The One-Button Cardigan Style Hack All Your Favorite Celebs Are Doing

Before you condemn your chunky knits and cozy cardigans to a seasonal stay in storage, think about how you might style them for summer. There’s the classic option to throw a sweater over your shoulders in case you encounter a cold blast of air conditioning. Or, on surprisingly chilly summer evenings, you could button your cardigan all the way up for a lightweight, makeshift coat. However, on those sartorial occasions, your sweater serves only as an as-needed thermal layer. To make your cardigan the hero piece in your outfit, try the one-button cardigan style hack as seen on Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, and Rihanna.

The nifty trick that celebrities are loving is unbelievably simple: all you need to do is just button up one button while leaving the rest as they are. By only buttoning once, you’re given the opportunity to show off what’s underneath your cardigan — whether that’s your midriff or a basic T-shirt. To get the celeb-approved outfit, focus on fastening just the top button and pairing it with statement-making bottoms, like Hadid’s go-to EB Denim jeans or Lipa’s bold and graffiti-inspired skirt. Or, lean into a throwback vibe like Jennifer Aniston’s look circa 1995 and style a bra top underneath a mesh cardi.

Scroll on to view exactly how your favorite celebrities wear this look and shop similar items to recreate their outfits.

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Bella Hadid

For a more modest take on the sometimes sultry style hack, wear a white baby tee underneath your cardigan à la Bella Hadid. The supermodel leaned into the gray shade of her cardigan and opted for dark pinstripe trousers (the tailored look is becoming a signature for Hadid) and an eclectic coat in a similarly neutral color palette. While Hadid’s outfit is certainly fall-approved, her idea to wear a T-shirt underneath her sweater is easily adaptable for the warmer seasons and you can go without the cover-up.

Rihanna

Of course RiRi, the reigning street style queen, is a master of the nifty one-button hack. Here, she paired her lengthy crimson Bottega Veneta cardigan with a fur coat in a coordinating red hue for a playful matchy-matchy moment. With her ruby sweater and coat, Rihanna wore high-waisted jeans, white wrap-up pumps, and a navy baseball cap, which completed her luxe-meets-casual ensemble.

Jennifer Aniston

A testament to just how timeless the one-button cardigan hack is, Aniston wore the look back in 1995. The ‘90s vibes are very strong here: her eye makeup was especially frosty while ‘The Rachel’ haircut was in its prime during this era. Luckily, throwback styles are currently in the midst of a major revival for 2021 so her outfit is still on trend. To recreate the look now, try Tularosa’s mesh knit cardigan and style a dark bralette underneath to achieve the subtle peek-a-boo effect. Finish with a statement necklace like Sweaty Pigeon’s vintage piece, and you’re good to go.

Gigi Hadid

The supermodel wore a pair of two-tone jeans from celeb-beloved label EB Denim and a pistachio knit beanie. For the pièce de résistance of the look: her slouchy cardigan from Profound featured only one closed button, which gave a laid back and cheeky twist to the otherwise standard ensemble. Not only did Hadid's styling choice offer a fresh take on this winter piece, but in leaving the rest of the cardigan to hang open, it revealed a hint of skin that added a flirty edge to her look.

Dua Lipa

Back in March 2021, Lipa shared an Instagram that confirmed her buttoning and styling finesse. While lounging on a couch, the singer chose to only button the top closure on her baby blue Versace cashmere cardigan thereby revealing her midriff and creating an almost bralette-like illusion. The pop star completed her effortless look with a kitschy airbrushed skirt from Ashley Williams (a designer who is quickly becoming a favorite of Lipa’s) and a pair of cerulean-colored Puma sneakers.