Harry's House of Fashion

HARRY'S HOUSE OF FASHION

HOW THE FRUIT MAN TOOK OVER FASHION, INNIT?

By Astrid I. Viera

One musical performance led to a massive rise in the sale of the feather boa; according to fashion company PrettyLittleThing, the search for them worldwide had gone up 1329%. Feather boas have become somewhat of a fashion statement, now used outside of your local wedding photo booth. This is all thanks to the global musical artist, part-time actor, English-accented, dreamy-looking, fashion icon, Harry Styles. He is everywhere, whether you want him to be or not, but then again who would not want to see the Mr. Styles? If you don’t, why is the question you might want to be asking yourself.

Styles opened for the 2021 Grammy awards in Los Angeles. He wore three custom looks by Gucci; all three outfits had one similar accessory: a feather boa, the first green, the second lilac purple, and the third black. At this time, Harry Styles was on his first leg of his Love on Tour World Tour, and the fans who planned to go either changed their outfit or incorporated elements of the three outfits he had worn that night. All of the outfit changes included feather boas, which has been a popular choice that stuck, even now on his 2022 version of Love On Tour. His opening performance outfit was a two-piece black leather suit that also gained movement within the unspoken dress code of the concerts.

Many of Harry Styles’ fans are inspired by how he dresses and expresses himself, this ends up being the largest source of inspiration for fashion whether it’s for one of his concerts or in their day-to-day lives. Harry’s discography is strong with three albums and a theme in each, which granted him the fan-made nickname of “Fruit Man” due to Styles sharing a strong liking towards fruits. Many of his songs include references to fruit like “Watermelon Sugar,” “Kiwi,” “Cherry,” and “Grapejuice.” With this, many fans have based entire outfits on the fruits that connect to the titles of songs, whether it is a personal favorite or it fits the aesthetic. This has ranged from people dressing as fruits or having embellished and bedazzled fruits on their dresses, shirts, pants or whatever the clothing article may be.

Styles has been known for expressing a large amount of himself through clothes, constantly dressing in bright colors and loud, bold prints. He also has been publicly comfortable with blurring the line of what it means to be “feminine” and “masculine.” He told Vogue in a 2020 interview “Anytime you’re putting barriers up in your own life, you’re just limiting yourself. There’s so much joy to be had in playing in clothes.” He has definitely shown joy through his clothing, whether he is off stage or on stage working with stylist Harry Lambert, who helps with his eclectic styles. It must be noted he was not the first to do this with fashion. There were many people before him such as Freddie Mercury, lead singer of Queen, and David Bowie, who have also had major impacts. Styles is also not the only person to do this in recent times, but he has been more visible due to his popularity and success as a solo artist and his previous gig in the popular boyband One Direction. This could also be due to him being a cis-gendered male, who has not confirmed or denied anything within his sexuality, due to this it can be seen more as a “progressive move” although its been done before by those listed who may have faced more criticism or scrutiny during atime where dressing more feminine was seen as “taboo.” This has allowed Styles and many others to be fully themselves.

Harry has become so much of a fashion icon that he was named a 2019 co-host of New YorkCity’s Met Gala, the biggest night in fashion. It is held on the first Monday in May every year. The Met Gala is an annual fundraiser gala that celebrates the costume department’s new exhibition. It’s considered the fashion event of the year; some say the importance of The MetGala is comparable to being the fashion version of the Oscars, or even the “Superbowl” of the style industry. Celebrities, as well as notable people within their respective industries, whether it’s athletics, TV, film, and of course fashion can be invited to this event. Top celebrities and socialites have the best custom gowns and suits with the theme changing annually, it leaves viewers guessing on what designers the attendees will be wearing as they walk up the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This was the first time Harry Styles had been invited to the Met Gala. He also co-chaired the event alongside Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, Serena Williams, Lady Gaga, and Gucci's creative director, Alessandro Michele, who had given Styles a custom Gucci jumpsuit.

While one might ask themselves, “Does this fruit-loving man actually influence fashion? Where is the proof?” The proof lies in the social media: the TikTok or Instagram posts of fans posting the inspiration they have for the outfit. It might be from a past performance outfit, an outfit Harry wore for an award show, or even a talk show. Manyfans posting their outfits for the concert havehad these outfits planned for months before. I planned an outfit in the past summer season for a Harry Styles concert that was in the fall season. In case you were curious, I thought my outfit was incredible. If someone wanted proof, all they would need to do is see the loose feathers of hundreds of boas scattered on the floor of the arena after an amazing two-hour performance by none other than the Harry Styles.