It’s late summer in Brooklyn, and two 20-somethings, a woman and a man, have halted at an intersection. The woman squints, processing. The man has a momentarily confused look on his face. The woman proceeds to do that thing that people do when they’re feigning discretion while also trying to get a point across. She holds a hand up to her mouth, palm flattened, and exaggeratedly asks, “Is that Hailey Baldwin?”
Indeed, it is Hailey Baldwin, the new face of Tommy Hilfiger, posing on the sidewalk in the brand’s hip-highlighting briefs. Baldwin, who turns 22 this month, knows something of fame. Her father is the actor Stephen Baldwin, her uncle is Alec, and her mother, Kennya, is the Brazilian-born daughter of a Grammy winning composer. But now Baldwin herself is becoming universally recognized. The starstruck pair on the corner weren’t the only pᴀssersbys who froze.Emporio Armani t-shirt, swimsuit top and bottom, sunglᴀsses, and socks; Hilfiger Collection scarf (in hair); Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello black bandanna (worn as bracelet); Stylist’s own slippers
“Over the past year,” says Baldwin, sitting in the pᴀssenger seat of an RV that has served as her dressing room for the day, “I’ve had more attention on me than I’ve ever had in my life. Even before…” Here she pauses. It is not an insignificant pause. She is taking a moment because the “before” alludes to the time leading up to her engagement to singer-slash-millennial deity Justin Bieber, which occurred in July.Understandably, that news propelled her further into the limelight. And, also understandably, she wants to keep quiet about it. But, as she was saying, her profile was skyrocketing before the ring: She has been hosting (along with the rapper and actor Method Man) TBS’s celebrity rap-battle show, Drop the Mic, since 2017; she was named a global brand ambᴀssador for Tommy Hilfiger this past spring; she has walked coveted runways in recent seasons (including for Dolce & Gabbana and Moschino); and she is тιԍнт with the glitteriest of our epoch’s glitterati—Jenners, Hadids, et al. Of her high-profile alignment with Hilfiger, Baldwin says, “My first fashion show in New York was for Tommy. He’s super supportive, kind, and just a cool family dude. They’ve got my back.”
Baldwin says that with her career kicking into overdrive—and her romantic life having provided one of summer’s biggest pop-culture headlines—she has come to learn the importance of taking time to recharge. “It’s easy to not think about your mental health or your physical health because you keep pushing, pushing, pushing. Before this year, I wasn’t balancing anything.” Her outlet for maintaining an equilibrium? Church (“I actually listen to sermons on my phone when I’m on the road”), boxing classes (“as a New Yorker, I’m a bit aggressive sometimes”), and her family (“they’re not afraid to call me out on my stuff “).
Baldwin has also become a style phenomenon. If Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner have maxed out on the slickened Internet-girl trend, Baldwin’s leanings are a little punchier and a little more tomboyish. Her his-and-hers looks with her fiancé are indicative of this. For example, one paparazzo snap of Bieber in a Supreme tee and Baldwin in a college sweatshirt made the rounds a few months ago. Those complementary outfits struck a chord of easy, hyper-casual graphic-chic that seems to be gaining speed industry-wide. “I’m obsessed with big, clunky leather jackets. One of my favorites is a men’s Balenciaga piece,” she says. “I’ve always thought there was something really fun about a lanky girl in very boyish clothing. I love dresses with sneakers.”