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Holland Taylor knows how to wear a suit; it’s her go-to red carpet look, and she always pulls it off looking like the richest bitch in town who will f–k you up if you cross her while you thank her for the privilege of that experience after. Is it a sort of uniform that she keeps to mainly neutral colors? Sure, but the effect is both elegant and effortless. Case in point: last weekend at the Emmys when Holland posed for cameras alongside her partner Sarah Paulson. Holland was decked out in a creamy white suit with a tapered pant leg, which served as a nice complement to Sarah’s Mondrian-esque Prada gown. And for a bit of oomph, Holland accessorized the lapels of her jacket with matching brooches. Only, they weren’t “brooches” but clips, handed down to Holland from her mother. Just how do we know this backstory? Because some whippersnapper online fashion critic bemoaned Holland wearing matching brooches on each lapel. So naturally, Holland had to school this young upstart on the facts:
Sometimes fashion critics and the celebrities whose red carpet looks they opine on don’t get along. But Nicky Campbell and Holland Taylor are proving otherwise.
Nicky has cultivated a notable following on TikTok and Instagram, where he’s known for sharing his thoughts about celebrities’ looks on the red carpet and other events. On Monday, he posted a video commenting on Emmys outfits, including the one Holland Taylor wore. Holland was a nominee that evening for her work on The Morning Show.
“I really don’t like when people have brooches on both sides of the lapel. Keep it asymmetrical,” Nicky said.
This prompted Holland to comment on his Instagram post and clarify she wasn’t actually wearing brooches.
“I generally am right with you on your takes,” Holland wrote and even said she agrees with Nicky about not wearing two brooches at once. She then noted she was wearing clips. “Clips — which is what I wore on my suit, are usually worn as a pair, at either side of a wide neckline of a gown, or a boat neck, or on strong lapels,” Holland, who attended the awards show alongside her partner Sarah Paulson, said.
“Mine are paste pieces, bought by my mother, barely twenty — an insane extravagance, at about $37-$800 in today’s money. Some paste is astonishingly good,” she continued. As People noted, “paste” is a term for jewelry made of flint glass that is intended to appear as gemstones.
Nicky replied to Holland, offering his approval upon learning she wore clips. “Ooooh they were clips! I now APPROVE and thank you for this story — so cool! ♥️,” he wrote.
He also posted several Instagram stories about Holland’s comment, saying in one, “eating my words!” and joking in another that she ate him up in the comments section. Finally, he re-shared the first line of Holland’s comment about generally agreeing with his takes and said, “All I needed to hear tbh.”
Execution: flawless. Holland placates Nicky at the start with the line that she usually agrees with his takes (does she really follow him, lol?!?), before commencing the sartorial, historical smackdown. Take notes, bitches! I also love that Holland brings back a vintage term — “paste” — when discussing her vintage jewelry. (And yes, there is glorious vintage costume jewelry out there, it doesn’t all have to be real!) I’ll be honest, I don’t entirely understand how the pins are acceptable when called “clips” but not when called “brooches,” when, you know… we’re still talking about the same pieces affixed in the same spot. Or maybe Nicky realized the best way to respond was enthusiastically, after being called out/acknowledged by a legend. Furthermore, I say wear the jewelry wherever the hell you want, fashion rules be damned! But the important takeaway here is that Holland is watching, so no flippant critiques, children. She came, she commented, she corrected. And in the end, yes, this kid thanked her for the honor of being publicly schooled. Another boss play by Holland Taylor.
“Another boss play by Holland Taylor.”, yes indeed. A clapback with no pettiness.THE Holland Taylor HAS class! I love her!
Clips like this pair can often be joined together on a small frame and then worn as a brooch (though this pair is already on the large side).
My grandmother had a box of clips like these for accessorizing shoes – you would buy quality leather pumps then put these on.
I once ran into Holland Taylor walking her dog way up near the Hollywood sign (I hiked, she probably just came out of her backyard) and she was in sweats with no makeup. She still looked like a magnificent queen because that’s just how she holds herself.
She was definitely one of my favorite looks of the night.
I love the backstory of her mother’s”extravagant” treat to herself. She clearly had elegant tastes, carried herself like a queen, and taught her daughter well. That story alone made the clips a more interesting, personal fashion statement than the rented jewels we always see on the red carpet.
Art Deco clips are supposed to be worn in pairs at the neckline of a garment. I love how both men and women have been wearing them on jacket lapels recently. It looks awesome.
And this is not exactly secret knowledge. If your job is self-styled fashion commentator, maybe do a little homework before opining on vintage fashion. But sounds like he owned the mea culpa pretty gracefully.
My mother had faux gemstone clips that she wore on black heels to give them a sparkly evening look.
Oh yes I remember those! I got a pair that had been my grandmother’s and used them on some flats when I was in high school. I was very into vintage but this was before that was mainstream, so everyone made fun of them. I wish I’d had Holland Taylor’s confident comeback then. Or just her confidence. Or queenliness.
I love her, the story behind the pieces, and that she calmly but confidently knocked back his criticism.
LOL! I love it. Eloquently putting them in their place with a smile on her face. You don’t mess with the Holland.
I love Holland’s style. She and her look were one of my favorites in the red carpet. Search “dress clips” for more information on the history of clips and how to wear them today.
Vintage fashion fan here! Clips aren’t like brooches or pins in that they can only sit at the edges of garments. Women wore them as a decorative way to pin their undergarment straps so, heaven forbid, your slip or bra strap showed. 1920’s thru 1940’s
Women always wore slips under dresses and skirts. There were even slips with an extra panel running down center front and back to make sure the legs would not be seen in bright light. 1940’s thru 1960’s
Women had fun clips, worn on purse straps, that they could attach their gloves to. 1940s and 50s
And also interesting are the later sweater guards, worn to hold a sweater closed. Those have clips on both ends with chains and decorative elements between. 1950s 60s
Fun stuff!
I had a sweater guard chain in grade school! 1960s. It was a gift, I really never used it; I saw it as something akin to my teacher’s having that chain thingy attached to her glasses–i.e., not something for a kid.
Very obviously clips!! I don’t know Nicky, but he clearly doesn’t have a firm grasp on historical fashion!
Loved her response. That being said, I’ve been following Nicky for a while and I’m actually a pretty big fan of what he does. He’s witty and funny and he actually knows quite a lot about fashion (in fact I think he works on it outside social media). I’ve noticed he has several celebrity followers who comment regularly on his videos. Clapback aside, I’m sure he genuinely appreciated her response.
I recognized them as vintage clips right away! I love them even more hearing that they are family hand-me-downs. So cool!
I have to admit I was taken aback when it came out that Sarah Paulson was dating Holland Taylor but she’s very cool and she looks amazing at 81. She’s a gorgeous human being and she handled that schooling about her lapel clips with elegance and no intimidation. I really hope she does more sharing and commenting on social media – she’s knowledgable and charismatic and we need more fabulous diversity!!!