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The 25 Most Stylish Musicians of 2023

Doja Cat flexed her wicked sense of fashion alchemy, Beyoncé brought disco trends back, and Blackpink applied for a full-time gig as “coolest band on the planet” — here are artists who have taken sartorial genius to a new level

Doja Cat

Doja Cat arrives at the Billboard Women in Music Awards on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles.

Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

TO QUOTE HIP-HOP legend and fashion trendsetter Slick Rick, “When it comes to style, either you have it or you don’t.” These days, “having it” matters more than ever; style and music have never been so inextricably linked. So, we’ve decided to rank the 25 most stylish musicians in the world — from Beyoncé reinstating looks from the Seventies and Eighties in her Renaissance era, to rapper Dawn continuing to evolve classic hip-hop silhouettes in his single “Stupid Cool,” to Rosalía balancing soft and hard (or as she describes it, “toma y daca, give and take”) in her Motomami tour wardrobe. These musicians epitomized style with distinction and personality, telling stories with clothing while intertwining their own identities into every look.

For Rolling Stone’s second annual Most Stylish Musicians list, we selected a panel of voters from throughout the worlds of fashion, music, and culture. They were asked to pick and rank 20 musicians, with the definition of “stylish” being up to each individual voter. Have any disagreements with our picks? Email style@rollingstone.com to air your grievances.

The Voters

Alastair Mckimm editor-in-chief, i-D; Albert Ayal founder and creative director, Up Next Designer; Amanda Charchian photographer; Arianne Phillips costume designer; B. Akerlund fashion activist and costume designer; Brigitte Chartrand vice president of womenswear buying, Ssense; Cliqua film directors; Colm Dillane creative director, Kidsuper; David Josef Tamargo CEO, Alligator Jesus; Dion Lee creative director, Dion Lee; Doni Nahmias creative director and founder, Nahmias; Edvin Thompson designer and creative director, Theophilio; Eric Johnson photographer; Federico Barassi vice president of menswear buying, Ssense; Francesco Risso creative director, Marni; Hannah Lux Davisvideo director; Ludovic de Saint Sernin creative director, Ludovic de Saint Sernin and Ann Demeulemeester; Manu Rios actor; Marcus Correa creative director and stylist; Mei Pangmakeup artist; Nicola Formichetti creative director and fashion director; Odunayo (Ayo) Ojo fashion critic and journalist; Patti Wilson fashion stylist and consultant; Raisa Flowersmakeup artist; Silvia Prada artist and image director, Playgirl Magazine; Stavros Karelisfounder and buying director, Machine-A; Stuart Vevers creative director, Coach; Tetsuya Akiyama artist and owner, Grillz Jewelz; Willa Bennett editor-in-chief, Highsnobiety; Willy Chavarria founder and creative director, Willy Chavarria

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From Rolling Stone US

3

Rosalía

Rosalia knows how to balance hard and soft – just see her landmark 2022 album, Motomami, and the blockbuster tour to support it. “I wanted the record to feel like an emotional roller coaster, which is what I was feeling at that point in my life,” Rosalía told Rolling Stone in her recent cover story. “I wanted that dynamic, that constant sensation of toma y daca, give and take.” At the beginning of each show, she steps out in a custom Dion Lee ensemble, a look that reflects the intensely ambitious and intimate feel of Motomami. The dichotomy between the singer’s broad leather shoulders and revealing silhouette, as well as the sharp contrast of vibrant colors and an ­otherwise black-and-white set, highlight the sense of personal and musical extremes Rosalía maps out during the set. There is something for everyone to relate to in her approach to fashion, just as there is in her music. Her understanding of harmony was on display on the red carpet at last year’s Latin Grammys, where she stepped out pairing a Miu Miu dress and skintight silhouette with satin pumps, large angular shades, and damp hair, a chic look with a subtle rock & roll edge. The designs Rosalía has served up this past year will live on for decades to come.

2

Doja Cat

Doja Cat recently described her last album, Planet Her, as “controlled chaos,” adding, “I’m crazy about putting different genres into the same album or even into the same song.” That manic sense of clever, purposeful juxtaposition comes through in everything she does. Doja is such a pop-culture fixture at this point that it’s hard to believe that 2022 was her first year attending Paris Fashion Week. “My Fashion Week experience was special because I was able to get the message across to people that I am an explorer of art and fashion,” she said. At designer Thom Browne’s show, Doja was in the front row (nestled between the legendary Janet Jackson and fellow style savant Jaden Smith) sporting a tie-shaped gown. At the first official Paris runway show for the brand A.W.A.K.E. Mode, she was the center of attention in a modified gingham suit and gold body paint. The previous weekend, she appeared at the fall-­winter Monôt show caressed in a black cutout dress and full alien face paint. “I love old silent films, weird dark art films and a whole strange melting pot of music,” her stylist, Brett Alan Nelson, told Rolling Stone. “I try very hard to not reference anything anyone will ever intentionally notice – but if I do – there is a reason and a purpose behind it, what that is, is for the viewer to figure out. After our major run in Paris for Couture where her red crystal look for Schiaparelli was plastered across all socials with a mixed reaction I had one thought that I needed everyone to read – have your opinion – say what you want . But … art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” In any context, she can make the overstated feel natural and the mundane seem extravagant. “I like a ­performance when it’s not onstage,” she said recently. “I think it’s really fun. Life is too short, having the same hair and the same face all day.”

1

Steve Lacy

How does someone go from budding R&B star to full-fledged fashion king? In the case of Steve Lacy, it’s with a daring disregard for the sartorial status quo. The “Bad Habit” singer knows his way around an outfit like he knows his way around a Number One hit, and in 2023, few people exude — and celebrate — style like he does. Lacy effortlessly incorporates fashion into his offstage and onstage persona, which he’ll continue to showcase throughout this year on his tour, treating clothing as an extension of his artistic identity. Consider the way he turned heads last year in spray-painted pants by Mowalola, artisanal boots by R.G.B., sculptured hair by Malcolm Marquez, and wool kilts by Stefan Cooke. It’s the mark of someone who understands shape and proportion and who can balance weirdness with the refinement of a seasoned editor. And to top it all off, he does it all himself. “[I have] a very personal relationship to clothes,” the singer says. All this comes together best via Lacy’s burner Instagram account, dubbed “Fitvomit,” where he lets us view his evolution in real time (the account’s description reads “fitting out, not in”). As he puts it himself, “I don’t like to be a billboard. Y’all can have the cool, wear the most brands and all this stuff. I’m going to go do this.”