My menswear style icons have always been people I try to visually emulate. Some cringe-worthy examples past and present include Ryan Gosling in Drive and Jordan Catalano Jared in My So-Called Life
Leto. Both are firmly straight characters with straight aesthetics. I’m not.
However, an increasingly queer and/or genderfluid aesthetic can take inspiration from the red carpet: Lil Nas X, Troye Sivan, Dan Levy and Harry styles, Just to name a few. These people are, consciously or not, reshaping public perception of what a person can and should do. One of my favorites seems to have made his own this year: Conan Gray.
From Central Texas, the 24 year-old singer-songwriter explores softer, more romantic visions of fashion year-round He first came to my attention when he was at the Met Gala in what I can only describe as Shakespeare A Midsummer Night’s Dream
disco. Valentino’s look included a cape in snow-white chiffon, a sheer sheer top embellished with metallic embellishments, wide-leg pants in sparkling sequins and a high-heeled platform sole. With free flowing curls and soft features, Gray looks almost like a high fashion cherub. But what I like even more is how he presents himself with extreme confidence and confidence. Speaking to Hamish Bowles on the red carpet, Gray pitched her look as “something ethereal, dramatic.” The whole scene feels like a thoroughly modern imagining of masculinity in 2022.
Gray has many other recognized fun, bold and inspiring outfits this year. He wore Valentino’s signature shade of pink for his spring show at Coachella. The monochromatic look featured frilly sheer silk dresses worn over well-tailored trousers—an artful mix of feminine and masculine elements. The star’s other looks on stage included an embroidered western tank top worn over a sturdy bare torso, a plaid miniskirt and a heavy lace Moschino two-piece suit. Born in 1998 Gray, his style feels more authentic and down to earth to represent Gen-Z fashion rather than the more pop and extreme like
Minimalist example Euphoria . It highlights that, for many of today’s young shoppers, fashion is not about shock value or attention, but unfettered exploration, which in turn inspires others.
I have to admit: I was cheering from the sidelines earlier this year for menswear’s growing embrace of the skirt. I love it, but I never felt like it was something I could or was included in my particular version of queer masculinity. But then I saw Gray perform in a Chopova Lowena dress with a cropped sweater vest and Doc Marten loafers. This look feels like the glamorous spectacle of gender-bending punk. He wears the dress, not the other way around.
20222022
