The choice of the dress is not unusual for Styles, who has been known to make fashion statements and push gender norms in the past. He painted his nails lavender (and paired them with a lace collar and Mary Janes) for the 2020 Brit Awards red carpet; wore a sheer, pussy-bow blouse and a women’s Marc Jacobs suit (previously worn by Lady Gaga) for the awards themselves; and stripped down to fishnets for a shoot in Beauty Papers magazine in March. Styles’ affinity for pearls is, too, well-documented, as is his ability to send fans into overdrive after appearing in a new look. “There was such an insane spark of interest after he wore [an éliou necklace],” Cristy Mantilla, a co-founder of the Miami-based jewelry brand, told Refinery29 following the release of photos that showed Styles wearing a custom necklace from the brand at an airport in Italy. (He went on to wear another éliou necklace in the music video for “Golden,” and yet another in the Vogue spread.)
