CNN
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Coordinated celebrity couple looks are a tale as old as time. From Victoria and David Beckham’s memorable matching leather ensembles in 1999 to Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake’s iconic double denim attire in 2001, numerous stars have synchronized their wardrobes to express their relationship status.
The latest couple to embrace the matchy-matchy trend is actress and singer Selena Gomez and record producer Benny Blanco. Newly engaged and fresh from releasing a new album, “I Said I Love You First”, marking their first project as a couple, the pop music duo was spotted in coordinated western outfits as they arrived at Madison Square Garden in New York to watch the Knicks vs. Celtics basketball game on Tuesday.
Gomez and Blanco looked like a mirror image of each other as they wore matching camel-colored, calf-skimming coats and low-heeled cowboy-style boots. But they also added individual touches to their looks: Gomez opted for classic pieces including blue jeans and a black handbag, while Blanco ditched his typical rainbow colors for a pair of cow-print pants and a striped baby blue and white Coors Rodeo work shirt. During the game, the couple sat courtside and posed affectionately for the jumbotron.
The approach to joint dressing was not a departure from the norm for Gomez and Blanco, who first met in 2015 when Blanco co-produced Gomez’s single “Same Old Love.” Last December, they announced their engagement on Instagram, with Gomez showing off her glittering Marquise-cut diamond ring. Since then, the pair have appeared together publicly at several high-profile events, including the 82nd Annual Golden Globes in January, where Gomez wore a pastel blue off-the-shoulder gown alongside Blanco in a harmoniously pale white suit. In February, they appeared on the cover of Interview Magazine, clad in matching pinstripe zoot-suits; Gomez in full-glam makeup and Blanco nestling dotingly onto her shoulder with his usual groomed scruff.
The couple also made a stylish appearance at the 2025 Oscars in March, with Gomez dazzling in a custom Ralph Lauren gown, featuring over 16,000 drops of glass and hand-sewn Rosemont crystals, and Blanco opting for a white suit and diamond brooch instead of a tie. Both exuded an air of old Hollywood glamour, though Blanco later commented on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” that Gomez deserved “a medal of honor” for her glamorous effort. Meanwhile, he joked that he “looked like a slob” in comparison.
While that was far from the case, it appears that Blanco never misses the opportunity to praise Gomez. That’s evident on his TikTok account, which often features him cooking for her, prompting some followers to endearingly joke that his page has become a Gomez fan account.
Is twinning the key to winning?
Matching fashion isn’t limited to celebrity couples. Used to signify compatibility, it’s a trend that has recently taken off on TikTok, where there are thousands of videos of everyday couples showing off coordinated looks.
“Especially when (a couple gets) married, they start to present as one unit,” Jay Yoo, associate professor in the department of human sciences and design at Baylor University in Texas, told CNN over a phone call. “Individual identity is now the negotiated identity.”
Based on his research of married couples, Yoo said merging styles is often the result of a growing identification between partners as well as an effort to convey an alignment of status. For this reason, a lot of attention is paid to how famous couples dress, as fans eagerly look out for potential indicators of the state of their relationships. If dressing alike is interpreted as a sign of solidarity, celebrity couples with mismatched styles are viewed by some observers as being less emotionally connected.
Justin and Hailey Bieber have on multiple occasions appeared dressed for seemingly opposite occasions. For the promotional launch of a new lip gloss for Hailey’s beauty brand Rhode last September, she stepped out in a red strapless mini dress and heels while Justin followed closely behind in gray sweats, crocs and a pink cap.
Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet have also sported starkly different looks since being romantically linked, in 2023. At the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February, Jenner stuck to her sultry style, wearing a black halter-neck dress, while Chalamet wore a lime-green printed shirt with jeans and sneakers. In the same month, the couple attended the Berlin International Film Festival, once again wearing wildly disparate outfits; Jenner in a shimmery black dress with a sweetheart neckline and Chalamet in a cotton candy pink tank top and hoodie.
These appearances have led some fans to speculate on the stars’ compatibility. Yet, while a coordinated aesthetic can be satisfying to the eye, there has also been a well-documented number of separations among A-listers despite their aligned approach to dressing, suggesting that a shared wardrobe might not be the best signifier of a relationship’s success.
Like most things in life, it’s about finding balance, and while there’s no harm in twinning with your significant other, Gomez and Blanco’s love-lassoed look perhaps reveals the key to doing it tastefully: embrace common ground but stay true to your differences.