It began, as is so often the way, with Kate Moss. The “just stumbled out of a taxi and threw on some shades” look. The “I have a perfect £250 dye job but also know how to roll a cigarette” vibe. You know the style I’m talking about: the slightly dishevelled dirty blonde and black sunglasses combo. The one that Moss popularised in the early 2000s, and which has, more recently, become the ultimate off-duty look for those who wish to appear both glamorous and unbothered, or chic but with an edge.
While we tend to associate the style with pap shots of Moss, Sienna Miller and the Olsen twins at the height of indie sleaze (often paired with black eyeliner and a faux fur coat), the combo has been creeping its way back into the stylistic lexicon as of late. See: Sydney Sweeney knocking around New York recently. Ashley Benson looking for her car in LA. Alex Consani striding around Paris for Fashion Week. If the clean girl aesthetic is all about dewy skin, natural hair and perfectly manicured nails, the dirty blonde and black shades combo sits at the other end of the spectrum. It’s a look that says you went to a party last night and may go to a party later. It’s a pairing that says “get the London look” in a slightly Cockney accent. It’s an outfit (can we call it an outfit?) that somehow says “undone” and “put together” at the same time.
