Pink Versace suit and harness of Lil Nas X explained

American rapper Lil Nas X wore a couture fuchsia Versace suit with a pink harness to the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards on January 26, 2020,[1] during which he accepted his awards for Best Music Video and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Old Town Road (Remix)."[2] In 2022, Billboard suggested that Lil Nas X was one of the earliest celebrity adopters of the monochromatic pink Barbiecore trend.[3] Some critics have suggested that this outfit was the beginning of Lil Nas X's style pivot to an embrace of queer fashion.[4]

Background and design

Throughout 2019 and early 2020, Lil Nas X embraced a country-western aesthetic for his red carpet appearances and live shows.[5] Prior to the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, Lil Nas X's stylist, Hodo Musa, told the Los Angeles Times that this would be his final outfit that would reference this aesthetic.[6] She selected Versace because she found their work with hip-hop artists in the 1990s to be inspiring. Lil Nas X told CR Men that the outfit was "trying to deviate from the norm that most guys wear—suit, tie."[7] He liked that the outfit could be "a talking point" and saw it as an opportunity to "get more in tune with [his] flamboyant side."

The outfit consisted of a matching bright pink and gold-studded cropped leather jacket and high-waisted trousers. The top underneath his jacket was black mesh[8] and he also wore a bondage harness which stylist Shannon Stokes noted was likely an allusion to the 1992 Versace dominatrix collection[9] and which GQ compared to Donatella Versace's bondage dress.[10] He also wore a pink studded cowboy hat and boots, as well as silk scarves on his wrists. His clothes were patterned with the Versace Medusa icon, and his jewelry was a mixture of Versace and John Hardy. Overall, the outfit took over 700 hours to complete.[11]

Reception

The outfit was generally well received by critics. The Los Angeles Times said that Lil Nas X "electrified the celebrity walk." Paper Magazine called the look "undeniably fresh, totally him, and the kind of garment [they] want to stay talking about." Reception from outside the critical community also trended positive,[12] with detractors primarily expressing homophobic sentiments as the reason they disliked the outfit.[13] Bondage gear would become a menswear trend in high fashion in Autumn/Winter 2020.[14]

Lil Nas X's pink Versace suit has been ranked among his best outfits by numerous publications.[15] [16] [17]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Allaire . Christian . January 27, 2020 . Lil Nas X Brings Bright Pink Bondage to the Grammys Red Carpet . March 15, 2023 . Vogue . en-US . March 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315141305/https://www.vogue.com/vogueworld/article/lil-nas-x-grammys-red-carpet-versace-cowboy-look . live .
  2. Web site: McIntyre . Hugh . Grammys 2022: Lil Nas X Might Tie Michael Jackson And Kendrick Lamar With Another Win . March 15, 2023 . Forbes . en . March 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315153643/https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2022/02/27/grammys-2022-lil-nas-x-might-tie-michael-jackson-and-kendrick-lamar-with-another-win/ . live .
  3. Muhammad . Latifah . October 4, 2022 . Lil Nas X Breaks Barriers in Coach's 'Courage to Be Real' Campaign: Watch . March 15, 2023 . Billboard . en-US . March 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315153643/https://www.billboard.com/culture/product-recommendations/lil-nas-x-coach-campaign-1235149527/ . live .
  4. Web site: Lil Nas X's Style Evolution Is Full Of Personal Growth & Also Sequins . March 15, 2023 . Elite Daily . en . March 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315153643/https://www.elitedaily.com/style/lil-nas-x-style-evolution . live .
  5. Web site: Tran . Khanh T. L. . January 27, 2020 . 2020 Grammys: Lil Nas X turns heads in a hot-pink Versace outfit on the red carpet . March 15, 2023 . Los Angeles Times . en-US . March 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315141318/https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2020-01-26/la-ig-grammys-lil-nas-x-versace-red-carpet . live .
  6. Web site: Tran . Khanh T. L. . January 23, 2020 . The Grammys may be our last time to see Lil Nas X in full cowboy gear: His stylist clues us in . March 15, 2023 . Los Angeles Times . en-US . March 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315153643/https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2020-01-23/lil-nas-x-stylist-grammys-fashion . live .
  7. Web site: Flanagan . Hanna . October 1, 2020 . Lil Nas X Gives an Update on His Dating Life: 'I'm Going to Try to Go Steady' . People . March 15, 2023 . March 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315161142/https://people.com/style/lil-nas-x-fronts-new-cr-men-cover/ . live .
  8. Gracie . Bianca . January 27, 2020 . Lil Nas X Is an Edgy Cowboy in Studded Hot Pink Outfit at 2020 Grammys: See Pic . March 15, 2023 . Billboard . en-US . March 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315175637/https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/lil-nas-x-2020-grammys-pink-outfit-photo-8549134/ . live .
  9. Web site: Katz . Evan Ross . January 27, 2020 . Here's Who Didn't Bore Us on the Grammys Red Carpet . Paper Magazine . March 15, 2023 . March 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315173724/https://www.papermag.com/grammys-red-carpet-wear-me-out-2644929510.html . live .
  10. Web site: Maoui . Zak . January 27, 2020 . Lil Nas X, Diplo and Orville Peck channelled the best trend at the Grammys 2020 . March 15, 2023 . British GQ . en-GB . March 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315175638/https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/fashion/article/grammys-2020-lil-nas-x-diplo-orville-peck-western-trend . live .
  11. Web site: Tracer . Dan . WATCH: Lil Nas X's pink leather harness look took 700 hours to make . March 15, 2023 . Queerty . 28 January 2020 . March 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315175642/https://www.queerty.com/watch-lil-nas-xs-pink-leather-harness-look-took-700-hours-make-20200128 . live .
  12. Web site: Parsons . Vic . January 27, 2020 . Lil Nas X wins big at the Grammys in all-pink Versace 'cowboy dominatrix' outfit . March 15, 2023 . PinkNews . en-US . March 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315193852/https://www.thepinknews.com/2020/01/27/lil-nas-x-grammys-pink-versace-cowboy-dominatrix-tyler-the-creator/ . live .
  13. Web site: Sarkisian . Jacob . Lil Nas X had the best response to a homophobic rant from rapper Pastor Troy . March 15, 2023 . Insider . en-US . April 24, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230424204317/https://www.insider.com/lil-nas-x-best-response-homophobic-rant-rapper-pastor-troy-2020-1 . live .
  14. News: Elan . Priya . January 27, 2020 . Back in the saddle: what the harness on the red carpet means . en-GB . The Guardian . March 15, 2023 . 0261-3077 . March 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315195620/https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2020/jan/27/back-in-the-saddle-what-the-harness-on-the-red-carpet-means . live .
  15. Web site: 2022-08-26 . Lil Nas X's Style Evolution Is a Masterclass in Bright and Bold Fashion . 2023-03-29 . E! Online . 2023-03-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230329134907/https://www.eonline.com/news/1343068/lil-nas-xs-style-evolution-is-a-masterclass-in-bright-and-bold-fashion . live .
  16. Web site: 2022-08-28 . Relive the Best Lil Nas X Looks, Including All of the Embellished Western Wear You Can Handle . 2023-03-29 . ELLE . en-us . 2023-03-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230329134907/https://www.elle.com/fashion/celebrity-style/g30288403/lil-nas-x-style/ . live .
  17. Web site: BET Awards 2021: Lil Nas X's Best Style Moments . 2023-03-29 . BET . en . 2023-03-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230329152922/https://www.bet.com/article/zaza7p/bet-awards-2021-rewind-lil-nas-x-s-best-looks . live .