Lorde, who is still only 17, gets a fair bit of flack for seeming older than her years– presumably it's not only down to her prodigious songwriting talent, but because she wears a lot of layers, monochrome and androgynous tailoring. All of it gives her an air of sophistication that you don't get from your average teeny-bopper singer. And her stylist, Avigail Collins, has explained how the Royals singer started as a 'teenage goth and has progressed into a more grownup power woman' in the last year.
Avigail, who's also styled Rihanna, Jessie Ware and Daisy Lowe, explained that Lorde – or Ella, as Avigail likes to call her by her real name – has always had a good eye for outfits: 'Ella had a great and strong sense of style from the beginning. Sometimes Ella will email me one thing or a theme that she is into and I will prep for that, or I will prep across a mix of designers and styles I know she likes and try loads of options... The set and venue always factor into the look and feel of the show.'
Avigail likes to go for pieces which are 'very timeless and powerful', which means that Lorde might not necessarily be dressing like other girls her age – Saint Laurent, Celine, Cos, Stella McCartney and Prada aren't exactly teen brands, which is maybe why there's such dispute over Lorde's 'real age'. 'They would work amazingly on my older clients, too,' says Avigail.
But when you get to wear brands like that and look that good, who cares if people think you're older than your birth certificate says?
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophwilkinson
Pictures: Getty, @avigail_claire, @jamesklowe
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.