Keke Palmer Refreshes Her White Button-Down Shirt With a Taylor Swift-Approved Trend
The early-aughts essential is back and more polished than ever.
Spring 2026 belongs to the humble white button-down. Now that enough celebrities have sampled the menswear staple, It girls are widening their shirting horizons to subtle sub-genres, like peplum button-downs. Days after Taylor Swift endorsed the unconventional silhouette in a minimalist outfit, Keke Palmer styled it with the capri pants trend on May 18.
Palmer hosted the third annual Women's Health Lab in New York City, dressed in the part-professional, part-feminine long-sleeve. It's unclear where stylist Molly Dickson found the stark-white shirt, but its corset foundation felt so aligned with Palmer's personal style. A matching fishnet overlay transformed the bustier into a fit-and-flare, peplum button-down. Then, Palmer's Oxford turned opaque again atop elongated cuffs and a sharp collar.
Keke Palmer posed at a Women's Health event in the white peplum button-down.
Palmer's sculptural peplum added volume to her skintight capri pants. She chose a classic black pair fresh from Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, or Hailey Bieber's spring wardrobe racks. Heeled flip-flops would've been the obvious, Bieber-coded counterpart, so Palmer switched it up with the peep-toe pumps trend. The Nope actor flaunted her perfect pedicure beneath patent leather vamps, much like Katie Holmes did with stilettos earlier this month.
Appreciate the intricate grid atop Palmer's button-down.
Swift hasn't boarded the capri pants bandwagon yet, at least in this decade. But she did wear an almost-identical button-down in NYC last week. The pop star's Stella McCartney peplum flared out with the exact same volume (and a bit more coverage). Swift cinched her waist with a thin black belt, which exaggerated the voluminous hemline even more.
Much like Palmer, the shirt's bottom buttons doubled as a skirt over her tailored, wide-leg trousers from The Row. To finish, the "Opalite" singer accessorized with peep-toe The Row sandals, Fendi's Peekaboo Bag, her Artifex Fine engagement ring, and called it a day.
Last week, Taylor Swift wore a surprisingly similar button-down with trousers.
It's no surprise VIP fashion girls are giving button-downs the peplum treatment this season. The early-aughts essential dominated Spring 2026 runways from Dries Van Noten, Khaite, Stella McCartney, and more.
Picking a button-down shirt with a peplum hem is an easy way to spice up the déjà vu-inducing style. Pairing it with capri pants like Palmer keeps it even more fresh. Just wait: Another celebrity will find yet another way to reinvigorate the Oxford shirt soon.
Shop the Peplum Button-Down Trend Inspired by Keke Palmer
