Kendall Jenner's Birthday Outfit Is a Cozy Fall Ode to '90s Minimalist Basics
The model celebrated her birthday with an ensemble that combined all her favorite staples.
Kendall Jenner rang in her 29th birthday on Sunday, Nov. 3, with a low-key celebration featuring not one but two birthday cakes. It seemed like the right tone to strike after the chaos of hosting her star-studded annual Halloween party last week. In a glimpse of the intimate evening shared to Instagram the following day, the model looked blissful in a few of her favorite '90s minimalist basics: a black crewneck cardigan with matching black buttons and a simple white T-shirt.
Admittedly, a great fall cardigan like Jenner's can be hard to find. For me, it's all about the weight. I want something sturdy and durable enough to hold its shape for seasons to come, yet soft and thin enough to be deployed in a variety of seasonal layering outfit contexts. Jenner's cozy knit strikes exactly the right balance of form and function. In the glow of her birthday candles, I can't quite make out the exact sweater she's wearing. But you can't go wrong with La Ligne's lightweight cashmere cardigan, which comes in basic black and gray as well as several pastel hues.
The best part of Jenner's birthday ensemble, however, has to be her chunky gold stud earrings. They certainly could be '80s or '90s vintage, but lately, celebrities like Selena Gomez and Bella Hadid can't seem to get enough of Missoma's rippled designs.
The 818 founder's homage to '90s minimalism was a head-to-toe affair. She complemented her outfit with a rich-girl blonde dye job inspired by one of the decade's defining It girls.
“It took me two days to take her this gorgeous shade of golden blonde,” hair colorist Jenna Perry told Vogue after taking Jenner blonde in September during New York Fashion Week. “She is really inspired by the '90s and Caroline Bessette-Kennedy right now."
Jenner's birthday tablescape was a little more 2024 than 1994: She tapped into the coquette bow trend with demure cakes and candles wrapped with ribbons. But there was a nod to spooky season, too, with a wine-red cake emblazoned with the message, "witches don't age."
Don't let the decorative bows fool you. Jenner is still a minimalist through and though. Case in point: Even on her birthday, she still made time to roll up her sleeves and do a little horseback riding in a plain tee and black pants.
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Hanna Lustig is a staff writer at Marie Claire, where she gets to gab every day about the topics she holds most dear: fashion, beauty, and celebrity. Hanna’s editorial journey began with formative internships at Elle and InStyle, where she was lucky enough to work for some of the smartest women in media while she was still in college at the University of Tennessee. Hanna then accepted a digital culture reporting fellowship at Insider, where she helped carve out a new beat dedicated to covering influencers. Those experiences later served her well as a staff writer at Glamour, where she developed a knack for spinning quick turnaround celebrity news and trend reporting into juicy feature stories. Some of her greatest hits include an earnest ode to the no-pants trend, this meticulously reported feature exploring the rise of endoscopic facelifts, this snappy take on the Chanel-designed fantasy of Sofia Richie’s wedding, this tribute to WAGs past and present, and this timeline of Katie Holmes’s life and career as told through her denim collection.
Diane Keaton once hung up on Hanna during an interview, but thankfully that mishap did not derail what has otherwise been a deeply fulfilling career writing for and about women. As one of Marie Claire's resident experts on style and culture, her current coverage ranges from exploring TikTok's contrast makeup theory and the return of the boat shoe trend to interviews with costume designers for hit shows like Nobody Wants This and The Penguin. When she’s not at work, Hanna can probably be found listening to pop music, talking to her dog, and gossiping with her best friends. For more of Hanna’s perfect opinions on pop culture, you can follow her on Instagram and X.
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