I never thought I’d say this, but the Fug Girls are wrong. The rare misstep comes with their recent style takedown of Katie Holmes. Unlike the Fugs, I found Joey Potter’s Tom-Cruise transformation extremely discomfitting. The whole thing, bob included, looked like a costume party directed by shadowy Scientology handlers. Heels at the beach? Please, only Marlene Dietrich gets away with stilettos in the sand. Katie’s new look, on the other hand, is terrific. It feels right for her age and her girlish face, not to mention the saggy economy. The tomboyish cut is daring, as are the baggy, counterintuitively pegged jeans. Katie pulls off the look with ease, and ease equals chic.

Even if you don’t like Katie’s new duds, you’ve got to admit there’s a glimmer of hope in her defiant dressing down. This appears to be the first time since selling her soul meeting Tom Cruise that she is choosing her own clothes. If this new spirit leads to her exit from the L. Ron Hubbard mothership, we can all rejoice in knowing we were right about her contractual imprisonment.

p.s. I can count six photogs situated behind Katie. Wow.