Katie Holmes love a pair of statement jeans, but she’s getting particularly attached to a specific style for summer 2026. Unfortunately, they’re also one of the trickiest silhouettes to style.
While the wide-leg denim trend is making way for slimmer styles in 2026, most fashion-forward celebs and trendsetters have doubled-down on baggy denim by letting their hems puddle to the ground, as if to viscerally reject any semblance of structure. Holmes, however, is making a very strong case for cropped ankle jeans this summer—and not the ‘90s straight-leg style that are currently recirculating.
For the second time this spring, Holmes was photographed wearing a pair of cropped ankle jeans of the wide-leg variety. During a recent outing in New York, the Dawson’s Creek alum paired a particularly cool pair of these light-wash ankle jeans with an open cardigan and cozy scarf, seemingly leaning into the season’s granny trends. However, she toughened up the oversized look with an unexpected pair of black Mary-Jane ballet flats with silver grommets.
That brings us to Holmes’ fail-safe technique for styling cropped jeans in spring and summer 2026: When it comes to styling wide-leg ankle jeans, all you need is the right pair of Mary-Jane flats. Holmes proved as much while serving completely different vibes on the West Coast.
Late last month, Holmes was photographed in San Diego wearing a pair of two-toned cropped denim with a frayed hem, leaning into the breezy silhouette with an airy white blouse and effortless side-braid. However, instead of pairing the beachy look with thong sandals or basic white sneakers, Holmes opted for a pair of brown suede Franco Sarto Mary-Jane flats and black accessories for a touch of New York sensibility. The Franco Oakes Mary-Janes retail for $130, but are currently on sale for $95.
Ankle jeans are hard enough to style as they tend to shorten the leg, but adding a wide leg silhouette only serves to emphasize those awkward proportions. No matter what city she’s in, Katie Holmes manages to make them work by avoiding structure altogether and keeping everything slightly loose or oversized. Then, she polishes off the look with an elegant ballet flat to pull everything together. Suddenly, it all feels like a no-brainer.
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