This past week, Kendall Jenner promoted her 818 Tequila brand wearing quite the throwback look, plucked out of a chic-afied mall. The model-brewer beamed in a tank that read J’adore Cowboys, a play on J’adore Dior, by the subversive and darkly sexy label Cowboys of Habit. Jenner wore this tank top with the ultimate throwback piece: a denim mini skirt with artful threads hanging from its sheared-off hem by EB Denim, an LA-based brand that reworks vintage denim. Fun fact: You can still get this skirt for $200.
Jenner embraced nostalgia and noughties-era high-low styling. The tank top evokes the luxury of Christian Dior during the ‘00s, now with a cheeky spin. As for the denim mini skirt, the piece is mall babe to the core, and evocative of Abercrombie & Fitch’s heyday.
It’s not surprising that Jenner has hopped on the A&F cosplay train in all of its Laguna Beach and Paris Hilton glory. Mall brands are having a comeback. The likes of Guess Jeans (seen on Jenner’s cohort Bella Hadid), Polo by Ralph Lauren, Bebe, and, of course, Abercrombie & Fitch have all been having a resurgence on resale sites. (In addition to a fixation on ‘00s nostalgia, A&F’s surge can also most likely be credited to the critical documentary White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch.)
Of course, Jenner didn’t fully wear a mall brand costume. Instead, she hit the sweet spot of balancing a nostalgic classic like a denim mini skirt with a saucy modern tank top. Though, it would be nice for her to accessorize with a Jamba Juice.
