your kimono dress declare itself the new caftan without even opening your mouth, obtain a pair of earrings named after your best friend and wear the same shoes twice in close succession because they make your toes feel like the best versions of themselves.
3. Turn the boiler-suit trend on its head by cutting off the sleeves and layering a midnight-blue sweater underneath, plus lacy socks for good measure.
4. Re-wear the aforementioned sleeveless boiler suit, this time with fire engine-red shower slides, a top knot and crystal-embellished shades. Oh, and a backpack!
5. Take that same backpack on an elevator selfie journey featuring the perfect pair of white jeans and three nectarines.
6. Couple your Vetements track pants with sunglasses resembling the goggles you wear at the dentist when you’re getting a sealant, except way cooler.
7. Utilize a pair of Fran Drescher-pink socks to transform white flatform sandals into a multi-seasonal affair.
8. Find an ancient vessel and outshine it with your cool hair and your cooler coverup.
9. Match your lipstick to your headscarf and DIY your own backdrop.
10. Point to the heels on your ankle boots when they’re too good to ignore.
11. Get yourself a matriarchal lineage as epic as Diana Ross’s, if you can swing it.
