Gavin and Stacey star in wheelchair says 'it's been horrible' after accident
Alison Steadman, 78, has revealed several injuries following a fall while in Dubai
Read more >> : Cick here
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
How to Make a Pop Star's Style Go Viral
The new generation of pop divas, including Charli XCX, Doechii, Sabrina Carpenter, and Chappell Roan, has internet fans obsessing over their personal style, as well as their music. Here, InStyle taps stylists Sam Woolf and Genesis Webb and industry experts to unpack why and how their fashion goes viral.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/012125-make-pop-star-go-viral-embed-social-1bf70fada5a74d1780983491c231f26d.jpg)
Click Here to read in detail
Six months after her culture-shifting album release, Charli XCX dropped her Brat manifesto. âSome people will hate it,â she proudly declared on Instagram.
The post, which outlined the plan she had laid for musical world domination months back, showed exactly how and why âClub Classicsâ became the sound of the summer. The low-fi screenshot proclaimed that âthe artwork for Brat will be obnoxious, arrogant, and boldâ and âthe answer is always âno comment.ââ This was not just an album release, but a slime green, indie sleaze, tank topâclad party girl fantasyâand the âGirl, So Confusingâ singer wanted the whole of Al Gore's internet to know it.
This rare look behind the curtain of pop image-making exemplifies exactly what makes the next generation of breakthrough musical stars tick. Can you imagine BeyoncĂ© or Taylor Swift showing us their marketing plans? Me thinks not. But there it was, outlined in all caps for the world to seeâCharliâs formula for going viral.
Of course, Charli XCX isnât the only pop girlie whoâs found success in self-mythology. Musicâs new guard (Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Doechii, et al.) offer a clear vision and personal aesthetic that extends beyond Spotify Playlist ubiquity and trending TikTok sounds. They build entire worlds with their artistry, delivering escapism and authenticity to fans in equal measure.Â
Getty Images / @chappellroan Instagram
Fashion plays an outsized role in cultivating that pop star It factor, and thereâs no better example than Chappell Roanâs meteoric rise. Thanks to stylist Genesis Webb, the âRed Wine Supernovaâ singer has become just as known for her vaudeville, drag-inspired performance attire as her undeniable bops and record-breaking Coachella crowds.
âI hope what Chappell has done opens up a space so that artists donât feel like they have to be safe to be popular and digestible,â says Webb, adding that she and her client like existing in their own genre-less universe. âIâm not a big fan of a constant in someone's personaâa high ponytail, a mini dress, a platform heel, a thigh-high boot, etc. I donât enjoy a constant. I think self-expression is endless and should be that way.â
Though hard to pin down aesthetically, Webbâs work with Roan is unified by a sense of high drama and layered storytelling. Case in point: the artistâs first VMA performance, for which the duo created a Medieval-inspired fashion narrative via three standout looks.Â
âIt had a beginning and end, and there were three different looks that intertwined with one another,â says Webb. The beginning, a Gothic Y Project gown worn on the red carpet, evoked French fables with its sage-green cloak and cross accessories. Then, Roan performed in custom Joan of Arc armor by Zana Bayne and Doc Martins. By the end of the night, the singer had accepted the award for Best New Artist wearing a Knights-of-the-Roundtable metal hood and glittering chainmail by Rabanne.
This three-part arc is classic Roan. Sheâs not afraid of a niche reference, drawing much of her inspiration from art historical cues like Swan Lake and the Casino De Paris. Sheâs wont to transform into a walking, talking allegory (see: her viral Statue of Liberty Gov Ball âfit) when the spirit moves her. What brings it all together, from lipstick-stained teeth to leather chaps, is the sense that once Chappell Roan hits the stage, youâre entering the fashion dreamscape she and Webb have created.Â
Getty Images / @sabrinacarpenter Instagram
Another of last yearâs newly minted pop stars, Sabrina Carpenter, has made style a key touchpoint of her personal brand. Before her album Short n' Sweet, the singerâs Disney Channel stardom was obstructing her pop careerâa recurring pain point for teen idols trying to transition to adult fame. But after nearly a year of opening for Taylor Swiftâs Eras tour, in April 2024, her song âEspressoâ debuted at the top of the charts, thanks in part to a strong visual and sartorial rebrand.Â
This was more than just a clever application of TikTokâs Hollywood Hair Theory (although Carpenterâs teased blonde Bardot cut is her most distinguishable feature). Sheâs crafted a head-to-toe pop persona thatâs instantly recognizable, from the tops of her generously blushed cheeks down to the soles of her platform Mary Janes.Â
Thereâs no doubt this fresh look, created with It Girlâloved stylist Jared Ellner, upped her âviral factor.â The singerâs coquette accessories and thick nude pantyhose capture not just the fashion zeitgeist, but her essence as an artist: Betty Boop minis, heart cutouts, and lace trim pair naturally with her lyricsâ flirty innuendos and midcentury choreography.Â
Style isnât the only factor contributing to Carpenterâs recent success, but itâs certainly no coincidence that her pop culture breakthrough coincided with her personal style makeover. After all, when youâre more recognizable as an artist, so is your music.
