Zendaya and Tom Holland have just given the early Christmas gift of another unexpected sighting—and styling tips to go with it. The duo brought their coordinating couples' wardrobe—and their dog, Noon Coleman—on a trip to the Topanga Mall Nordstrom on Dec. 17. There's no way to tell what they picked up on their walk through the fragrance department, but it's suddenly clear from pictures of the pair how to style one of fashion's most controversial boot trends: the Maison Margiela Tabi.
These cleft-toed shoes, available in flats, pumps, and ankle boots like Zendaya's, have been a niche fashion hit since they first debuted at Margiela in 1989. Martin Margiela wanted to bring the ergonomic benefits of the style from Japan, where it originated, to the Western luxury market—and did so with an instantly polarizing leather shoe defined by a big-toe slot. Over the years, the hoof-like shoes ascended from insider-favorite to one of the hottest items on the Lyst Index (a surefire sign of a major trend), leaving some of us to wonder how to possibly style them if we're not a front-row regular.
Enter Zendaya, who both owns the front row at Paris Fashion Week and knows how to style this boot trend in an everyday context—like, say, a last-minute gift run at Nordstrom.
Zendaya paired her $1,420 boots with the simplest of outfit formulas: a white tank top and barrel leg black jeans. She carried what appeared to be a Louis Vuitton bag in one hand and Noon's leash in the other. Swinging a Nordstrom shopping bag by her side, Tom Holland wore a gray polo sweater and black slacks. (Noon Coleman also happened to fit the color story with his glossy black coat.)
Her outfit is the blueprint for making a polarizing, confusing, or downright hard-to-wear boot trend (or flat, or sandal) feel so much more accessible. The minimal palette and simple shapes tie in with her boot's crisp black leather; they bring the overall vibe back down to earth while her shoe silhouette ascends to another fashion plane. From this distance, her Tabis suddenly don't look so controversial after all. It's not clear where exactly she pulled her minimalist basics from at press time—but given the shopping mall of it all, I took the liberty of hunting down similar pieces at Nordstrom.
Dates with Tom Holland tend to bring out Zendaya's more casual side—though she finds ways to work experimental fashion into the mix. While she was filming the upcoming A24 flick The Drama in Boston earlier this month, Z and T would mostly take walks in Reformation sweaters, On sneakers (Zendaya is an ambassador), and classic puffer jackets. But days before that, the actress supported her boyfriend in a custom burgundy Louis Vuitton dress entirely crafted from leather. Holland matched her in a burgundy T-shirt. Over the summer, a Vivienne Westwood dress for Holland's Romeo and Juliet premiere helped Zendaya embrace her Shakespearean side.
In a year filled with well-dressed couples—Taylor and Travis, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, Selena and Benny—Zendaya and Tom Holland rose to the top with their casually coordinating 'fits, plus Z's mastery of unusual shoe trends. (See: Her mesh flats on their Italian vacation.) Now that we know the couple can wear just about anything, I have to ask: What do we think was in their Nordstrom bag?
