Harry Styles is, as many have previously stated, a renaissance man. He sings, dances, and models. He acts with a range that spans wartime action flicks (Dunkirk), independent psychological thrillers (Don’t Worry Darling), and comedic animal impersonations (SNL). Over the last few years, he has also established himself as one of fashion’s most influential figures — with his Vogue cover, for which he wore a Gucci dress, and JW Anderson cardigan, that inspired a viral knitting challenge on TikTok, being just some of his sartorial highlights. Between his friendship with Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele, his partnership with stylist Harry Lambert, and his wear-anything mentality, the Fine Line singer will surely go down in fashion history as one of this decade’s most prominent dressers.
Particularly over the last year, Styles has influenced a handful of trends. This includes, but is not limited to: pearl necklaces, bucket hats, and sweaters. The yellow bucket hat he wore in the “Golden” music video caused a 96% spike in demand for the headwear on fashion search engine Lyst, while his argyle sweater from the “Treat People With Kindness” video (which featured Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge, also in an argyle sweater) led to a 39% increase in search for similar pieces on the site. And that doesn’t even scratch the surface of Styles’ reach in the industry.
Ahead, all the trends Styles had a leading role in shaping.
Pearl Necklaces
During the press tour for his hit album Fine Line in December 2019, Styles began wearing a pearl necklace to every single event he attended, pairing it with cartoon-adorned cardigans and custom Gucci x Fine Line merch worn with high-waisted trousers. And though the press tour has long ended, Styles hasn’t stored away his trusty pearls. Rather, he continues to debut covetable new styles. After appearing in Styles’ “Golden” music video, jewelry brand Éliou debuted the “Harry” necklace. Photo: Neil Mockford/GC Images.
Statement Collars
At the 2020 Brit Awards, Styles wore an eyelet collar on the red carpet. With the look, he added a purple sweater (that matched his painted fingernails!), a brown suit, and a pair of patent leather Mary-Janes — another top trend at the moment. The look — collar included — went on to be recreated for SNL in December, when Timothée Chalamet impersonated Styles on the show. The singer-actor also wore a statement collar at his friend Jeffrey Azoff’s wedding, which he attended with alleged girlfriend Olivia Wilde. Photo: Joe Maher/Getty Images.
Embroidery
In February, Styles was photographed leaving BBC Radio 2 in corduroy pants, a striped T-shirt, and a green jacket by Bode that features embroidered pictures of underwater plants and a ship. Like knitting, mending, and patchworking, embroidery has become one of the year’s most popular DIY trends — probably because of how cathartic it is to continuously jab at fabric with a needle during times of stress. Styles’ stamp of approval didn’t hurt, though.Photo: Neil Mockford/GC Images.
Cardigans
We knew Styles had reach in the fashion community. What we didn’t know was just how far his reach went. This summer, we got our answer. In June, months after Styles wore a JW Anderson patchwork cardigan for a TODAY appearance, his fans on TikTok got an idea: To DIY his cardigan, which cost over $1,800, and document the process on the popular social media app. Today, TikTok’s #HarryStylesCardigan page has 54.1 million views — 36.3 million more than when we first reported this news in August. Photo: Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images.
Crochet Tops
Within 24 hours of Harry Styles’ music video debut of “Watermelon Sugar,” search spiked for all of the fashion items featured in it, including Hawaiian shirts and pieces from Bode. Also popular? Crochet tops, which rose in search on Lyst by 6%, and have since become a major trend, both on DIY TikTok and on Instagram. Fashion brands ranging from Miu Miu to SERIES NY also hopped on board.
Bucket Hats
Styles’ Éliou pearl necklace wasn’t the only trendy item featured in “Golden.” In addition to billowy shirts and a mint-colored Gucci blazer (which caused a 52% spike in search on Lyst for turquoise and blue blazers), the singer also wore a bright yellow bucket hat, which led to a 92% increase in search on the site. Though already a prominent trend among celebrities, Styles’ wearing of the hat style may have advanced the accessory to peak popularity.
Argyle Sweaters
Admittedly, it wasn’t just Styles who caused an uptick in popularity for argyle sweaters — Waller-Bridge and Wilde helped, too. In January, following the release of his music video for “Treat People With Kindness,” in which both Styles and Waller-Bridge wore argyle sweater vests — as well as a paparazzi spotting of Wilde wearing a pink-and-brown argyle sweater vest — Lyst reported a 39% month-over-month increase in search for similar knitwear. In addition, the site saw a 26% increase in search for “argyle” sweaters and a 17% jump in page views for sweater vests.
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