Style Icon: Eva Chen — Elegance with Ease

If you’ve seen the newest episode of HBO Max’s Gossip Girl, then you know that said episode features a party with the theme “New York legends.”

Of course, two girls go as Serena and Blair, whose style I love (especially Blair’s), but what about icons that are actually real people living right now? It didn’t dawn on me how much I focus on the fashions of the past until I saw Yin Chang revise her role as Nelly Yuki at the Halloween Party. And, Nelly was dressed as one of my favorite modern muses: Eva Chen.

I’m a bit disappointed in myself that it took an episode of Gossip Girl to be reminded that there are many women in the present who have great style. However, better late than never, right?

Anyway, for those of you who are not familiar with Eva Chen, she is the director of fashion partnerships at Instagram. Prior to that, she was Editor-in-Chief of Lucky. She is also a children’s book author.

One of the things I love most about Chen’s style is her ability to take classic pieces and make them a bit more modern. In fact, my favorite outfit combo of her’s is a classic Chanel jacket and jeans.

Aside from her fabulous sense of style, Chen brings warmth to an industry that is known for being ice cold. Her positivity and sense of humor on Instagram always brings me joy.

With all that said, below are my favorite looks from Eva Chen’s Instagram account. Hopefully you’ll find as much inspiration as I do!

This outfit is absolutely darling! The Chanel jacket, the leather skirt, the strappy low-heels, and a little bow to top it all off. Like I mentioned before, Chen is the queen of taking classic pieces and adding her own personal and modern spin on them. This outfit is no exception.

This mini-shirt and sweater/top combo is incredible! I love how Chen takes something that is really vibrant (the skirt) and scales it back with a neutral top. However, what really makes this outfit amazing are the bows she has on each wrist. I’m not sure if they are connected to the sweater, but regardless, they are genius! They bring in the red and gold from the skirt to tie the whole outfit together. As a finishing touch, she added Mary Jane flats.

Since Chen is fashion royalty, she is a staple guest at the Met Gala. For 2019’s theme “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” she wore a stunning feathered dress that featured an enormous pink bow — over-the-top (on theme), but still incredibly chic.

This picture makes me want to purchase a monogrammed white button-down immediately! I can not get over how incredibly chic this whole outfit is. From the crisp white top to the two tone Chanel heels, it’s just amazing. This outfit also reminds me that one can easily swap out jeans for black trousers if you are looking for something different or a little more formal.

If you know me, than you know that I love neutrals! However, I usually stick with tan and black. This photo has inspired me to go out and buy more brown pieces. I just love how Chen wears the brown leather suit so elegantly, and then drapes a carmel-hued knit sweater over her shoulders to top it all off. It’s chic with a preppy touch — which makes for one incredible outfit!

We are keeping it in the same tones again with another fabulous outfit of Chen’s. It’s hard to pull off suede, but Chen does it seamlessly in this trench-style dress/jacket. It reminds me of an early Halston, especially since it is made out of a material that is similar to his ultrasuede. For shoes, Chen is wearing a perfect pair of alligator boots. These boots go with anything, but they go especially well with this dress. Once again, Chen proves that mixing neutrals is an easy way to be instantly chic.

One of my favorite pieces of all time is a classic blue blazer with gold buttons. Chen is wearing an amazing one that has an incredible cut (slims the waist and flares out a bit at the bottom). She paired it with her staple jewelry and a pair of jeans to create an easy, yet very stylish look.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope that you love Eva Chen’s style as much as I do.

Until next time,

Jenna