Are Celebrities' Denim Outfits the Knicks' Newest NBA Finals Good Luck Charms?
Taylor Swift, Rihanna, and more traded merch for jeans.
The straight-leg jeans I wore to watch the Knicks defeat the Spurs on June 10 belonged on celebrity row. Denim was Game 4's unofficial dress code, but that's not to say my favorite fashion girls all looked identical. Almost every style slam dunk put another summer denim trend on the jumbotron.
Jeans at a basketball game? Not exactly groundbreaking, I know. There might've been as many jeans as Knicks T-shirts inside Madison Square Garden last night—and for good reason. VIPs didn't think once about adjusting their easy-breezy bottoms. Every last ounce of energy went toward cheering on the Knicks' record-breaking win.
Taylor Swift had no issues screaming, jumping, and storming the Garden's court in the black jeans trend. (The same wouldn't have been said of a little white dress or mini skirt.) She sourced Area—the New York-based brand behind her winning 2024 Super Bowl jeans—for a high-rise, straight-leg pair.
Taylor Swift and the Haim sisters were spotted after the Knicks vs. Spurs Game 4, dressed in mostly denim.
Horizontal slits across each thigh made the sold-out style even more seasonal. Swift's cheeky "Stevie Knicks" baby tee, a quilted crossbody bag from Dior, and Versace sandals gave her black jeans trend the Knicks treatment. Earlier this season, Margot Robbie wore her dark-wash denim with Chanel, while Blake Lively's pair dressed down the ultimate summer trench.
Swift's courtside companion, Este Haim, chose jeans with cut-outs, too. She earned extra points for tracking down a rare Maison Margiela pair, decorated with duct tape from hip-to-hem.
Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet were just a few seats away from Swift, wearing twice as much denim. Chrome Hearts (the power couple's favorite L.A. label for Knicks games) provided custom Knicks-coded outfits. Jenner, for one, continued her tank top tradition in the cuffed jeans trend. She's the latest It girl to roll up her hems over her heels, following Anya Taylor-Joy, Jenna Ortega, and Rihanna.
Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet continued their denim streak at Game 4.
The brand's leading house code (gothic crosses) turned orange and cobalt blue atop her denim. This color combination continued on her matching jean jacket, too. Chrome Hearts recreated Jenner's Canadian tuxedo for Chalamet, except in slightly baggier silhouettes.
Even beyond the confines of MSG, celebrities celebrated the Knicks' win in denim, their new mascot. Rihanna didn't join her boyfriend, A$AP Rocky, in the front row, but she took part in the post-game festivities. Paparazzi spotted the Grammy winner in indigo denim from collar-to-calf.
Her buttoned jean jacket and capri pants were shade-matched to perfection. The cropped bottoms clung to her figure, much like Bella Hadid and Selena Gomez's takes on the trend. RiRi didn't style a single splash of blue or orange—not even in the accessory department. Instead, she revived her affinity for bag duos with a strawberry-red Fendi Baguette and a black leather tote.
Rihanna reunited with A$AP Rocky after the game, wearing denim capris.
Meanwhile, Tate McRae snuck out of her MSG suite in the white jeans trend. The 22-year-old stayed true to bootcut denim with a subtle flare. The low-rise jeans could've been on loan from Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, or Sarah Pidgeon's summer closets. But she had something her fellow fashion girls didn't: a Knicks-branded T-shirt and Loewe's Large Amazona Bag, both in cobalt blue.
Tate McRae made a swift exit, but her white jeans stood out on the street.
Jenner is the only It girl on this list with season tickets to the Knicks' NBA Finals run. Every time she's worn jeans while courtside, her boyfriend's hometown team won. I don't think that's a coincidence.
In reality, it's unclear if the summer staple has any effect on the results of each Finals game. Wearing denim is one way to support the Knicks, whether you're watching from the front row, or the comfort of your couch. It's worth mentioning Jenner—and her favorite denim trend—was noticeably absent from Game 3 on June 8. Then, the Knicks' 13-game winning streak ended. That can't happen again.
