Fashion

Kiernan Shipka Shows Us How to Wear a Power Suit

By

Updated on April 11, 2017 @ 09:00AM

Girl of the moment, the looks for now: Kiernan Shipka shows how to freshen up suits with high-impact colors and a dose of teen spirit. Scroll through to see her fashion shoot from the May issue of InStyle, available on newsstands and for digital download.

If you overheard Kiernan Shipka discussing Los Angeles's booming restaurant scene, you'd think she was a food critic. The 17-year-old, whose Instagram account is filled with snaps of artful meals and celebrity chefs, even casually calls Los Angeles Times food writer Jonathan Gold her homey. "I have a borderline-unhealthy obsession with him," she says, laughing.

VIDEO: Kiernan Shipka Shares Her Style Secrets

Shop the look: Stella McCartney jacket, $1,515; farfetch.com for similar style. Stella McCartney shirt, $635. Stella McCartney pants, $650; farfetch.com for similar style. Vita Fede earrings, $490; vitafede.com. Proenza Schouler clutch, $995; barneys.com for similar style.

The rising star, who talks about fashion with equal fervor, cultivated her sophisticated interest while growing up on the set of one of TV's most acclaimed shows ever, Mad Men, alongside her co-stars Jon Hamm and January Jones and the influential costume designer Janie Bryant. "Janie was the first person who told me that style can tell a story. It's not just clothes; it's a message. That was ingrained in my mind and definitely made me want to say, 'What place am I at right now, and what do I want to convey?'" says Shipka, who began filming Mad Men when she was just seven (the series ended in 2015).

Shop the look: Ellery jacket, shirt, and pants; ellery.com. Tory Burch earrings, $198; toryburch.com. Stuart Weitzman boots, $725; stuartweitzman.com.

Beauty beat: Estée Lauder Pure Color Envy Hi-Lustre lipstick in Tender, $32; esteelauder.com.

With two big projects already under her belt this year—the recently released horror film The Blackcoat's Daughter, available by video on demand, and the FX drama Feud: Bette and Joan, in which she portrays legendary screen siren Bette Davis's rebellious teenage daughter, B.D. Hyman—Shipka is cementing her spot as an in-demand actress as well as a red-carpet darling. A fixture during fashion week (who can also tell you where to get the best croissant in Paris), Shipka takes risks and can rock anything from party dresses to pantsuits. She credits Jill Lincoln and Jordan Johnson, her stylists since her early teens, with taking her look to an edgier place. "I'm more experimental now than when I was younger. You should have fun with fashion, because why not? The moment I stopped caring was the moment I felt the most free and stylish."

Shop the look: Gucci jacket and shirt, gucci.com. Vita Fede earring, $240/set; vitafede.com.

Though her day-to-day look exudes West Coast ease—think Madewell denim, an Iro bomber jacket, and Chanel slides—she turns it up for events, wearing trendsetting labels Delpozo, Erdem, and Miu Miu. "I was lucky to form I got to wear something cool. I just have a true love for fashion. If it doesn't excite you—as with anything—then it shows."