After nearly a year away from public events, Rachel Bilson made a fashionable comeback in July 2016, stepping out for Target’s Cat & Jack Brand Launch in New York. Best known for her role as Summer Roberts on The O.C.—a series that helped define 2000s teen style—Rachel’s influence on early aughts fashion still resonates today.
Her reappearance followed a low-profile period since her last public outing in September 2015, when she attended a musical tribute to The O.C.. With her effortless boho flair and consistently chic looks, Bilson’s return was a welcome moment for fans of both nostalgic television and timeless street-style fashion.
Rachel Bilson clips her windswept hair back at Target’s Cat & Jack Brand Launch held on July 21, 2016, in Brooklyn, New York (Credit: Ivan Nikolov / WENN)
However, she made a stylish appearance at the Target Cat & Jack Brand Launch event held at the Brooklyn Bridge Park on Pier 6 in Brooklyn, New York. Fans of the actress were delighted to see her back on the red carpet, where she showcased her fashionable sense of style.
She looked stylish as usual in her cute and casual boho chic ensemble.
Rachel Bilson poses for photos in a Who What Wear for Target dress
The TV star wore a printed red and white quarter-sleeve dress from Who What Wear for Target.
Rachel Bilson goes boho chic in a red-and-white maxi dress from Who What Wear for Target
The dress featured elbow-length sleeves and an ankle-grazing hemline. It had buttons up the front and a loose collar.
Rachel Bilson tops her Who What Wear for Target dress with a patterned belt
She topped her dress with a tortoiseshell-print belt and ditched the accessories.
Rachel Bilson embodies boho chic in a flowing red-and-white maxi dress from Who What Wear for Target, perfectly accessorized with a patterned belt and fringed sandals
The actress paired the chiffon dress with suede fringed sandals from Chloe.
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Rachel Bilson completed her boho-chic look with stylish suede fringed Chloe sandals
The then-34-year-old hadn’t aged at all. She still looked as flawless as she did 11 years earlier playing Summer Roberts on “The O.C.”
CHLOÉ Fringed Detail Sandals, $315.79
While Rachel Bilson’s fashion choices consistently turn heads, there’s more to this star than just her style.
Beyond the Outfit: A Glimpse into Rachel Bilson’s Life
Born to parents Janice, a sex therapist, and Danny Bilson, a writer and director, Rachel has a diverse ethnic background. Her father is of Jewish descent, with his family originating from Lithuania, Russia, and Poland. On the other hand, her mother, who was raised Catholic, has Italian ancestry.
Rachel is also a mother to a daughter with her former partner, Canadian-born actor and producer Hayden Christensen. In 2003, Seth Cohen from The O.C. made “Chrismukkah” famous, and this unique holiday tradition remains very much alive. In an interview with TooFab, Rachel Bilson reflected on how the show has become a holiday classic.
A combination of Christmas and Hanukkah, two holidays that typically fall around the same time of year, Chrismukkah is a fictional holiday popularized on the TV show The O.C. (Credit: Creative Mehedi Hasan / Shutterstock)
Bilson, who grew up in a Chrismukkah household with a Jewish father and Catholic mother, said she would teach her daughter about Hanukkah and Christmas.
Rachel Bilson played the role of Summer Roberts on The O.C., while Adam Brody played the role of Seth Cohen, the character who popularized the concept of “Chrismukkah” on the show (Credit: Fox)
“I think it’s so cool,” Bilson said of the show’s legacy. “As a child growing up — my dad’s Jewish, my mom was raised Catholic — so I was a Chrismukkah household, it’s really fun. I love that The OC really resonates with people and people still watch it. I think that’s super cool.”
“My daughter’s learning about Hanukkah in kindergarten and asked if we have a menorah, so I think it’ll be fun to start teaching her that and teaching her the word Chrismukkah,” she added, referring to her daughter with ex Hayden Christensen, Briar Rose Christensen.
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