Anne Hathaway’s Stylist Taught Me How To Be A Coastal City Girl

You don’t need a trip to Turks & Caicos to unleash your hottest summer alter ego. Vacation-ready style is entirely possible in whatever city you call home, without looking like you’re auditioning for The White Lotus. Meet the coastal city girl, the season’s coolest new fashion trend. And I do mean “coolest” in all the ways.

I first encountered the aesthetic when Anne Hathaway stepped out in New York City earlier this month. Her ‘fit — a breezy, ocean blue set with sharp black accents — expertly married beachside energy with cool-girl sensibilities. Naturally, I attempted to recreate the vibe, but unfortunately learned that it’s not exactly easy to pull off when your daily reality involves sprinting for the subway instead of sailing on a yacht.

To figure out how to actually rock the effortless style on dreary city days, I went straight to the source: Hathaway’s stylist, Erin Walsh. During a private styling session at a charming coastal hotel in Charleston, the Art of Intentional Dressing author and TJ Maxx and Marshalls fashion expert walked me through nailing the look using a few pre-selected pieces.

According to the fashion expert, the difference between the Nancy Meyers-inspired original from 2022 and its cooler younger cousin comes down to attitude. While the OG was rooted in rigid quiet luxury, “the sequel to coastal grandma” is fresh and playful: “It’s taking in the DNA of the grandma and playing with it — with a little bit of a reverence.”

First things first: You need to get into the coastal city girl (or CCG) psyche. “With this specific trend, that person feels easy, confident, and relaxed,” Walsh says. “They feel like they’re embodying calm.” To help me get there, she assigned three simple words to describe how I should feel in my outfits: effortless, elegant, and cool.

Now that I had my mantra, I was ready to dive in. Ahead, you’ll find Walsh’s best tips on how to channel the warm-weather style and how I unearthed my own coastal city girl flair.

Tip No. 1: Fine-Tune Your Color Palette (With A Texture Twist)

Transport yourself to any idyllic vacation and you’ll instantly visualize sandy creams, ocean blues, seafoam greens, and sunset oranges. Walsh’s hack? Monochrome. "Whether that’s taupes, earth tones, or greens, it’s more about establishing a consistent color palette,” she says. Just don’t forget the golden rule: Texture play is crucial. Incorporate several finishes to keep a single-color 'fit from looking flat.

To bring this to life, Walsh kept me in creams with touches of peach and red, styling me in an off-white cowl-neck mini with a whimsical cherry print. While it's easy to veer into boring minimalist territory when channeling coastal looks, Walsh notes that summer calls for fun experimentation.

Since the dress leaned perfect for lunch-on-the-island vibes, Walsh paired it with sharp red sunglasses and a matching crossbody bag for a bit of city-girl edge.

Tip No. 2: Dive Into Little Mermaid-Core

The easiest way to get into the coastal frame of mind? Embracing all things aquatic. From mermaidcore to sardine girl summer, TikTok has no shortage of ocean-inspired microtrends for inspo. So we leaned into some of them for my second look.

To test the waters, Walsh had me try a pair of fish earrings. “If there’s something that you want to experiment on, try it and see if it works for you,” she says. “There’s going to be some variations of fish that make you feel absolutely ridiculous and some that make you feel super cute.”

Other ocean-adjacent pieces like shells and puka also get her approval, provided you take everything in moderation. “With a holographic or mermaid dress, that’s really pretty for an evening cocktail outside, but if I was doing that, I probably wouldn’t be doing all my shells,” she says.

I ended up wearing gold-and-shell fish earrings with a textured prairie-esque dress. For the finishing touch, Walsh handed me a crochet, fishnet-inspired bag, a summer must. “Fishnet bags work with everything,” she tells me, adding that lightweight straw or woven options always feel cool without being too precious.

We paired the 'fit with white strappy sandal s— a practical city-girl shoe — before switching out the bag later that night for a textured woven clutch punctuated with gold orbs.

Tip No. 3: Mind Your Feet

The key to grounding a coastal outfit is a practical shoe. “In the city, because you’re going on the subway, your coastal whites can get a little bit dirty," she says. "So I love an all-white look with a black shoe or something that’s more grounding and practical.”

Alongside sneakers and chunky platforms, Walsh loves a chunky espadrille paired with a Breton striped shirt and shorts. “There’s the whole Carrie Bradshaw of it — if you wear your stripe set with super high heels, you risk looking costume-y,” she says. “But a chunky espadrille always looks good with a short set. It offers you some gravitas without looking like you’re playing a part.”

Tip No. 4: Wear A Matching Set

Just like Hathaway’s blue co-ords, a matching set is a must for this coastal girlie. “She needs a set, whether that’s shorts or pants,” Walsh says. Bonus points if it’s linen. The vacation-coded fabric effortlessly bridges the gap between city streets and a sandy beach.

“You can even wear the set on the plane," Walsh adds. "I’m very, very big on sets. They’re quite functional.” Did you just fly in fresh from the Amalfi Coast? Are you escaping to the Hamptons? Or are you just exceptionally chic? The beauty lies entirely in the mystery — and that jet-set enigma is part of the charm.

The Celebs Leading The Tidal Wave

Hathaway isn’t the only one bringing beachside ease to the pavement. Taylor Swift has been low-key embodying the ethos, recently spotted carrying a woven bag in New York and attending a wedding in a mermaid-print dress. Her friend Zoë Kravitz similarly paired a summer tote with an undone suit, perfectly nailing her signature cool-girl DNA.

It’s not just a street style or TikTok-approved phase either. Ralph Lauren practically guaranteed a coastal glam summer with an array of cabana stripes, deeply brimmed straw hats, and silver shell pendants during the label’s Spring 2026 show.

Shop The Accessories

Ready to become coastal city cousins? I compiled the best add-ons based on Walsh’s expert rules to help you get the exact look — absolutely no travel required.