Billie Eilish has recently become something of a fashion icon. Her red carpet outfits are some of the most anticipated looks, and she has worked to integrate so many different fashion brands into her wardrobe, ranging from lesser known brands to some of the most popular ones such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci. Her style is inspired by urban streetwear as she incorporates very casual and formless pieces of clothing into her outfits.
Billie has one of the most unique styles in my opinion. She walks the line between feminine and masculine fashion through formless silhouettes and casual attire which are more tomboy-esque, while also accessorizing with jewelry and incorporating bright colors which make her outfits more feminine. Although Billie’s style isn’t like anything we have seen from other celebrities, especially those in the pop music industry, she doesn’t really go outside of her typically baggy pants and oversized t-shirts.
However, this month Billie is featured on the cover of Vogue magazine, and she really stepped out of her comfort zone. One of the looks Billie wore was a Valentino Haute Couture dress that covered her head to toe in delicate fabric flowers that pop off from the dress. At first glance, this dress does not look like anything that Billie would ever wear (and it’s not), but when further analyzed, the dress does include a lot of characteristics that are very much a part of Billie’s style. Billie wears clothes that give her a lot of coverage. The Valentino dress is a very full-coverage dress where the only part of her body that is seen is her face. Another characteristic of Billie’s fashion is baggy, formless clothes. The Valentino dress is looser fitting on Billie and the flowers allow for a vague form. Â
The Valentino dress worn by Billie is actually quite revolutionary for the fashion world. Women’s fashion has always played into the stereotypical beauty standards imposed on women. It’s all about how fabric can be manipulated to give the appearance of as tiny of a waist as possible and be skin tight and revealing. To be honest, these standards for women’s fashion contribute to the over sexualization of women’s bodies. This isn’t to say that revealing and tight clothing is inherently bad. I’m all for girls wearing what makes them feel confident and beautiful. However, when the core of fashion standards relies on sex appeal and making women appear as small as possible, it’s a problem.
Billie Eilish has completely rejected these beauty standards. This isn’t something new from Billie. For as long as she has been in the public’s eye, she has dressed the way that she currently dresses. Even though she does incorporate some femininity into her clothing style, her fashion sense does lie more on the masculine or androgynous side. I love me some androgynous wear, but the fact that she wore something that was so feminine but still maintained the characteristics of her current style is amazing. That dress takes away the sexualization of the female body and leaves us with clothing that is still very feminine and beautiful, which is something that is missing from the fashion industry. Billie Eilish truly has the power to change the standards of women’s fashion with the styles of clothing that she chooses to wear, and I hope she continues to push the envelope of fashion.
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Billie Eilish’s interview and photoshoot with Vogue can be found at the link.
https://www.vogue.com/article/billie-eilish-cover-march-2020
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