Gigi Hadid celebrated her 26th birthday with friends and family in New York City on April 23, 2021, turning a casual cheese-themed gathering into one of the year’s most memorable street-style moments.
Gigi Hadid shares a photo of Zayn Malik’s surprise flower arrangement for her 26th birthday (Credit: Gigi Hadid’s Instagram)
While the party itself drew attention, it was the coordinated retro-inspired outfits worn by Gigi and sister Bella Hadid that have continued to resonate with fashion fans.
Gigi Hadid celebrates her 26th birthday with a cheese-themed party with boyfriend Zayn Malik and sister Bella Hadid in New York City on April 23, 2021 (Credit: Instar / WENN)
The sisters embraced complementary takes on 1970s dressing. Gigi paired an Isa Boulder knitted co-ord with Khaite’s now-discontinued “Dallas” Western boots, while Bella opted for a Charlotte Knowles (now KNWLS) corset bodysuit, orange corduroy flares, and vintage-inspired brown suede square-toe boots.
Gigi Hadid’s open-back Isa Boulder knit set takes on a dramatic silhouette, with the white Khaite Dallas boots peeking beneath sweeping flared hems. (Credit: Instar / WENN)
Although several pieces from these outfits have since sold out, the silhouettes—from knit flares and corsetry to Western and square-toe boots—remain recurring references in modern fashion, making the looks feel just as relevant today.
Gigi gives a thumbs-up while her powder-blue knit co-ord, layered Jacquie Aiche jewelry, and face-framing bubble braids capture the evening’s relaxed retro mood (Credit: Instar / WENN)
Gigi’s powder-blue knit set came from Indonesian label Isa Boulder, whose hand-knit designs helped define the brand’s early international success.
The Screen Knit Top featured a square neckline, corset-inspired seaming, an open back, and long hanging hem straps, while the coordinating Tent Knit Flare Pants completed the relaxed 1970s-inspired silhouette. Both pieces have since sold out but remain sought-after examples of Isa Boulder’s early collections.
The exaggerated bell-bottom proportions draw the eye straight to Gigi’s pointed white Khaite Dallas Western boots as she walks through New York City (Credit: Instar / WENN)
Gigi finished the look with layered Jacquie Aiche jewelry—including opal, moonstone, morganite, and diamond pieces worth well over $17,000—and added a Cartier Juste un Clou ring.
Her face-framing bubble braids, created by hairstylist Laura Polko, quickly became one of the most widely copied celebrity hairstyles of 2021.
A closer look at Gigi’s beauty styling reveals the bubble braids that became one of the standout celebrity hair trends of 2021 (Credit: Instar / WENN)
Gigi grounded the soft knit set with white Khaite “Dallas” Western boots from the label’s Fall/Winter 2020 collection. The pointed toes, curved kitten heels, and tonal Western stitching gave the pale blue outfit a sharper foundation while preserving its relaxed proportions.
The Dallas has since been discontinued and is now regarded as one of Khaite’s more recognizable archive styles. Pre-owned pairs occasionally surface on luxury resale platforms, with rarer white and metallic versions generally attracting the most interest.
Khaite has continued to revisit Western footwear through newer silhouettes. As of August 2026, Farfetch carried styles including the pointed-toe Clive, the Nevada in ankle, knee-high, and heeled variations, the Marfa leather and suede boots, and the Arizona in both square- and pointed-toe designs.
Prices ranged from about $675 for a reduced Marfa ankle boot to $2,400 for Clive over-the-knee boots, showing how the Dallas’s streamlined Western influence remains part of the label’s footwear identity even after the original style left production.
Gigi’s sharply pointed Khaite Dallas boots add crisp Western structure beneath the flowing knit flares (Credit: Instar / WENN)
Meanwhile, Gigi’s then-boyfriend Zayn wore a plaid shirt in teal and white colors. He teamed it with black pants and matching lugged oxfords.
The English singer also wore a black face mask for protection and showed off his mandala tattoo on the left side of his head.
Hand in hand with Zayn Malik, Gigi lets her monochromatic knit look contrast with his bold turquoise plaid jacket and black lug-sole shoes (Credit: Instar / WENN)
Bella Hadid echoed her sister’s retro direction but interpreted it through warmer earth tones.
She wore a striped Charlotte Knowles (now KNWLS) corset bodysuit with orange corduroy flares, creating a look that mixed early-2000s styling with classic 1970s references.
Bella Hadid balances a KNWLS corset bodysuit with warm corduroy flares, creating her own earthy interpretation of the sisters’ shared ’70s-inspired theme (Credit: Instar / WENN)
Bella completed the outfit with layered luxury jewelry, including a Cartier Panthère mini watch, a Bvlgari ruby necklace, and chunky La Manso resin rings. The combination reinforced the vintage-inspired styling without feeling costume-like.
Bella’s sculptural neckline, layered jewelry, and softly curled updo give the archival KNWLS bodysuit an elevated editorial finish (Credit: Instar / WENN)
Bella finished the look with brown suede square-toe block-heel boots. Although the exact pair was never identified, the understated footwear complemented the retro styling and reflected the renewed popularity of minimalist square-toe boots.
Similar vintage pairs continue to be widely available through resale and vintage marketplaces.
Bella anchors her retro outfit with understated square-toe suede boots, proving quiet footwear can be just as impactful as statement fashion (Credit: Instar / WENN)
From Retro Birthday Boots to the Hadid Sisters’ Most Memorable Shoes
Gigi’s white Khaite Dallas boots gave her soft knit set a confident Western finish, while Bella’s square-toe suede pair offered a warmer interpretation of the same retro mood. Their wider footwear history reveals just how differently the sisters use shoes to shape an outfit.
👢 Explore Gigi and Bella Hadid’s Standout Shoes and Khaite Style:
- 📏 Standing at 5’9¼” (175.9 cm) and wearing a US shoe size 9.5, Gigi Hadid has built a varied footwear wardrobe around sculptural pumps, rugged boots, retro sneakers, and polished red-carpet heels.
- 🖤 Bella Hadid’s height and shoe-size guide traces her distinctive approach to footwear, from towering platforms and barely-there sandals to sharply pointed pumps and knee-high boots.
- ✨ See how the sisters interpreted neutral dressing at the 2019 MTV VMAs, with Gigi in metallic-capped Tom Ford Mary Jane pumps and Bella in transparent Gianvito Rossi “Stark” sandals.
- 👢 Compare their contrasting Paris Fashion Week boot looks, pairing Gigi’s classic Dr. Martens 1460s with Bella’s imposing Prada lug-sole knee-high boots.
- 🎀 Gigi’s Chanel satin bow pumps and Bella’s Balenciaga Square Knife heels show how two black-and-white outfits can move in entirely different directions through footwear.
- 🎂 Gigi returned to Khaite for her 30th-birthday look, wearing the label’s polished black Emmet leather pants with a Schiaparelli corset bodysuit and geometric Giuseppe Zanotti slingback pumps.
- 🩶 Explore Khaite’s more sculptural approach to footwear through Dakota Johnson’s Colt wedge mules, whose snip toes and seamless curved heels offer a sharper alternative to the label’s Western-inspired boots.