If you’ve been following Harry Styles since the days when he wore desert boots, pedal pushers, and a thin River Island scarf on The X Factor, you’ll know that the man has undergone a number of style evolutions through the years. There was the period in which he was papped in vests and fabric headbands with stunning regularity—his frat-boy phase, albeit a frat boy from… Redditch, Worcestershire. There was the 1970s rockstar aesthetic courtesy of Alessandro Michele. There was his provocatively androgynous era (think: a pearl earring and a sheer Gucci blouse at the 2019 Met Gala), and his glam, Elton John-adjacent ensembles on tour (see: the tinsel-festooned bodysuits and feather boas). And now, we’ve come full circle, and have landed upon what I’m calling… his early-30s, normal-guy era.
This is Harry we’re talking about, so of course he’ll never look like your average man, but his early-30s normal-guy era is as close as he’s ever been. Open-collared shirts and wayfarers at an England match. Some shorts and battered Sambas in Soho, London. A big Umbro hoodie, white socks, and aviator shades on the streets of Primrose Hill. In fact, if you were to look at any of Harry’s big fits in 2024, they wouldn’t look out of place on any 30-something guy with a model-influencer girlfriend. This is Harry at peak internet-boyfriend-slash-sports-dad, with a not-quite mullet and some kind of neutral oversized sweater hastily thrown on. Just like Jeremy Allen White and Paul Mescal, he has become slacker hot personified.
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
The recent shots to emerge of Harry feel, in many ways, like a throwback to the ’90s and ’00s, when celebs were papped in Starbucks car parks in baseball caps, don’t-look-at-me shades, and faded jeans: eg, Brad Pitt shopping in LA in a baggy grey T-shirt; Jared Leto and Cameron Diaz cruising around LA in matching fits; Colin Farrell absolutely any time he went anywhere at the turn of the millennium. While Harry spends less time in LA these days, his look is very 90210: the sort of incognito style that men tend to go for once they reach a certain level of fame and wealth and just want to knock around Erewhon in Beverly Hills all day. It’s supposed to help them blend in, but also: not really? Because if you spot someone in designer shades and a “covert” hoodie while paps hide in the bushes nearby, you’re going to assume they’ve got at least three properties with infinity pools and a lengthy IMDB profile.
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
It’s also worth pointing out here that Harry is no longer a 16-year-old whippersnapper with a passion for chunky hi-tops and friendship bracelets. Long gone are the tumbling curls of his One Direction days, the scoop-neck tees that revealed one-third of his “17 Black” tattoo. At 30, he wears pressed cotton shirts, spends time in Rome, and watches golf tournaments. While he’s always given off daddy energy, he’s now also giving off dad: someone who reverses a car with one arm and likes to be in charge of the barbecue tongs. And it’s working for him. Not everyone can get away with wearing a mega-worn band tee and half-destroyed Vans—but Harry isn’t everyone. He could wear a bin bag and sliders and still appear stylish. “Normal” looks so good on him because he’s not normal; he has a face sculpted by the Gods and a $50 million real estate portfolio.
I’m sure that, come his next LP or Michele’s first proper Valentino collection in September, Harry will launch himself into another daring fashion phase. There will come a point when he needs to make a red-carpet appearance, or attend the Grammys, and only something Liberace-esque will do. Until then, though, let’s just appreciate the vibe of this 30-year-old man in Adidas trainers, short shorts, and slightly greying sports socks for what it is: a masterpiece.