The 'Our Town' star breaks down her strategy for staying warm while looking chic at Ann Taylor's flagship opening celebration.
Last week, actress and street style extraordinaire Katie Holmes stopped by Ann Taylor’s new Fifth Avenue flagship store in New York City to celebrate its opening. “I’ve always been a fan of Ann Taylor and I love that it’s a place for the career woman and there’s so many different looks and staple pieces that make life easier in the morning to get out the door,” says Holmes, who starred in the brand’s 2011 campaign. “I feel like the designs really acknowledge all the different aspects of a woman, so it’s at the office, but also the Christmas office party, and it’s for all different ages. It’s a place where you go and you know you’ll find what you need—it feels very empowering to women.”
For the event, the actress wore Ann Taylor’s Velvet Jayne Trouser Pant, mauve Relaxed Double-Breasted Blazer, and Striped Pocket Tunic Shirt—an outfit that nods to her secret for cold-weather dressing: layers, layers, layers. “In the winter months [my outfit formula] is usually based on more, and the double layer,” she explains with a laugh. “So for now, it’s a lot of pants that I can put yoga pants underneath and cozy sweaters and just try to have some sort of balance to it. ” She gives credit to her stylist for her enviable style. “My stylist Brie Welch is really good, so I really give her all of the props. I follow what she wears and I’m inspired by her.”
Cold weather does have its perks, however: it signals the holiday season, a time that Holmes, who currently stars in the Broadway revival of Our Town, looks forward to. "I love being in New York and and actually it's really exciting to be in a Broadway show during the holidays," she says, smiling. "To experience different audiences and people traveling to come into the city—there's just an excitement to them, so I'm really looking forward to that. We had some great audiences around Thanksgiving and to share the holidays with strangers is wonderful. Christmas in New York really is always magical, isn't it? I love it."