Justin Bieber is unfortunately my style icon
I paused shopping for hoodies to write this
Multiple times a week, I catch my reflection in my full-length mirror (the most important piece of home decor) and think “dammit I look like Justin Bieber again.” While Bieber has tried to reinvent himself as a fashion icon over the years—even launching his own clothing brand, drew house—there is one particular look that lives rent-free in my head:
In December 2019, Justin posted a photo of himself wearing the worst outfit known to man, captioned simply “Love putting outfits together.”
It’s true that the “cozy” aesthetic had it’s moment, but that was mostly in the mid-2010s. Kanye West’s early Yeezy Seasons were chock-full of oversized athleisure, Chelsea Peretti wore a sweatsuit on The Tonight Show in 2015, the A$AP Mob embarked on the “Too Cozy” tour in 2017, and Shia LaBeouf was hailed as the decade’s “normcore fashion god.” Bieber was a fixture in this scene, often sporting baggy hoodies in Yeezy’s trademark neutrals as he made feints at streetwear.
But here we see something that is too much, too late (is that a saying?). I love a good mirror pic, but the misplaced confidence here is sending me into orbit. This “put together” outfit that is all : It’s boring on its face. comprising of maybe four pieces. The hoodie is too oversized, as are the joggers. There’s no discernable color palette heard over the garish pink is garish. But no, this is what he loves. Don’t let the smize fool you, this is Justin at his most passionate, most creative.
The funny thing is that while this outfit was a fashion crime when it was posted in the before-times, two years into Work From Home it’s all too relatable. In my “home office” where comfort is king, I often find myself wearing the same hoodie day after day, paired with the same joggers, and layered over an ungodly assortment of flannels, tshirts, ribbed tanks, and a headwear—depending on which midday errands I had to run and how long ago my last shower was.
But thanks to Justin, instead of greeting my disheveled appearance with disgust, I just think “love putting together outfits” :)
The Latest and Ye-test
Kanye West, currently in his flop era, continues to post erratically and concerningly on social media amid his divorce from Kim Kardashian and her coinciding romance with Pete Davidson. Zuckerberg finally took a stand and served Ye a 24-hour ban after he leveled racial slurs at The Daily Show host Trevor Noah.
Also catching strays in these posts? His children’s school. In a since-deleted post, he said, “I don’t want my kids at godless Sierra Canyon school.”
That name rung a bell for me, because I have a good friend who used to work there. I am nothing if not a platform for people to speak on their former employers; when asked to comment, she told me, “Sierra Canyon is a great school, but no, it is not a God fearing one.”
Ye’s posts have also cost him a performance slot at next month’s Grammy Awards. Cool, do Coachella next.
Julia Fox can be my muse
Julia Fox has a signature style that is not for everyone, especially as shot by my nemesis Juergen Teller for The Cut:
Her bold makeup and penchant for skimpy leather outfits led many to believe that she was just the girl of the moment, that her five minutes of fame were up when her relationship with Kanye ended. Instead, it seems like she nabbed the spotlight just in time to be everyone’s muse for Fashion Week:
She told us, she is the #1 Hustler!
The Oscars are a week away
And I remain largely underwhelmed by this year’s crop of contenders (and mad that Sam Elliott made me defend The Power of the Dog, a film that I famously did not enjoy).
I watched CODA (3 nominations), this weekend and thought it was cute, if in a “Netflix Original” kind of way more than a record-Sundance-sale way. I’m just saying if this movie deserves an Academy Award, so does To All the Boys I Loved Before!
Spidey suits
Andrew Garfield’s stylist, Warren Alfie Baker, is doing God’s work this awards circuit:
Please clap
I went through about 10 hairstyles in the past two years (and at least half as many identity crises) so it was time for a headshot update. Thank u to my friend and loyal Millennial Pink reader Tara Brown for fixing me up!
Be well,
Derek