Katie Holmes Presents Her Fall Color Theory

Forget choosing one or the other—Katie Holmes is riding strong on the butter yellow and tomato red wave as she readies her transition wardrobe heading into fall. Spotted on the streets of New York City yesterday, the street style icon made a convincing case for taking bright, summery hues straight into the cooler months.

Holmes started her off-duty ensemble with a generous helping of the perennial summer It shade: butter yellow. She wore a loose-fitting button-down from The Anteros in the mellow shade, unbuttoned just enough at the neckline and cuffs for a lived-in, laidback effect. The airy shirt was paired with a classic set of wide-leg Levi’s featuring distressing at the hem. From there, Holmes then turned to a trusty styling trick—a pop of red—to finish off her transitional ensemble.

On her arm, Holmes carried Métier’s Private Eye bag—a structured yet slouchy silhouette crafted in a supple, dark red leather with pops of gold hardware. Adding another jolt of color was a cherry-red pair of Mansur Gavriel’s Dream Ballerina flats—a round-toe style that’s always on rotation in Holmes’s off-duty repertoire. Both were styling moves that proved transitional dressing doesn’t have to mean heavy layers or boring colors. Holmes accessorized her ensemble with square tortoise shell sunnies, a diamond tennis necklace, and stacks of silver rings.

Fall style always presents a conundrum. Should one embrace the colder weather (and thus succumb to the gloom of winter) by slinking into muted grays and knits? Or do they hang onto the last little bits of summer fashion with color and a sense of lightness? Holmes, with her butter yellows and tomato reds, has clearly opted for the latter.