Justine Lupe’s Hack For Elevating Sneakers Is So Lazy Girl-Coded

Justine Lupe is not your typical style star. Though her job requires her to attend red carpets on the regular, she rarely sacrifices her creature comforts. “I just don’t care enough to hide caring about being comfortable,” the Nobody Wants This star tells me over Zoom.

At one point during our chat, the 36-year-old recalls a glam event where she completely restyled an outfit after a near mishap. “I walked into a premiere after-party with high heels on, and they started falling through the cracks of the floor,” she says. Thanks to her penchant for prioritizing her practical needs, she already had a backup pair of footwear in her trunk: “I got back into the SUV and changed into comfortable shoes, and then had them on with my little minidress the whole night.”

To champion her preference for cozy kicks, Lupe hard-launched her love in a campaign for Allbirds sneakers last month. “It literally feels like your foot is in a bed,” she says of the eco-friendly shoes previously worn by Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Garner, and Lupe’s onscreen sister Kristen Bell. “They’re versatile aesthetically, but they can also be applied to any cozy situation.”

Below, the Succession alum waxes even more poetic about her comfy queen status, gives her best tips for elevating casual outfits, and teases how Morgan’s wardrobe in Nobody Wants This Season 3 will be even more high-fashion.

How would you describe your day-to-day style?

Comfort-forward first. Hopefully there’s some good style there as well, but I like feeling relaxed and easy. It’s minimal. I like not having to think. I have a handful of staples, and it’s kind of utilitarian.

What do you think about “lazy girl dressing” as a trend?

I really appreciate fashion and see it as a real art form. I just feel like there’s a time to worry about that and there’s a time to focus on feeling relaxed. So I like that people are leaning into feeling like they can embrace relaxation in the way that they dress. I like that people are like, “We can just chill.”

Do you have any hacks for elevating casual outfits?

A hack would be having a couple of pieces of really nice jewelry to go with it. I just recently got into wearing these Chanel hoops. They’re an investment, for sure, but they’re a nice way of elevating a T-shirt, jeans, and some sneakers.

Putting on a couple of bangles or a sweet necklace works too. It’s an easy way to elevate something that feels really comfortable into something that looks a little bit more put together.

Besides sneakers, what other items do you recommend for people who value comfort?

I love good old-fashioned Levi’s that are a size too big — anything that’s vintage has literally been broken in. I also love a good pair of wool socks. I have a handful of those that my friend’s grandma knitted in Germany and gave to me as a present; I covet them because they’re so sweet and cozy, and go well with any shoe.

For bedtime, I like a silk mask — that always makes me feel really cozy — and relaxed underwear. I’m not a fan of thongs.

Around the release of Nobody Wants This Season 2, you said you were learning to be a fashion girl. How have you incorporated your own tastes into your Season 3 wardrobe? Or is it the other way around?

I learn from Morgan’s style. We have one really cool outfit that’s coming up — it’s a Maison Valentino suit that made me go, “Oh, wow,” and it’s so beautiful. I had a real appreciation. There are also some Chloé pieces that are coming in.

Costume designer Negar Ali Kline does an amazing job with blending very fashion-forward brands and styles into this pedestrian, casual storyline and really elevates these women’s wardrobes. She’s so good at it, and it’s always very fun to see what she brings to the table.

I don’t really come in with my own ideas; I see what she brings in, and then we curate it together, playing around with different pieces and seeing what works well with each other. It’s a really fun collaborative experience on that show, with Morgan’s wardrobe in particular, because she’s just so fashion-forward and cares so much about the way that she’s curated.

I love that. The Valentino suit you’re going to wear — is there anything that you can tease about that style moment?

I feel like I’m already giving away too much saying Valentino suit, but it’s really cute. It’s a fun storyline.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.