Olivia Rodrigo's boho-grunge fall look: shawl, pleats and biker boots
Olivia Rodrigo stepped out in New York City on a suddenly chilly October day and delivered the outfit Vogue is already calling boho-grunge. The singer, on a day off from her Unraveled Tour, ran errands earlier today looking like she had styled an entire fall lookbook.
The pieces did the talking. Rodrigo layered a black off-the-shoulder knit shawl sweater over a striped long-sleeve tee, added a pleated knee-length skirt, and finished with chunky leather biker boots that hit below the knee. On top, a Supervinyl hat — an ode to the Hollywood record store — sealed the laid-back mood.
What makes it work is the friction at the center of the look. The shawl and the swishy pleats read free-spirited and soft, while the heavy below-the-knee boots add grit. It is the sweet-versus-tough balance Rodrigo has long leaned on, swapping between retro babydoll dresses and vintage punk T-shirts. As Allaire puts it, Rodrigo has “always balanced sweet-yet-tough elements in her ensembles.”
Eclectic tastes always make for more interesting end results.
Steal the boho-grunge formula
According to Vogue, fall fashion is now in full effect in New York: the coats, sweaters and boots are officially out of storage, and the sudden chill is the green light. Rodrigo’s version offers a simple styling rule in the middle of it — do not pick a side. The boho half is clearly having a moment, too: Vogue’s own feed notes Amal Clooney “isn’t letting go of boho just yet.”
Allaire’s how-to is direct. “Consider juxtaposing your most prim-and-proper pieces with something a little more disheveled,” he writes — a floaty pleated skirt grounded by a heavy boot, or an off-the-shoulder knit thrown over a slouchy striped layer. That contrast, he adds, is “what makes a true street style star.”
Rodrigo is midway through her tour, which means more day-off outfits are likely on the way as the temperature keeps dropping. If they follow this blueprint, the boho-grunge label should stick around well past October.