Nobody ever put a poster of a boyband star on their wall out of respect for their sartorial choices. Squeaky leather, ill-fitting tailoring, bicep-baring vests and endless crimes against denim have all been accounted for. But never mind, because our crushes have been blind to their dubious sense of style. Harry Styles is a different story though.
He is someone who has totally disproved this narrative, with an all-frills sense of style so fabulous that even the most jaded fashionista might want a poster of him on their wall. From Gucci looks to headlining Coachella (alongside Lizzo and Shania Twain) to championing new designers like S.S. Daley, who announced that the singer-actor is now a minority shareholder of the company as of earlier this month, and Arturo Obegero - Styles knows exactly how to woo the fashion set.
Styles' personal style is irreverent, sure, but it’s also sexy, confident, cool, lighthearted, fashion-literate and, above all, heart-burstingly joyful. Just look at the video of the singer's single As It Was, an emotional, heart-on-the-sleeve, treat for the eyes and ears. It appears red is the colour for Styles, as we see him change from a cherry wool coat to some fabulously garish, scarlet sequinned flares and, finally, into a pair of bright red boxer shorts. In the video for Music For a Sushi Restaurant, meanwhile, he appears wearing a squid tail (yes, really) and pearls from his favourite jewellery brand, Eliou. Trust us, it works.
Styles has established himself as a fabulous fashion rule-bender in recent years. Working with stylist Harry Lambert, Styles makes the rigid rules of gender-defined dressing look not just outmoded but utterly irrelevant. At last year's BRIT Awards, Styles appeared on the step-and-repeat wearing a gorgeously oversized corsage at his throat by Nina Ricci. He has single-handedly redefined what the modern heartthrob looks like. He is fearless when it comes to fashion; school-girl shoes, lace jumpsuits and grandad knits are all part of the Styles repertoire. There is something instinctive and emotional about Styles’ clothes and how he wears them; it’s pure fashion fantasy.
Perhaps you’re wondering how this translates to real life. Maybe you’re thinking: ‘this is all well and good if you’re an internationally adored pop star, but I’m not sure my boss would be enthused if I turned up to work in a SEX T-shirt’ - FYI Styles once wore one by Christopher Kane when hosting Saturday Night Live. But take note, this cheerful spirit is all about attitude.
Clothes can be performative, meaningful escapism from topsy-turvy politics, and a chance to stick two fingers up to fear and hate through experimentation, creativity and glamour (what that looks like is down to you). Sounds like a no-brainer to us. We do have one question, however: Harry Styles, can we raid your wardrobe sometime?
SEE: Harry Styles' Best Looks
1 of 30Harry Styles, The Grammy Awards 2023
Harry Styles wore this tantalisingly fringed silver jumpsuit to perform at 2023's Grammy Awards, where he scooped not one but two gongs for his album Harry's House.
2 of 30Harry Styles, Radio 1's Big Weekend
Wearing another custom Arturo Obegero sequin jumpsuit - this time in purple and black - for BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Coventry, no less.
3 of 30Harry Styles, One Night Only concert - NYC
And the pop star wore Gucci (duh) - this time paired with the highly anticipated Adidas x Gucci sneakers.
4 of 30Harry Styles, The Today Show 2022
No thoughts just midriff...In a custom AMI Paris jacket and jeans for rehearsals ahead of his Today Show performance.
5 of 30Harry Styles, The Today Show 2022
In further jumpsuit news, Harry wore a custom JW Anderson jumpsuit inspired by its resort 2022 collection.
6 of 30Harry Styles, Spotify Listening Session
A more casual look for Mr Styles in an S.S. Daley duck sweater for the Spotify listening party ahead of the Harry's House album release.
7 of 30Harry Styles, Howard Stern
The Watermelon Sugar singer turned to Gucci for this custom strawberry tee paired with bright green trousers. Yum.
8 of 30Harry Styles, Coachella 2022
No this isn't a fever dream. For Harry's second headliner weekend performing at Coachella, he of course opted for custom Gucci to perform with Lizzo.
9 of 30Harry Styles, Coachella 2022
To kick off his headliner gig at Coachella 2022, Harry Lambert worked with Gucci to produce a series of custom looks complete with fluffy coats and plenty of sequins.