Getty Images / @doechii Instagram
Of all 2025âs Grammy-nominated new guard, however, the most viral artist right now is Doechii. A clip from âDenial Is a Riverâ has been TikTokâs favorite sound for a few months running, making her Alligator Bites Never Heal mixtape both a populist hit and critical darling. Her personal style is no less lauded, racking up likes, views, and online imitators throughout a recent promo tour.
âWe like to do things people donât expect from a female rapper, but also move in a direction that aligns with the music she has created,â says stylist Sam Woolf about how he and the starlet think about her personal aesthetic. Ranging from subversive prep (like a Miu Miu shrunken polo and underwear combo ) to full-on office siren attire, the âNissan Altimaâ rapperâs looks often play with androgyny and gender.
âDoechiiâs aesthetic lives on different planets in the same worldâfeminine, masculine, preppy, office siren, Motown, and sexy,â explains the stylist. That kaleidoscope of fashion references reflects her myriad musical influencesâand embodies the rapperâs self-described âalternative hip hopâ sound. Fashion is part of her larger vision, adds Woolf: âItâs more about thinking about where sheâs going, where she fits in that world, and the story behind the look. Itâs always very intentional.â
Even Doechiiâs Instagram grid reflects her duality. Scroll, and youâll see a puffed-sleeved unitard by Acne Studios in one photo and a Thom Browne shirt and tie in the next. She and Woolf are constantly exploring the push and pull between prep and streetwear, masculine and feminine, established and rising designer.Â
Somehow both consistent and chaotic, Doechiiâs aesthetic mix is perhaps described best by the rapper herself: âIâm the new hip-hop Madonna,â she asserts in âNissan Altima.â Itâs a bold move, comparing oneself to the Jean Paul Gaultier cone-braâwearing mother of pop reinvention, but you canât help but respect the declaration from an up-and-comer who has already exhibited a knack for fashion showmanship.
These pop stars put their own spin on personal style, but what unites them all is their back-and-forth dialogue with fans. Each fandom (many of which overlap) disseminates lovingly crafted outfit inspo and beauty tutorials ahead of big concert dates. Music-loving resellers curate online shops for both the Sweat tour and Midwest Princesses. Fans even make their own Brat merch and post the DIY videos online as proof.Â
This fan-lead fashion ecosystem has an amplifying effect on an artistâs popularityâand, in an increasingly competitive attention economy, every view matters. âFans love to be able to reference a look or style when they attend a concert. It's become part of the experience of seeing a live show now,â says Elliot Soriano, a music industry stylist whoâs worked with Charli XCX and Lady Gaga.Â
Getty Images / @charli_xcx Instagram
You can see pop starsâ personas mirrored in the way people shop. According to Gen Zâs favorite resale platform, Depop, searches for âMedieval coreâ have risen (more than 230 percent) since Chappell Roanâs VMA appearance in September. So, too, has Sabrina Carpenterâs âpin-up styleâ (which increased 235 percent in 2024), Doechiiâs âmicro-shortsâ (up 934 percent), and Charliâs signature âwhite tank topâ (231 percent just last year).Â
âThe new playbook for dressing a pop diva sees style not only as a form of personal expression, but also as a blueprint for collective representation within their fandoms,â says TikTok creator and Depop trend forecaster Agus Panzoni. âThese artists embraced specific 'dress codes' for their shows, creating a sense of unity and community through style,â a phenomenon Panzoni expects to continue this year.
Predicting virality is a tricky business. Predicting fashion trends is even trickier. What plays on the internet one week might not take off the next, and todayâs style microtrends flame out faster than you can shake a match. That said, there are a few things todayâs pop stars can teach us about the internet.Â
First, personal style is queen. No unknown musical artist is taking off in 2025 without a clear vision. Second, the fans matter. Call it the starter pack-ification of pop music or just plain TikTok brain rot, but if no one knows what âaestheticâ to wear to your concert, likes and shares (not to mention ticket sales) will dip.Â
Finally, thereâs a bit of mess and mayhem in the air. It seems younger generations are starting to tire of the glossy image and critical distance of more established pop stars, several of whom tried and failed to stage music (and fashion!) comebacks last year. It almost goes without saying that in a tumultuous world, music lovers relish the appearance of honesty and ignore neatly packaged A-listers and record labelâgenerated industry plants. In a political landscape where everything is for sale, no one likes musicâor the fashion that goes along with itâto look and sound like a product.Â
Perhaps, as Charli XCX wrote in her manifesto, âwe must cultivate desire, chaos, and destructionâ to go fashion viral in 2025.
 â DreamWorks Animationâs âDog Manâ fetched $36 million in ticket sales at the weekend box office, according to studio estimates Sunday, making it theRead More %23boxoffice)
