Everyone wants to dress like 2008 Ashley Tisdale these days—Timothée Chalamet and his little scarves chief among them. But not everyone can elevate one of Tisdale’s go-to aughts silhouettes, the dress over pants look, with the elegance that Jodie Turner-Smith did last night.
Turner-Smith stepped out to the launch of David Beckham’s Boss One bodywear collection in London. There, the actress presented her twist on the Y2K dress over pants trend, layering an off-the-shoulder sheath dress on top of chocolate brown trousers. The actress complimented her sleek look with a selection of cocktail rings and bracelets in gold and silver.
Her wise choice to nix prints all together in favor of classic brown and black brought things into the trends of today, not those of the past. The actress’s beauty choices—glowy skin and a tousled bob hairdo—were the perfect finishing touches.
For many, the phrase dress over pants instantly brings to mind the questionable fashion choices of stars like Tisdale, Miley Cyrus, and Anne Hathaway back in the mid-2000s. They wore mainly faded skinny or bell bottoms and some sort of halter dress with a loud print thrown over the top. Perhaps they added on a pendant necklace and heels to finish off the look.
But what differentiates those outfits from that of Turner Smith (among many things) boils down to styling choices. The silhouettes of Turner-Smith’s pieces certainly helped things. It was almost as if the actress’s pants, which featured a high-waist and wide-leg cuffs, were a skirt or an additional portion of her dress. It helped alleviate the jarring nature of seeing someone wearing a trend that was popular nearly 20 years ago.
Turner-Smith has no problem taking some big risks when it comes to her fashion, so don’t be shocked if she decides to wear a 2005 version of the dress over pants look. But last night’s version was peak 2025 glamour.
