Harry Styles is Smashing the Status Quo 

Undaunted by any one, monolithic standard for men’s fashion, Styles has been seen in everything from women’s denim pant suits to his iconic frilled blouse at the 2019 Met Gala. With the recent debut of his music video for the single ‘Golden’, we thought it was the perfect time to take a closer look at how Harry Styles is helping us all smash the sartorial status quo. 

The Boy with the Pearl Earring
Few moments capture Harry Styles’ visionary aesthetic better than his arrival at the Met Gala in 2019. Still only 25 years old, Styles co-hosted the event while dressed in a flamboyant and frilled black blouse (tailored by Gucci’s bespoke team). Paired with a bowtie, high-waisted black trousers, and chunky men’s heels, Styles’ accessory game was equally impressive. Wearing a huge, dangling pearl earring, Styles embraced a level of sartorial androgyny that was further elevated by black and mint green fingernails. 

Simultaneously paying homage to the New Romantics, Victorian era-decadence, and 1980s glam, Styles took the ‘camp’ theme to new heights.

‘Pink is the Only True Rock and Roll Colour’ 
Originally a quote attributed to Paul Simonon of The Clash, Harry Styles echoed the sentiment in an interview with Rolling Stone. And Styles certainly has taken cues from rock and roll icons when it comes to uninhibited self-expression, the young trailblazer repeatedly showing a willingness to experiment with colour and composition. 

Over the years, Styles has taken a particular liking to the colour pink, most famously breaking the internet with British tailor Edward Sexton’s suit on the TODAY show back in 2017. Performing at Rockefeller Plaza, Styles again accessorised with plenty of silver, the bubblegum suit given visual hierarchy with a tidy black button-down, recalling Mick Jagger’s powder pink ensemble of the 1970s (Sexton previously worked with Jagger and Paul McCartney). 

It was a big year for Styles, the boy wonder also getting plenty of positive feedback after opting to wear an all-denim women’s pantsuit for the LP sleeve. Musically and stylistically, Styles is not only revealing his deep reverence for rock and roll royalty, but also flexing his sartorial nous for making the genre his very own. 

No Shrinking Violet 
It’s not only Styles’ high-end looks that are fuelling new modes of individual expression, with his more laidback streetwear also generating no shortage of praise amongst his peers. 

Pairing his signature, high-waisted trousers with a wide range of looks, Styles has rocked sentimental sheep print knit slipovers, oversized woolen overcoats, and throwback cream-knitted jumpers. An eclectic mix of new and vintage, he regularly layers his look with more opulent silk scarves and tuxedo jackets, while his footwear game features everything from icons like the Vans Old Skool to the perennial Chelsea Boot. 

Fortunately, you don’t need a surname like Styles to radically reinvent your wardrobe!