Harry Styles is the first male in 127 years to be on the cover of US Vogue. He also became the first to appear solo and he has done so wearing a stunning Gucci gown.
After conservative commentator Candace Owens in the Us slammed Vogue and Styles for wearing a dress and skirts in the photoshoot, actress Olivia Wilde was one of the many voices together with Zach Braff and Elijah Wood jumping to defend his gender-blurring style.
The former One Direction singer has revealed a new form of fashion. A gender-neutral fashion. Last year, speaking to the London based magazine The Face he said: “What’s feminine and what’s masculine, what men are wearing and what women are wearing, there are no lines anymore.”
Styles started his collaboration with Alessandro Michele, now creative director of Gucci, in 2014. “Harry is really in touch with his feminine side because it’s something natural” noted Michele.
“And he’s a big inspiration to a younger generation, about how you can be in a totally free playground when you feel comfortable. I think that he’s a revolutionary.”
It’s not surprising that speculation about his sexuality came along with this photoshoot. And he promptly responded: “Am I sprinkling in nuggets of sexual ambiguity to try and be more interesting? No.”
“I want things to look a certain way. Not because it makes me look gay, or it makes me look straight, or it makes me look bisexual, but because I think it looks cool.” He continued: “And more than that, I just think sexuality’s something that’s fun. Honestly? I can’t say I’ve given it any more thought than that.”
It shouldn’t be shocking in 2020 to see a famous singer dressed in a beautiful Gucci gown in the Vogue’s cover.
Giulia, 28, communication assistant for Art Centre Luigi Pecci in Italy. Photo by Beatrice Nerli
Giulia, a communication assistant, is of the same opinion. She told us “I believe that it is an important and necessary step in 2020 to be able to dress in the way that reflects who we are without all the cultural stereotypes to which we have been accustomed since childhood. Given the fact that gender patterns lead in most of the cases in episodes of violence.
“However”, she added “a man wearing a woman’s dress should no longer cause a sensation, given that we have had examples in the past such as David Bowie or Renato Zero, who acted as a watershed in the definition of gender fluid”.
This has been also commented by Ryan, a London-based fashion buyer. He told Westminster World: “This appearance on the cover of US Vogue is a big step forward for what concerns the change of the classic gender roles and for the visibility of LGBT and fluid genders. As for Gucci”, he added, “I think they took advantage of the situation. They studied a good marketing strategy aimed at a growing market like the LGBT, who are usually inclined to spend more money on luxury fashion.”