Chase Stokes Says Girlfriend Kelsea Ballerini Gives His Style a Dose of 'Yeehaw' (Exclusive)

Kelsea Ballerini's country style is rubbing off on her boyfriend Chase Stokes.

On Monday, the Outer Banks actor, 31, walked the red carpet at the CFDA Fashion Awards, where he revealed to PEOPLE how his country singer girlfriend has influenced his look.

"Honestly, she's given me a little yeehaw," Stokes tells PEOPLE of Ballerini, 30. "I mean, I grew up in the south, so like not entirely, but she's definitely brought it out in me."

Stokes, who wore a steel blue suit by American menswear designer of the year nominee Teddy Vonranson, also shared that he and Ballerini have been influencing each other's style since they began dating. However, one of their most memorable coordinated looks was purely "serendipitous."

The actor revealed he and Ballerini didn't plan to wear matching red ensembles at the 2023 VMAs, but fate intervened in the form of a missed flight.

"Everybody thought the VMAs was coordinated, but that was a look I was going to wear for something else," he reveals. "Then I missed my flight, so I couldn't wear that. Then I was like, 'OK, this kind of worked.'"

Stokes and Ballerini first sparked dating rumors in January 2023 when Stokes shared a photo of him and the "If You Go Down" singer cuddling at the Georgia vs. TCU game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on Instagram. They later made their red carpet debut as a couple at the CMT Awards in April.

In a June interview with Entertainment Tonight, Stokes addressed being called Ballerini's "golden retriever boyfriend" by the internet.

"I'll take the job, I'll take it," he said. "She seriously is the best human being on planet Earth and she's so damn talented."