For my partner Mikey and me, dressing up on Friday evenings for Man Repeller’s Instagram Happy Hour series has been a mighty source of joy during the last few months. Sometimes we coordinate outfits, sometimes we just dress in what we each independently want to wear.I’ve noticed other couples (who are also spending a lot more time together lately) syncing up their looks on social media, too. Seeing couples who take pleasure in dressing up together right now, even if it’s just to stay inside, is inspiring—and I’ve been taking mental notes. Some trends I’ve registered across the board include:
- Going full leisurewear, but with an eye-catching printed sweat suit or monochrome set.
- Wearing denim inside (yes! You heard correctly!) and pairing it with a comfy, breezy shirt and cloud-like shoes on your feet.
- Subtly coordinating with similar colors and varied accessories.
- Dressing in everything but the kitchen sink! A.k.a. taking advantage of the fact that your entire wardrobe is at your disposal.
- Indulging in the quiet pleasure of an indoor cardigan.
Below are a selection of favorites that showcase this inspiration in action:
1. A Well-Dressed Two-Person Business
If you haven’t yet, please meet the owners of Wan-Sho Laundry in Taiwan: Hsu Sho-er and husband Chang Wan-ji, who are 84 and 83 respectively. For obvious reasons, they recently went viral for their incredibly creative co-styling of clothes abandoned by customers. Thanks to this photo, I’m now eager to style an oversized T-shirt with a long pleated skirt (and convince Mikey to wear a cardigan with cut-off Bermuda shorts) as soon as humanly possible.
2. A Couple’s Uniform
I love how Morgan and Bria’s outfits are quite similar at their core, but the accessorizing and small styling choices makes them unique. Bria wears her white shirt off-the-shoulders (which you can actually do by tying a plain white button down and slouching it over your shoulders and then tying it!) with fun silver earrings. Morgan wears her jeans with a white tee and a bandana around her neck. The accessories are simple, but in both instances they add just the right amount of oomph to set them apart.
3. Coordinate With Your Dancing Partner
If the iconic photos of Elaine and Jonathan’s socially distant wedding weren’t proof enough of how stylish this couple is, then surely this coordinated loungewear moment seals the deal. I love how they both make classic “home clothes” look so intentional. Elaine’s cloud sweat set from Melody Ehsani is officially in my fantasy shopping cart.
4. Add the Same Pop of Color
I find something new to love about these outfits every time I look at this photo of Lydia (whose Instagram is a must-follow for style inspiration) and their wife Hannah–the playful texture contrast between Lydia’s top and Hannah’s dress, the ideal just-above-the-ankle crop of Lydia’s pants, the perfectly imperfect color mismatch of their shoes… I could go on! It’s a testament to how coordination can be subtle and not at all corny when done right.
5. Make It a Whole Family Affair
Rajni’s style alone is incredible, but add in her husband David (and their two adorable well-dressed children), and it’s a veritable style dynasty. Rajni’s oversized striped shirt and baggy denim combo is a great example of how to style jeans comfortably, in a way that almost mimics loungewear, but baby Lucienne steals the show in her neon sweats.
6. Lemon & Lime
What draws me to these two outfits is the unique color combination: Stacy’s yellow suit (I love a bright coordinating suit) next to Cat’s incredible green bomber jacket. I’m excited to style an oversized blazer with a wide trouser as Stacy did (for a more comfortable alternative to tailored pants and a shrunken blazer) and layer a sweatshirt under a bomber jacket like Cat.
Are there any couples on Instagram whose style you want to copy? Drop some links below.
