She’s So Lovely: Kiernan Shipka
Industry star Kiernan Shipka shows that diamond essentials are anything but basic.
Written by: Sarah Cristobal
Photography by: Alexander Saladrigas
Updated: January 9, 2026
I like capturing a moment,” says actress Kiernan Shipka of her relationship to photography. “I like taking photos of things that I want to remember.” Glamorous outfits loom large on the star’s well-trafficked Instagram feed and showcase her innate ability to have fun with fashion. Whether she is stepping onto the red carpet for the premiere of her latest project or out celebrating a personal milestone like her “Disco Barbie” themed birthday party, she’s favored spangly Oscar de la Renta minidresses. Choice accessories have included natural diamond pieces from her personal collection or Irene Neuwirth baubles.
Now 26, Shipka carries a confident ownership of her personal style that many other talents are still growing into. But then again, when you’ve been gracing red carpets since the age of seven, you certainly pick up a trick or two. All part of a career that spans from Mad Men to Totally Killer and White House Plumbers, and now HBO’s Industry.
Earrings Lux Bond & Green • Top Louis Vuitton
Earrings EF Collection • Necklace Norman Silverman
Only Natural Diamonds: You’re already an industry vet even though you’re in your early twenties.
Kiernan Shipka: It’s funny, right? I remember taking photos with January Jones at the first Mad Men premiere [2007]. When we were together, it felt like the camera flashes tripled. She had to guide me, “You start on the left, and then you go to the right.” And honestly, every single time I get on a red carpet, I think about that. It’s like, “Oh my God, that was so wild to be doing that at such a young age.” But I got accustomed to it, and then life happens, and it can feel weird again, and then it feels good again.
OND: What would you wear for those early red-carpet appearances?
Kiernan Shipka: When I was really young, I would wear Oscar de la Renta Kids to events. Now being able to wear Oscar Oscar is really nice.
If there’s one thing about me, I love a plan. I love a list. I love an answer.
OND: Grown-up Oscar! Was it overwhelming to attend fashion shows during your teenage years, with all of the attention that would bring?
Kiernan Shipka: I didn’t overthink things then, and I wasn’t super online. There wasn’t an added feeling of pressure. For the most part, I look back on those fashion moments really fondly, because I wasn’t deathly worried about how they were going to turn out. That was when I was 10 years into [my career] though, which is so weird.
OND: You mentioned that you like looking at fashion references before a big event, so you know the vibe and what you’re getting into.
Kiernan Shipka: Oh yeah. I mean, when it comes to red carpets and all that kind of stuff I’ve got to have a plan. If there’s one thing about me, I love a plan. I love a list. I love an answer. All that.
OND: And do you love diamonds, Kiernan? Don’t hold out on us.
Kiernan Shipka: I have a necklace with a diamond pendant that my mother gave me, and I love it. I wear it quite often. This [Only Natural Diamonds] shoot was incredible; there was so much beautiful jewelry. And I feel lucky that I can be loaned beautiful pieces for red carpets and things. I am constantly praying that whatever I’ve been loaned doesn’t fall off my ear or my wrist.
OND: Do you like to buy fine jewelry or do you aspire to have certain pieces in your collection?
Kiernan Shipka: I’m a FoundRae girl. I love, love, love FoundRae. Those necklaces [that I have purchased] mean a lot to me. There’s something quite beautiful about owning a significant item and having it symbolize something in one’s life. It’s a reminder of who you are, in some way. I think that those types of pieces can be really special.
One of the few things I took from the Mad Men set was a necklace. It was Sally’s necklace that she wore for quite a bit of the show. That’s probably the most sentimental piece of jewelry I own.”
Earrings Melissa Kaye • Necklace Greenwich St. Jewelers
Rings Melissa Kaye (pointer), Tiffany & Co. (ring)
Bracelet Tiffany & Co. • Dress vintage Chloe
Earrings Lux Bond & Green • Ring Van Cleef & Arpels
Bracelets (L-R): Lauren Addison, Van Cleef & Arpels • TOP Louis vuitton
OND: And that’s the type of jewelry that is fun to pass down from generation to generation.
Kiernan Shipka: I think about a FoundRae ring that I have, and it’s like, “Oh, that would be so cool to give to my kid one day.” And actually, one of the few things I took from the Mad Men set was a necklace. It was Sally’s necklace that she wore for quite a bit of the show. That’s probably the most sentimental piece of jewelry that I own. It’s a little heart-shaped necklace with Sally’s initials on it. Don [Draper, Jon Hamm’s character] got it for her. I love things that have meaning and that you can keep, cherish, and pass along.
OND: Your new show, White House Plumbers, is about the Watergate scandal, and you get to wear a lot of 1970s vintage attire.
Kiernan Shipka: I love a vintage moment. I like to buy vintage that doesn’t necessarily feel or look super, identifiably vintage. But yeah, with regards to White House Plumbers, my character [Kevan Hunt] has a golden child vibe, which was very interesting for me, because obviously that breaks, and there’s a real sort of arc in the way that she sees her father [played by Woody Harrelson]. To play someone who has it all together and is doing all the “right things” with her life, and then to have it crumble in the way that it did was very compelling to me. And also, just working with Woody was so, so exciting.
Occasionally, you work on a show that everyone’s excited to make and is filled with wonderful people that you can maybe, hopefully, call family after, and that is this show for me, for sure.
I like to buy vintage
that doesn’t necessarily feel or look super identifiably vintage.
RING (L-R) MELISSA KAYE, GRACE LEE • TOP VINTAGE GUCCI • PANTS HELMUT LANG
OND: I read that you are big on making playlists.
Kiernan Shipka: I do love a playlist. I like songs that remind me of certain times. I think it’s amazing, much like a jewel, or a relic of some sort.
OND: Well done, circling back to natural diamonds, aka the jewel of music.
Kiernan Shipka: Exactly! That’s what I was just about to say! [Laughs]
Photographer: Alexander Saladrigas
Stylist: Marissa Baklayan
Hair: Edward Lampley
Makeup: Allie Smith
Manicurist: Mamie Onishi
Bookings Editor: Glynis Costin
Creative Director: Lizzy Oppenheimer
Creative Production: Petty Cash Production
Photo Assistants: Karen Goss, Colin Elliot
Digital Tech: Eliot Oppenheimer
Fashion Assistant: Kaia Carioli
Shot on location, Sutton Tower, NYC.
