While the world was taken with Harry Styles’ bow-adorned Gucci blouse at the 2019 “Camp: Notes on Fashion”-themed Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday, May 6, some may not have noticed that the evening’s fashion-forward co-host was also sporting a single pearl earring. And, as it turns out, the former boy bander got his ears pierced just for the occasion.
The “Sign of the Times” singer’s longtime stylist, Harry Lambert, told Miss Vogue that he encouraged Styles to get the piercing after discovering the $410 Gucci Bee Earrings with Drop Pearls on the brand’s website and thinking they would be the cherry on top of his all-black-everything ensemble.
“It was the perfect final touch for the outfit,” Lambert said of the bling. “About four days ago, the day before I left to travel to New York, I was on Gucci’s website and saw [the] pearl earrings.”
And, when it came to adding some holes to his ears, the former One Direction member didn’t need much convincing.
“Harry and I have discussed previously piercing his ears, and this was the perfect time,” the stylist explained. “I texted him and he replied, saying ‘Let’s do it.’”
Unlike fellow Met Gala-goers who opted for over-the-top numbers (see: Katy Perry as a Moschino candelabra) and multi-colored creations (hi, Cara Delevingne and Lupita Nyong’o), Styles kept things relatively simple in his sheer top and high-waisted bottoms. Lambert shared that the “unexpected” approach was actually quite deliberate, and — judging by the post-event best-dressed rankings — the risk more than paid off.
“I think everyone was expecting Harry to be in sequins, bright colors and a crown, but we decided on a different type of ‘camp’ that hopefully would surprise,” he told Miss Vogue. “This look is about taking traditionally feminine elements like the frills, heeled boots, sheer fabric and the pearl earring, but then rephrasing them as masculine pieces set against the high-waisted tailored trousers and his tattoos. The look, I feel, is elegant. It’s camp, but still Harry.”
Between his more-is-more tour looks and Gucci menswear campaigns (have you seen the one where he poses with barnyard animals while wearing pussy-bow blouses and crowns?), Styles has established himself as one of the most stylish guys around. But it sounds like he and Lambert are ready to take his wardrobe in a new direction (see that we did there?!).
“I think we’ve done that chapter,” Lambert said of the whimsy. “We know it works. It’s time to try something new and hopefully shock and inspire in a different way. I know the fans love his outfits, so hopefully they will love what’s to come. This is a more subtle form of camp which I love.”
