They say couples who share the same interests stay together.
For some of Hollywood’s most stylish pairs, that goes for getting dressed together.
Zendaya and Tom Holland were spotted together at last month's Emmys, adding another polished appearance to the power duo’s increasingly impressive red-carpet run.
And while they may not always arrive in matching looks, they have developed an easy sartorial chemistry that suggests dressing well together is less about wearing the same thing and more about knowing how to complement each other.
It is a distinction worth making because matchy-matchy dressing has long been treated as something of a relationship barometer.
When couples dress alike, their outfits can become fodder for speculation about how the relationship is going.
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A story by The New York Times last year looked at this very phenomenon, noting how coordinated red-carpet looks have been interpreted as everything from a romantic statement to an attempt to project relationship stability.
Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner, who wore matching bright orange outfits to a film premiere, were scrutinised in that piece.
History is full of other examples. Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake’s all-denim ensemble at the 2001 American Music Awards became one of pop culture’s most enduring examples of couple dressing.
The pair broke up a little over a year later, giving the tabloids plenty of material for retrospective analysis.
But matching clothes are not necessarily the point.
Zendaya, for instance, has become one of the most closely watched celebrities on the red carpet, with stylist Law Roach helping turn her appearances into carefully considered fashion moments.
Holland’s style is more understated, but his increasingly confident tailoring and willingness to engage with fashion make the pair an interesting study in how one partner’s sartorial confidence can potentially influence the other.
Chalamet and Jenner offer a more deliberately fashion-forward example, apart from that particularly memorable orange twinning.
He leans into unconventional tailoring, while she moves between vintage references, sculptural gowns and body-conscious silhouettes. When they coordinate, it feels intentional rather than obligatory.
Then there are David and Victoria Beckham, who have had decades to refine the art.
Their early matching looks, from coordinated leather to head-to-toe colour, have become part of fashion folklore.
These days, however, their approach is considerably more subtle.
David’s sharp tailoring and Victoria’s sleek, often minimalist dressing tend to share a muted palette and polished sensibility, creating a visual connection without making them look as though they walked out of the house in matching outfits.
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco take a looser approach.
Gomez tends towards polished Hollywood glamour, while Blanco is more relaxed and occasionally eccentric.
Their differences are part of the broad appeal, with their looks connected by formality, colour or simply the specific mood of the occasion.
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Emily Blunt and John Krasinski similarly understand that complementing does not mean competing.
When Blunt wears an elaborate gown, Krasinski generally keeps his look refined and restrained. The balance allows both outfits to register without turning the red carpet into a contest.
Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas, meanwhile, are more comfortable embracing glamour as a shared language.
Their appearances can move between sharply tailored Western dressing and Indian fashion, with colour, texture and occasion providing the connective thread.
Maybe that is the real trick to dressing well as a couple – match the mood, not necessarily the clothes.
Too much coordination can make two people look as though they have been styled by the same mood board.
Too little can make them look as though they arrived at entirely different events.
The sweet spot is somewhere in between.
Think two individual wardrobes, one shared visual rhythm – and occasionally, one exceptionally stylish partner bringing the other along for the ride.
Celebrity couples who know how to dress together
Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas embrace glamour as a shared language. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
Zendaya’s red-carpet influence appears to be rubbing off on Tom Holland, who has stepped up his tailoring and sartorial game alongside her. Photo: AP
Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner embrace matching bright orange looks for a take on couple dressing. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
Victoria and David Beckham have gone from famously matching looks to building their own fashion brands. Photo: AFP
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco take different approaches to dressing, but their contrasting styles often come together naturally on the red carpet. Photo: Getty Images via AFP)
Emily Blunt and John Krasinski strike a balance between glamour and restraint, complementing each other without looking overly coordinated. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
