It's now been four months since Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck filed for divorce. From the outside, it appears the pair is cordial—and in the singer's case, no longer dressing for payback.
On Dec. 21, Lopez and Affleck reunited for lunch at Soho House in West Hollywood. The "On the Floor" singer left her racks of revenge dresses and crop tops in the closet, opting instead for a "we're on good terms" cardigan. Specifically, she chose an ivory Polo Ralph Lauren sweater with navy intarsia patterns along the front. Paired with light-wash jeans, ankle boots, and hoop earrings, the overall vibe felt more après-ski than divorce attorney.
Affleck, photographed separately, seemed to be firmly in his blue period, with blue jeans, a blue sweater, and blue Nike sneakers.
Jennifer Lopez has always been known for wearing the finer things. Ever since her separation from Affleck (revealed in court filings to have started on April 26 this year), she's leaned even more into treating herself. Her Birkin bag collection has never gotten more play than over this summer, a period when she turned 55 in Dior dresses, Chanel shirts, and the contents of an entire LoveShackFancy store.
Post-separation interactions with her ex came with her high-wattage take on the fabled revenge dress (of Princess Diana fame). Lopez's red-carpet version, debuting for the premiere of a film Affleck produced, was a mirrored Tamara Ralph number held together at the sides with nothing but black ribbons. She also wore her share of revealing naked dresses at the Wicked premiere—and when she linked up with Affleck for another lunch earlier this fall, she chose a belly-baring crop top and flare jeans.
All these months later, Lopez's cozy après-ski sweater looks like a confident choice. Revenge dresses tell the world you're doing better than you ever were; cocooning knits say you have nothing to prove. Or, they could just be her latest purchase from Saturday's Birkin-and-coat shopping spree at LA's Ralph Lauren flagship.
Recent interviews suggest it's more of the former. Speaking to British Vogue, Lopez framed the "hardships" she's faced this year as lessons.
"I think the way I overcome things is not by thinking of them as happening to me, but happening for me and what is the lesson that needs to be learned in the moment," she said. "When I think of things that way and stay in a kind of a more positive mindset about it, it’s easier to kind of embrace it for the lesson that it is."
