Even when thousands of miles apart, Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts appeared to be on the same fashion wave length on Thursday. Chalk it up to their years-long friendship, or even, that Aussie bond. Whatever it came down to, it was a style masterclass that only the two actresses could put on.
Kidman, back in her native Australia, was speaking at a session during the SXSW Sydney festival. The star hit the stage in a two-toned, black and white take on the power suit look. Instead of traditionally tailored bottoms, she went with white casual pants that she cuffed to reveal her leather sling back heels. The true focus of Kidman’s look was her strong-shouldered, peak lapel blazer though.
The piece was designed in a supple satin fabric and featured a wide collar as well as exaggerated padded shoulders. While embellishments were kept to a minimum, the jacket evoked images of Yves Saint Laurent’s “Le Smoking”—the French house’s groundbreaking 1960s design that fashioned a menswear-style tuxedo jacket into something fit for women. And while Kidman’s look wasn’t fully a power suit, it certainly did not skimp out on the power silhouette.
A few oceans away, in Downtown New York City, Watts hit the streets in the sister version of Kidman’s look. Instead of pants, the 55-year-old went with a white knit set consisting of a longline maxi skirt, fashioned with a slit at the back, and a coordinating turtleneck.
Watts must have been feeling some sort of Kidman telekinesis when she was getting dressed in the morning as the rest of her look followed an extremely similar trajectory. Like the Aussie, she went with black leather footwear—though her pair came in boot from and had gold accents on the heel and side.
Watts also opted for a power blazer in a off-black, navy color. The actress’ was slightly longer than her counterpart’s and came in a pinstripe fabric. The lapels too were less prominent than Kidman’s but still added some oomph to her matching set.
While Kidman and Watts met earlier on in their careers while filming Flirting in 1991, they’ve yet to grace the silver screen together since. Maybe trans-continental outfit coordination is how they keep their friendship so strong.