If, like many, you’re a Harry Styles megafan, you probably woke up this morning with a huge grin across your face. Yesterday afternoon (January 20), the former boybander posted a moustachioed image of himself on his IG grid, captioning the photo ‘Aperture. Jan 23, 00:00 UK.’ The single announcement is our first promise of new music since the critically acclaimed Harry’s House, his third studio album released way back in May 2022. “Aperture” is the lead single from new record Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, which was announced last week to massive fanfare.
All the ruckus about Styles’ return to the spotlight reminded us of the time we dropped our winter 2021 cover, and the world collectively lost its mind. To say that it broke the internet would be an understatement – since that unseasonably warm Monday in November, the Dazed servers have never been the same again.
Much was made of the interview and its accompanying fashion shoot, styled by Ib Kamara and lensed by Rafael Pavarotti. “Harry Styles wows in sublime pics”, was the Metro’s headline. “Harry Styles dons dresses and heels while discussing his new beauty brand,” responded the Daily Mail, clutching its pearls. “Harry Styles’ New Dazed Photo-Shoot Takes His OTT Fashion To New Levels And We’re Absolutely Here For It,” bellowed HuffPost.
Fans had a field day online, comparing Kamara’s styling to The Grinch, Kermit the Frog and the little lad who loves berries and cream. The former editor-in-chief had him in a Prada bodysuit, archive Gaultier and a Balenciaga opera cape – but, unsurprisingly, it didn’t take much to get him in them. “As photographer Rafael Pavarotti readies his camera, Dazed’s editor-in-chief Ibrahim Kamara takes Styles through the proposed looks for the shoot,” read the print profile. “He immediately grabs an angelic cream look of a Rick Owens webbed sweater, a Galliano corset, and a Comme des Garçons kitten heel from the splatter of Polaroids affixed to the wall.”
Like our cover shoot in 2021, what Styles chooses to wear is constantly under the microscope, and will continue to be throughout this next era. If the new album cover is anything to go by, though, he’s taking a more pared-back approach, donning a simple blue knitted t-shirt from indie designer Patrick Carroll, with the album’s name stitched across it in red. Stay tuned for what Styles turns out next.
For our entire winter 2021 cover shoot with styles, scroll through the gallery at the top of the page.
