Pop sensation Harry Styles is currently making a splash with his world tour, and it is not just the music commanding attention.
On stage, Styles has made a convincing case that menswear deserves its own kind of fanatical adoration when the lights go up.
His concert wardrobe is as closely watched as the set list, with sharply tailored suits, expressive silhouettes and a revolving cast of designers giving each appearance its own visual identity.
It is the sort of fashion-led approach to touring that has long been associated with female pop stars.
Beyonce and Taylor Swift, among others, have turned their concert wardrobes into extensions of their artistic worlds, working with major fashion houses, commissioning custom looks and treating costume changes as part of the performance itself.
For male musicians, however, the relationship between fashion and the concert stage has historically been more complicated.
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There have, of course, been notable exceptions.
David Bowie understood the transformative power of clothes in the 1970s, using tailoring, makeup and theatrical silhouettes to create characters as much as outfits.
Prince did much the same in the 1980s, making ruffles, sequins, lace and provocative tailoring part of his visual vocabulary.
Styles belongs to that lineage, but he is also a product of a fashion landscape in which the boundaries of menswear have become considerably more fluid.
This is not Styles’ first world tour, nor is his interest in fashion a recent development.
His previous tours and performances have already established him as one of the more adventurous male dressers in contemporary pop.
What is different now is the sense of evolution – the clothes feel less like a series of eccentric outfits and more like an intentional fashion language.
His approach has always been eclectic, though.
Over the years, Styles has moved between skinny tailoring, flamboyant suiting, vintage- inspired separates, pearls, sequins, cropped silhouettes and romantic flourishes, often borrowing freely from codes not traditionally associated with menswear.
That willingness to experiment has made him particularly useful to fashion houses.
He can wear a sharply cut suit without looking corporate, a sheer or embellished piece without it becoming costume, and something overtly glamorous while retaining an unmistakably masculine presence.
The concert stage simply gives him a larger canvas.
For Styles, the clothes are not merely supporting players. They help establish the mood of a performance and, perhaps more importantly, communicate the kind of artiste he wants to be.
His wardrobe suggests a man comfortable with contradiction. Think of the most recent looks as polished but playful, or traditionally tailored yet deliberately unconventional.
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That balance is particularly relevant at a time when menswear itself is undergoing a recalibration.
The old idea that male celebrity dressing should revolve around a narrow vocabulary of suits, sneakers and under-stated luxury has been steadily eroded.
Musicians, actors and athletes have become increasingly comfortable with jewellery, dramatic tailoring and colour.
There was also a time when the male pop star’s stage uniform was expected to be instantly recognisable but relatively restrained.
Today, there is room for a more expansive interpretation of performance dressing, one in which fashion can be theatrical, emotional and even deliberately excessive.
Styles understands that instinctively. And while he may not be the first male performer to recognise the stage as a runway, his current tour demonstrates just how far the idea has evolved.
The music may bring the crowds in. But it is the clothes that give them something else to look at.
Harry Styles 'Together Together' fashion looks
Even a classic two-piece suit can look dramatic when styled with a modish edge – note the white socks and skinny silhouette. Photo: Valentino
Harry Styles takes a daring approach in this Calvin Klein look, featuring harem pants. Photo: Instagram/Harry Styles
When the rest of the look is rather unassuming, a patterned tie is an easy way to add some flair. Photo: Celine
Harry Styles never shies away from bold colours and unexpected combinations. Photo: Instagram/Prada
A print-on-print-on-print look highlights just how adventurous Harry Styles can be with his stage dressing. Photo: JW Anderson
