Pop girlie styleHow 3 pop stars set the dress code
The pop girlies’ influence is bigger than ever, and it’s showing up in our fashion choices.
By Nayeun Kim
21 February 2025 · 5 min read
Pop veterans Taylor Swift and Beyoncé made headlines last year by setting new records for their respective tours, but something felt amiss in the world of pop. A curveball ‘I Kissed a Girl’ moment, perhaps?
The lack of fresh faces sparked murmurs of ‘death of pop’ rumbling until former underground rave child Charli XCX dropped Brat like a god given sign. Simultaneously, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan erupted onto the scene, with the three fresh pop darlings dropping one hit after another on rotation like a game of musical chairs — with one major difference to the game: no one lost their seat.
Their musical influence doesn’t need reiterating; their collective 2025 Grammy nominations — and wins — are the receipt. But it’s not only the clubs, cafes, and Spotify playlists they’ve taken over. Their aesthetics are filtering into the everyday and their influence is showing up in our wardrobes this year.
Nothing mid about this Midwest Princess
We may forever be nostalgic for Britney-Christina-Madonna ’00s pop era, but the renewed pop girlie aesthetic that shuts the door on male gaze is worth cheering for. In glittery drag-inspired looks, powerful vocals, and ‘don’t f*ck with me’ attitude, Chappell Roan is just what we need.
Explaining her style on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, she said, “My stylist Genesis Webb and I pull from drag, we pull from horror movies, we pull from burlesque, we pull from theater”. With conversations surrounding the homogenizing effects of social media algorithms and its affects on our perception of personal style, leaning into the ‘weird drama kid’ feels like a big tick to be authentically and unapologetically yourself — and we say that in the realest way, minus the cringe.
You might read this and think, “that’s cool, but not for me”, and we get it. One can appreciate an elaborate stage look, but how could you possibly show up to work in a hennin (aka conical hat) and a long train? The answer: you don’t.
Take a grain from the Midwest Princess’ aesthetic: DIY-touch, camo, glitter, sequins, mediaeval elements, metallics, kitschy accessories, decorated boots, New Romantics-inspired makeup to incorporate seamlessly into your wardrobe, and comic sans font to complete it. Work blazer? Try tartan. White blouse? Go for the vintage-inspired frills. T-shirt? band graphics all the way. Want curves? Corsets are your new best friend. Finally, when it’s showtime (aka Friday night), what do you do? Reach for that glitter eyeshadow — one diamonte is low key, three and you’re hot to go.
Your Guilty Pleasure, right here
All brat and no apologies
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2024 was hands down the year of brat. When the internet’s hot girls — Chloë Sevigny, Gabbriette, Alex Consani, Isamaya Ffrench, to name only a few (seriously, look up the full credit list) — cameo on your music video, how can it not be?
With each grind and lick of the stage floor, Charli XCX’s brat manifesto took over Ibiza, London to New York. We’re fans of wellness routines but oh man, did it feel monumental to undo it all and make way for the dirty, gritty, and some harmless fun. The summer of 2024 may have passed and we’re suited up, back at work but — dare I say — brat changed us?
What ‘change’ do you ask? Well, it circles back to the male gaze thing and sticking up your middle finger to being yogi-perfect. The anti-fashion — borderline ugly — sentiment is like restoring an overly pruned garden with some healthy dose of necessary pests that allows it to flourish. If that analogy doesn’t resonate, basically, we’re saying perfection comes with a bit of grit. We’re human after all.
So the big question, how is it influencing our wardrobes? While the radioactive green might stay in 2024, this year, we think less kitten heel; more boss b*tch heel, statement tees that sheds light on what you’re feeling, and coordinating looks with your friends who have your back. Eyeliner is your accessory. Sweat-proof anything is your go-to. Maintain that summer hair sheen all year round. Your outfit might have a touch of romance, but high contrast with some rips, pulls, studs — anything that screams: “I went my own way and I made it”. Or, just a “strappy white top with no bra” to sign the million dollar contract you deserve.
Talk talk, now walk the walk
Short n’ sweet n’ high ambitions
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When Sabrina Carpenter opened for Taylor Swift on her “Eras” tour, we’ll be the first to admit it: we were scratching our heads. Has pop regressed to a blonde bombshell?
That was until we listened carefully to the lyrics and understood Carpenter’s in on the joke. Her album, which has been described as “goofy self-deprecating horndog” by The New York Times culture reporter Joe Coscarelli and “unabashedly horny” by culture critic Lucy Ford, her soft-core appearance is merely part of the gag; a rose that pricks with her candid music. “It’s almost like they made a list of red flags for relationships or relationship behaviour and they were like let’s make a song about these,” discusses Jon Caramanica on the Popcast podcast. And Carpenter’s masterfully flirty host-guest dynamic with Amelia Dimoldenberg on the Chicken Shop Date perfectly lived up to her music’s reputation.
Unlike Roan or Charli, Carpenter’s aesthetic is subliminal. It lures you in through familiarity and comfort before flipping it around. It’s embracing the old Hollywood glamour but balancing it with the confidence and assertiveness of someone in control.
How to ace it? Play it out like so: classic patent boots in unexpected colours, asymmetrical lines, playing with hemlines, lady-like classics revamped with a bit of punk edge. Favouring colour palettes reminiscent of spring florals that make you want to lean in and take a deep breath. Understanding that all it takes is one extra pink-something to feel like a tween mood board — and avoiding that. Soft glam makeup that looks freshly powdered (time to stock up on blush) that no one would suspect that you were right there with the Chappells and Charlis on the dancefloor until sunrise.
So Chappell, Charli or Sabrina fans, are you ready for a Grammy-winning, pop girlie makeover?
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