14 Stars Who Conveyed More Through Their Outfits Than They Could With Words
Clothes serve many purposes: they help us keep warm, express ourselves, and can even convey certain messages. We looked back at stars who worked extra hidden meanings into the design of their outfits. In the examples below, a single picture tells many stories!
Hailey Bieber
Hailey Bieber went for a walk in LA wearing a T-shirt saying “Nepo Baby.” It’s a term referring to kids from rich or influential families who have achieved success in life thanks to their family members’ help. In this case, Hailey is a nepo baby because her father is Stephen Baldwin. It seems that this might be her way of laughing at this title.
Serena Williams
Living sports icon Serena Williams appeared in a specially designed outfit at her last US Open before retirement. Together with Nike designers, the tennis player created a figure skating-inspired black set, decorated with crystals. The elegant outfit spoke for itself—a queen stepped onto the court.
Letitia Wright
During the premiere of Wakanda Forever in Mexico, actress Letitia Wright showed up wearing a black jacket with rhinestones on her collar. CB are the initials of Chadwick Boseman, who played Black Panther in the original film. This was Letitia’s way of expressing respect for her colleague, who passed away from cancer in 2020.
Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka wore an unusual outfit to the 2021 Met Gala. The Japanese athlete’s look was infused with unique elements representing her heritage. To highlight the uniqueness of her culture, she wore a Louis Vuitton corset dress with a bright print featuring Japanese koi fish. Her sister helped her with the dress.
Zendaya
Zendaya appeared at the BET Awards ceremony in a Versace dress that strongly resembled Beyoncé’s outfit. The nearly identical look was seen at the same event in 2003. It was likely a tribute to the pop music legend. Zendaya’s version was modest compared to Beyoncé’s — she transformed the original mini skirt into a maxi dress version.
Riz Ahmed
The star of Sound of Metal wore a bubblegum pink, below-the-knee shirt, known as a kurta among South Asian communities. For the actor with British and Pakistani roots, it was important to show that we live in a world where people accept and respect each other.
Gabrielle Union
There’s a reason why Gabrielle had a scarlet flower on her amazing dress. The actress chose this design for the “Gilded Glamor”-themed 2022 Met Gala. In her statement, she explained, “When you think about the Gilded Age and Black and brown people in this country, this country is built off of our backs, our blood, sweat and tears.”
Nikkie de Jager
The bright look of popular YouTube blogger Nikkie de Jager was inspired by transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson. “She was at the forefront of the Stonewall Riots, and she was known for saying ’Pay it no mind.’ So I’m paying it no mind. And she was known for flowers, so here I am.”
Nicola Peltz-Beckham
Nicola Peltz married Brooklyn Beckham in an elegant wedding dress from Valentino. Her mom customized the dress with hidden embroidery that contained a moving message. She only told her daughter about it after the ceremony. Stitched in blue thread, the message read, “Nicola, my heart. You are me, I am you. All my love, all my life, my beautiful girl, inside and out. Love, mom.”
Lizzo
For her SNL performance, Lizzo wore a white slip dress with one strap hanging off her shoulder. The singer was sitting at the edge of the bed and looking at the floor, surrounded by blue walls. Attentive viewers noticed that this look was based on a self-portrait by African-American artist Annie Lee, who passed away in 2014.
Taylor Swift
Taylor is known for her love of “Easter eggs,” hidden clues in her songs and outfits intended for fans to find and interpret. The dress she wore to the EMAs looks like a snake skin pattern, which was a reference to the time Kanye West called the singer a “snake.” The coincidences do not end there. The award ceremony was on November 13th, just three days after Taylor was allowed to re-record her album “Reputation.” The album includes a song about Taylor’s feud with Kanye and Kim.
Kylie Jenner
Kylie’s outfit at Paris Fashion Week caused a lot of discussion. The lion’s head, for which Jenner was criticized, may be dedicated to her son. The reality show star kept the name of her child a secret for a long time. When the boy was 11 months old, Kyle finally revealed that she had named her son Aire Webster. “Aire” in Hebrew means “lion of God.”
Cynthia Erivo
Erivo wore a lace Louis Vuitton dress at the 2022 Met Gala red carpet. The headdress was a tribute to the black women of Louisiana. The outfit makes even more sense when you look at her nails. The middle finger on her left hand has a face of a black woman.
Miley Cyrus
Miley released the song “Flowers” on her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth’s birthday. The chorus is a reinvention of Bruno Mars’ song that Liam dedicated to Miley. And the dress looks like the one Jennifer Lawrence wore at the premiere of The Hunger Games she attended with Liam. Jennifer once said that she kissed Liam not only on the screen. So, Miley’s fans think it’s a nod to a possible love affair.
But there’s also a possible alternative interpretation of this outfit. The singer was wearing an archive Saint Laurent dress from 1991. This could represent a mid-point between the birthdates of both spouses — January 1990 for Liam and November 1991 for Miley. Later in the video, the singer wears a black jacket from the same designer but from 2022. The fans see it as a symbol of Miley moving on to a new stage of her life.
Whose outfit seemed to have the most interesting message? Do you use clothes and accessories to convey your message?