Brenda Song praises her partner Macaulay Culkin for his natural fashion sense, which inspires her own distinctive style.
“He is so cool, and he has the best T-shirt collection. He’s truly, like, the true off-duty icon,” says the Running Point actress, 38, in an exclusive interview with Us while discussing her partnership with Marshalls. “He has the best wardrobe because he’s traveled the world and lived all over the place. So he’s accumulated the most incredible wardrobe.”
Song admires Culkin’s ability to be “unapologetically himself,” a quality she appreciates greatly. (Song and Culkin, 45, began their relationship in 2017 and have two sons, Dakota, 4, and Carson, 3.)
“The thing about Mac that I love, and I really strive to take inspiration from him is that he’s very confident in who he is, in his style, in the way he looks,” she says. “So when he steps out of the house, whether it’s in a graphic tee or in a full suit, it’s all about confidence.”
Song has collaborated with Marshalls to launch its Fall Fashion Field Guide, a curated collection that showcases the season’s key trends and helps shoppers create their own styles with high-quality, budget-friendly finds. The actress brought her unique fashion perspective to the guide, drawing inspiration from fall trends.
She has been a devoted Marshalls shopper for her “entire life,” often spending hours shopping with her mom. Now, as a mother herself, she continues to rely on Marshalls to help her explore “different versions” of her style.
“I really just wanted people to pull inspiration from these vibes and take that and make [it] your own. It’s not about finding that exact jacket. It’s about finding a version of that jacket you feel confident in, that you like, and that suits your lifestyle,” she explains. “What I love about Marshalls is that you walk in, and first of all, it’s almost like treasure hunting. You don’t know what you’re gonna find until you go in there.”
The Disney Channel alum also finds inspiration in Culkin’s approach to fashion.
“I very much aspire to always be like that because for him, he could wear anything,” she says. “And it’s like to me I realize ‘Oh it’s not about what you’re wearing it’s how you wear it.'”
Culkin’s fashion philosophy has influenced Song to focus on “staple pieces” in her wardrobe.
“I love a great pair of jeans, the basics, and then I really like to accessorize per season. That’s what I think is really fun,” she tells Us. “You don’t have to break the bank or do anything outrageous to find really great accessories to update your outfit to keep up with these [things] because everything is always revolving and evolving.”
As a mother of two, Song’s style has evolved over the years. However, she tells Us that she feels more confident now than she did in her 20s.
“I understand and appreciate my body and I’m more just self-confident in who I am and I think my style reflects that,” she says. “I don’t stress about it as much anymore because I realize that this is sort of like my uniform. This is what makes me feel comfortable, but it’s also taken me 38 years to sort of figure that out, and that’s why this field guide was such a personal thing for me because I wanted to just help inspire women to like to find what makes them feel most confident because that’s for me.”
Like her partner, Song aims to express her genuine self through her fashion choices.
“I want to feel authentic to me, and what I’m feeling in that moment. And fashion is subjective,” she explains, “It’s so subjective and so I’m like, ‘If you love it, wear it.’ That is my biggest fashion rule. If you love it, wear it. Who cares what anyone else thinks?”
