Keira Knightley is enjoying a long overdue renaissance on the heels of her Golden Globe-nominated role in Netflix's spy thriller Black Doves. On Dec. 9, the actor stepped out for a screening of the show at the Crosby Hotel in New York City wearing a full Chloé look from creative director Chemena Kamali's Resort 2025 collection. Her cropped black velvet jacket was trimmed with a scalloped edge that mirrored the femininity of the ruffled white lace blouse she wore underneath it. The top unexpectedly paired a high buttoned neckline with loose tie closures that allowed glimpses of bare skin to peek through.
That said, her velvet winter Bermuda shorts were clearly the MVP of this ensemble. Much like Knightley herself, Bermuda shorts are in the midst of an ongoing resurgence. Designers like The Row, Tom Ford, and Celine were early adopters of the trend in Spring 2020. More recently, the style picked up speed at Bottega Veneta's pre-fall 2024 presentation and Chanel's resort 2025 show.
As with so many polarizing runway trends, though, it takes a strong celebrity endorsement to make the look go mainstream. Only a couple of days before Knightley, Katie Holmes made the case for a winter-proof Bermuda shorts trend by layering her blue pair with black tights. Less than a week prior, Rihanna winterized her gray denim Bermuda shorts with cowhide boots. And in November, Charli XCX renewed summer's jorts trend revival her way, in slouchy black boots and a faux fur coat.
Taking cues from Charli XCX and RiRi's styling of the trend, Knightley wore her velvet shorts with burgundy fold-over boots that mimicked the effect of thigh-high styles. Both in color and silhouette, the finished look was decidedly Pirates of the Caribbean-coded—a possible reference to Knightley's breakout role in the blockbuster film franchise.
In lieu of a parrot or an eye patch, Knightley accessorized her outfit with a Chanel black quilted bubble flap bag—a small but wise deviation from Chloé's full-look policy.
It was a swashbuckling ensemble that honored both Knightley's past and present career triumphs. I'd definitely walk the plank for her burgundy buccaneer boots and Bermuda short outfit combo, if I weren't so invested in sticking around for Black Doves season 2. Arrgh!