22 HARRY STYLES

IS HIS STYLE ORIGINAL? No. Decades of musicians have cultivated sequins, feathers, and tailored suiting in their performances. But to a new generation of music fans, Harry Styles’ fashion choices go beyond replicating history to create some of his own — just as the music on his 2022 album, Harry’s House, pulled from a wide array of sounds both obscure and familiar and made them seem new. As Gucci noted in the materials that accompanied one of its many collaborations with the singer, Styles exhibits “masculine vanity without hypocrisy and false scruples dictated by convention,” with a sense of theatricality that “transforms the men’s wardrobe into a platform of freedom.” A huge part of that genius can be seen in his ability to blend the iconography of the rock greats with his own gender-blending flair — like the rainbow paillette jumpsuit and flamingo-pink coat he wore at Coachella last year, which brought to mind Thin White Duke-era David Bowie and disco Mick Jagger, or the custom éliou glasses he wore in the video for “Music for a Sushi Restaurant,” an obvious shout-out to Elton John. Styles went full Elton in the clip for “As It Was,” in which he appears draped in a vibrant-red Bianca Saunders jacket and Dries Van Noten scarf, a modern oversize silhouette emulating John’s tighter sartorial looks from the 1970s. Styles’ heroes have, of course, taken notice. When you’ve been allowed access to the closet of Stevie Nicks herself, you are clearly doing something right. “She knows what you need,” Styles said in 2019. “Advice, a little wisdom, a blouse, a shawl.”