Coco Chanel famously said: “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.” And when it comes to A-list date nights, it seems the best accessory a woman can leave behind is her own boyfriend.
This is the reality of a swag gap relationship: where one partner’s style and level of effort far eclipses the other’s. The latest example of such a pairing? Brad Pitt and his girlfriend Ines De Ramon, who rocked up to the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles yesterday looking like they were attending two very different events.
The actual event? A movie premiere. More specifically, the premiere of Jay Kelly, a new film starring Pitt’s close friend George Clooney.
Ines de Ramon, a 32-year-old jewellery executive, arrived wearing a knitted, halter-style dress with a quilted Chanel crossbody bag and — as you might expect — some exquisite jewellery, with a small crystal bird draped around her neck.
Meanwhile Pitt, 61, decided to mark the occasion by wearing a slime green hoodie (missing the drawstring, we note) with tie-dye-style jeans in a matching hue. Interesting.
If this kind of male-female dress sense dichotomy feels familiar, it’s probably because you’re thinking of another prominent swag gap relationship: that of Hailey and Justin Bieber.
Originators of the swap gap relationship, the Biebers often step out for the same occasion wearing wildly different outfits, with Hailey dressed to the nines and Justin rarely breaching a three.
Unlikely lovebirds Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet also often skate the edge of the swag gap, with Jenner going full Kardashian glam for nearly every event while Chalamet tends towards the more baggy and zany.
There is a common thread here: Brad Pitt recently enlisted the help of Timothée Chalamet’s stylist, Taylor McNeill, resulting in a smattering of noticeably youthful, off-the-wall outfits from the Ocean’s 11 star, including one recent look, straight from the Willy Chavarria runway, which featured a velvet blazer and wide leg blue jeans. Or the time when he paired a silk vintage Taverniti shirt with velvet pants by Magliano. Bold!
Or there’s another explanation. Pitt is the co-owner of a fashion brand, God’s True Cashmere, which specialises in ultra-soft, eye-wateringly expensive basics, including shirts that cost £1,585 and cardigans that cost £3,100.
As such, Pitt has become a champion of comfycore, eschewing traditional dress codes in favour of what often look like PJs. Bieber is much the same, and his strange fondness for wearing hotel slippers out onto the streets of New York is well documented. The pop star has also turned his preference for comfort into a side hustle, crafting sliders for his new brand Skylrk.
Their partners, meanwhile, have made a living from looking perfectly put together at all times — whether that be thanks to beauty products or delicate jewellery. And thus, the swag gap is born. Luckily for everyone involved, it doesn’t seem to be bothering them even in the slightest.
