Way back in 2010 when One Direction first emerged as the world’s newest boy band fashion was subpar at best. There’s a reason the 2000’s going on early 2010’s are consistently referred to as some of the worst years for fashion. Acid wash jeans, galaxy print, skinny scarves, exaggerated v-neck t-shirts, mustaches on everything, and various other unflattering styles have shaped the early aughts and tell you everything you need to know about the state of the fashion industry at this point in time. It was no different for celebrities then it was for the average person; fashion was horrible all across the board. As we’ve moved away from the monstrosities of style’s past certain stars, like One Direction’s Harry Styles, have become fashion icons because of their ability to push traditional boundaries. Just this past week, Styles nearly broke the internet with the release of his SNL promotional photos. The photo of him in a pink tutu drove fans especially wild. In the past couple years, Styles has made a name for himself in the fashion community with his bold outfit choices and open attitude toward style, not to mention his sheer versatility.
The English singer hasn’t always been so fashion forward, though. His early years in the limelight were fraught with questionable outfit choices and stylistic uncertainty. How could he look the boyband part without being tacky? Here, we’ll delve into his evolution from teenager in a boyband to international style icon.
Early Stardom
Harry Styles was always a looker, though his fashion sense was less than. Throughout his time on X-Factor and in the early days of One Direction, he still dressed like an awkward teenage boy in high school. He was guilty of styling the skinny scarf, flannels, skinny jeans, huge sneakers, and all together lacking pizzazz. He usually looked put-together, but in no way fashionable— at least not according to our standards. His hodge podge of bland outfits was probably endearing to adoring fans at the time.
2013 Harry
In 2013 it appears that he started to dress more maturely and fashionably. He began to wear more attractive coats, better suits, and button up shirts (which he often wore half-unbuttoned, showing off his tattoos). Not that tattoos make you fashionable, but his fashion change coincided with the increase in tattoos, so I definitely think those helped to some extent. Plus, they allowed him to be even more creative with his appearance. Around this time, it seems that he was becoming more and more comfortable with the idea of having a personal style outside of One Direction and the stereotypical boyband persona.
2017: A turning point
In the years leading up to his solo career, Styles had crafted his look and stepped out in many a fashionable outfit. But it wasn’t until he went solo— when he no longer had to preserve a cohesive image with his bandmates— that he really began to explore his creativity and identity through fashion. In 2017, he experimented with color, patterns, fit, styles, and it seems like this is when he began to fully understand his creative identity.
Present-day Harry
Whether it’s an award show, MET Gala, or SNL promotional photoshoot, Harry Styles is bringing his A-game. He’s a celebrated person in the fashion realm and for good reason. His style is truly unique. He has this, je ne sais quois. Styles has found his individual voice and it’s truly a beautiful thing to witness. I can only imagine how he’ll continue to evolve creatively, both in music and fashion.
Harry Styles is a creative tour de force; there’s no doubt about it. Looking back at his relatively short time in the spotlight, it’s intriguing to see just how far he’s come. Because he came into stardom at such a young age, we can only speculate about how much of his personal style now was influenced by his A-List community and audience.