10 of 30Harry Styles, 'Harry's House' Album Cover
Styles wears custom Molly Goddard, almost identical to the look worn by Edie Campbell in the SS22 collection, for the cover of Harry's House.
11 of 30Harry Styles, Love On Tour 2021 Harryween
Harry performed onstage at his Harryween Fancy Dress Party at Madison Square Garden in New York City, dressed of course, as Dorothy (a Gucci creation, natch)
12 of 30Harry Styles, BRITs 2021
As he picked up the Mastercard British Single award for Watermelon Sugar at the BRITs 2021, Styles donned a psychedelic suit from Gucci.
13 of 30Harry Styles, Grammy Awards 2021
Ahead of opening the show, Harry made a case for feather boas on the Grammy red carpet.
14 of 30Harry Styles, Grammy Awards 2021
Honestly...there are no words.
15 of 30Harry Styles, SiriusXM
His famous pearl necklace made an appearance on the star's visit to the SiriusXM studios, sending fans (and us) wild.
16 of 30Harry Styles, SirusXM x Pandora performance
Further proof that we all need a sweater vest + baggy pants combo - make like Styles and go for polka dots.
17 of 30Harry Styles, The Today Show 2020
The Watermelon Sugar singer selected sherbet shades for his Today Show performance in 2020, but it was his rehearsal outfit that went VIRAL...
18 of 30Harry Styles, Love On Tour 2021
2021 - the year that Harry really nailed his onstage style.
19 of 30Harry Styles, Love On Tour 2021
A rare glimpse at HS backstage (aka, my new phone wallpaper).
20 of 30Harry Styles, Radio 2
Leaving the BBC Radio 2 studio in February 2020, Styles wore Gucci trousers and a jacket by Bode, a fashion insider favourite renowned for its folky, patchwork designs.
21 of 30Harry Styles, BRITs 2020
School girl shoes. Pearls. A brown suit. It shouldn't work, but in the world of Harry Styles, it blasts everything else on the red carpet out of the water.
22 of 30Harry Styles, Met Gala
Styles cemented his status as a fashion insider at the 2019 Met Gala, which he co-hosted with Lady Gaga, Serena Williams, Anna Wintour and Gucci's Alessandro Michele, who also dressed him on the night. He also cemented his status as the only man who could look this good in a sheer shirt and super-high waisted trousers.
23 of 30Harry Styles, Manhattan
You see a knit your grandma might have made you; Harry sees an opportunity in this Lanvin sweater vest.
24 of 30Harry Styles, BRITs 2020
Performing Falling at the BRIT Awards 2020 in custom Gucci, Harry wears a lace jumpsuit (and matching gloves!) with all the ease of jeans and a T-shirt. Unpredictability score: 10/10.
25 of 30Harry Styles, Spotify Album Launch
A silky cardigan and string of pearls might sound like they belong at the country club, but Harry gives them rock and roll swagger at a Spotify party to celebrate the launch of his album. The cardi is Lanvin, FYI.
26 of 30Harry Styles, The Late Late Show
Yes, it's more Gucci and no, we still can't get enough of it on him. Performing on The Late Late Show, Styles showed some boybanders do know how to do tailoring.
27 of 30Harry Styles, The Ellen Degeneres Show
'Stay Away From Toxic People' it says on Harry's Marc Jacobs x Magda Archer lime green sweater, which he wore on The Ellen Show. You don't have to tell us twice...
28 of 30Harry Styles, Radio 1 Live Lounge
Another day, another knockout Bode jacket. Leaving the Live Lounge he also wore a Self-Love tee, a collaboration between Harry and Gucci. As if we could love him anymore, a portion of proceeds from the sale of the T-shirts was donated to the Global Fund for Women.
29 of 30Harry Styles, Brits Awards 2020
Rules? What rules? Styles wore a daffodil yellow suit from Marc Jacobs' SS20 womenswear collection for his first appearance as a solo artist at the 2020 BRITs. We bow down.
30 of 30Harry Styles, The Today Show 2020
The JW Anderson crochet cardigan that sparked a worldwide crochet trend (mainly on TikTok) and had us all phoning up granny asking for a patchwork knit, stat.