When it comes to becoming America’s hottest couple overnight, it takes a village. Just ask Olandria Carthen and Nic Vansteenberghe’s styling team. While running around Fiji was all bikinis, boy shorts, and crochet, NicOlandria’s post-Love Island aesthetic has become a sexy and sophisticated sight to behold from head to toe. Matthew and Reginald Reisman, the duo who have styled NicOlandria’s outfits for everything from the season 7 reunion to New York Fashion Week, told me that experience has been “a career highlight.”
The Reismans (with a client list including Lizzo, SZA, and Latto) haven’t landed the couple’s landmark fashion looks alone. Elizabeth Semande, who has styled Olandria’s retro-chic hair moments during her “Barbie-inspired” press week, has been an important part of the equation. “For me, hair is never an afterthought; it’s a core part of the storytelling,” Elizabeth shared, adding that for Black stars specifically, “hair is part of how they’re seen and remembered. It’s about honoring who they are while still pushing fashion and beauty boundaries.”
After reveling in Olandria and Nic’s fan-fic romance come true, I had to know the secrets to how they look so damn good together. So I asked NicOlandria’s stylists for their top tips for iconic couples’ style, for all the baddie girlfriend/golden retriever boyfriend duos out there.
How To Match Your Partner Without Being Matchy-Matchy
There’s no wrong way to coordinate a fit with your partner, but for the Reismans, it’s all about balance. Matthew and Reginald would know a thing or two about the subject, considering they’re a couple themselves. “Matchy matchy isn’t a personal fave of ours,” Matthew and Reginald explained. “We prefer complementing versus copied.”
So if you’re trying to slay with your sig O, whether it’s to a wedding or walking down the street, you don’t have to look like you’re in uniform because you’re a team. Instead, try bringing the ying to each other’s yang: if one is wearing leather, maybe the other goes with lace. If your guy wants to rock a jersey for game day, maybe the perfect finishing touch for your fit is athletic sneakers. “Balance and range tend to create a more impactful fashion moment that feels thoughtful,” the Reismans confirmed.
But finding a happy medium isn’t always simple, especially when each side of the couple has extremely different visual interests (yes, the goth girlfriend, nerd boyfriend combo exists outside of teen movies). When I asked Matthew and Reginald how to meet in the middle, they advised that “a good joining tactic would be to share a base color or [overall] color palette,” because this “creates synergy without compromising individual styles.”
Recreating NicOlandria’s Most Iconic Couples Looks
If you want to nail the NicOlandria edit, remember that “fashion is fun and experimental,” according to the Reismans. “It is most important to showcase a fashion range,” they shared. Maybe that’s why fans are so obsessed every time Olandria and Nic step out: you never know exactly what to expect.
Still, there have been some standout visions among the many red carpet hits. Reginald and Matthew’s favorite red carpet look for Nic and Olandria was their 2025 VMA award carpet moments. ICYMI, Olandria was a fiery lady in red, while Nic rocked a super-slick black suit. “This is a perfect example of how a couple could be dressed with the same energy in mind, but have their own individual styles that balance each other,” the stylists elaborated. It’s also worth noting that when Olandria opted for a higher neckline accent for the MTV bash, Nic’s shirt was a plunging deep V — balance, people!
The styling team also noticed that fans had a strong response to NicOlandria’s NYFW fits that “ranged from cool and sexy to sophisticated and classy.” The lesson here? Every appearance is a chance to play around with different aesthetics, instead of boxing yourself into a singular vibe. I mean, has anyone ever made multiple black-on-black outfits look so interesting?! Exploring compatible but different textures, silhouettes, and shades to evoke a unified energy is clearly the runway to success.
How To Make Hair Elevate Your Outfit
Balanced couples’ style doesn’t end with clothes; hair is an unforgettable part of the equation. This is true for men (we see those cutie curls, Nic!) and women like Olandria, who has blessed the internet with so many memorable hair looks. She did this thanks to hairstylist Elizabeth Semande’s “intentional” approach, because Elizabeth knows hair, for Black women especially, is more than “just an accessory. It’s an extension of identity, culture, and power.”
When I caught up with Elizabeth, it was clear there was no one more qualified to settle the perpetual debate: what comes first, the hair, the outfit, or the makeup? But Elizabeth shared that there are multiple ways to approach excellent hair. “Sometimes the wardrobe is locked first, and I build the hair around that. Other times, I collaborate with the glam and styling team simultaneously.”
Regardless of when hair enters the process, Elizabeth shared she makes sure “the hair feels like the final brushstroke on the canvas.”
One of the many works of art she arranged on Olandria’s crown was her Barbie-ified ponytail. “It was sleek, doll-like, and playful but still polished. A perfect example of balancing fun with high fashion,” Elizabeth recalled. Not to mention the prim pony paired perfectly with Nic’s Ken-ish cream set on The Today Show.
Elizabeth knows that Love Island fans will be bringing pics of Olandria’s retro-chic blow-out to the salon for inspo. “A modern twist on the classic ’60s half-up, half-down hairstyle: lots of volume, soft bends, brushed-out waves, and a glossy finish,” Elizabeth detailed. As for taming the inevitable frisky flyaways, Elizabeth loves a lightweight oil and a flexible-hold hairspray. Amika Frizz Fighters set, Blockade Heat Defense Serum, and Oribe Imperméable Anti-Humidity Spray are her MVPs. “That combo is lightweight enough for movement but strong enough to keep a silk press glassy and sleek from morning to night,” the hair pro confirmed.
BRB, running to the store ASAP.