Rosie Huntington-Whiteley makes the case for wearing a ‘nice top and jeans’

Remember ‘going out’ tops? The specific breed of top worn with jeans when going ‘out out’? Or on a dinner date with girlfriends? Well, you might have thought the concept got tired along with kitten heels and pashminas but Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is making them modern again.

For the uninitiated, let us take a step back. A ‘going out’ or ‘nice’ top is one that boasts pizzazz. It might be made from luxe material, an unusual pattern or simply have a flouncy sleeve. Back in the Nineties all you needed was a splash of diamante on a blouse for it to be classed as ‘going out’ worthy.

In the midst of Gucci’s maximalist fashion boom, and the flip-side of this eclectic movement which has seen women flock towards Scandi minimalism, we have forgotten about the simple fashion equation of wearing a beautiful top with classic denim.

Enter Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. The Devon-born, LA native was recently spotted leaving Nobu, Malibu, in a cold-shoulder floral Magda Butrym blouse, black slim-cut jeans and Giuseppe Zanotti sandals. The yesterday, Huntington-Whitely was spotted at the airport in blue jeans with a decorative bomber jacket. In both cases, the look is pulled-together, but casual and uncontrived. The thing about the ‘going out’ top, you see, is that it will go with any pair of jeans. The ‘going out’ top does the hard work, and lets the denim tone down the look in a harmonious high-low balance.

Rosie, 29, has been pairing her ‘nice top and jeans’ combos with a pair of minimal sandals, but the outfit would work equally well with a pair of pointy black pumps (heeled or flat) or black heeled boots. Like jeans, shoes come secondary to the top and should not compete for attention.

Just a couple of months ago, the model-cum-lingerie designer sported another ‘nice top and jeans’ combo. (Forgive us for giving it such a basic moniker, but it does what it says on the tin, right?)

Running errands in LA again, Rosie wore a cream blouse and leather skinny jeans. A black blazer balanced neatly on her shoulders, while chain-embellished accessories added a point of interest. The result was an elegant look which you can make work whether you're going to Nobu with Jason Statham or to your local Slug and Lettuce for a catch-up with the girls.

The simple nice top + jeans formula is also brilliant adapatable to your personal style. Skinnies can be swapped for flared denim or this season’s cropped flare jeans. Floral fans will count a catalogue of posy-printed blouses as their go-to ‘nice tops’, while others will covet Equipment’s luxe silk shirts and leather jeans, à la Kate Moss.

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