Halloween, the classic dress as you please holiday, was reimagined this year for fans of Harry Styles.
“Harryween” was originally announced in February of 2020 and set to take place in October, however due to the spread of COVID-19, Styles decided to postpone “Love on Tour.”
After a year's wait, fans finally experienced the “Fancy Dress Party” show on Oct. 30 and 31 at Madison Square Garden.
“I just love that Harry still held this event because it was supposed to happen in 2020 and it obviously had to get canceled because of the ongoing pandemic we are in,” Grace Braslawsce, a sophomore studying commercial photography, said in a message. “It made it feel all worth the wait for those who got to go.”
Many have anticipated the costumes all this time, and their hopes were all confirmed when Styles and his band presented themselves on both night one and two. Makenna Goad, a senior studying journalism, said she and her friends had been brainstorming what they thought he would wear.
“We really had no idea what kind of outfit he was planning on wearing,” Goad said. “I was shocked, but in the best way possible.”
On the first night, Styles met fans' expectations when he dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.
“He decided to go all out and be the one that's wearing the dress, which I think is awesome,” Courtney Williams, a senior studying marketing, said. “He’s a really big person that is really passionate about no matter your gender, you can wear whatever clothes you want, which I think is awesome, because I think that puts a lot of effort to other people who might be scared if they are a boy or bisexual and like depending on what you're supposed to wear. But he makes a really big emphasis on ‘Gender doesn't matter; you can wear whatever you want to wear.’”
In an interview with Vogue, Styles said, “There’s so much joy to be had in playing with clothes. I’ve never thought too much about what it means-it just becomes this extended part of creating something.”
“In 2020, Harry was on the cover of Vogue in a dress and has kept breaking down the stigma of what should and shouldn’t be worn based on people’s perception of your ‘gender,’” Braslawsce said in a message. “So the Dorothy costume along with the rest of his band dressing up made me so happy. I think they embodied the characters perfectly.”
On the second night, fans were just as excited about his costume choice, which was a Pierrot clown suit. He adorned his face with jems to bring an individualistic approach to the look.
“I loved his makeup because he had jewels on his face, on his upper cheekbones and then above his eyebrows, and I thought that that was really cool,” Williams said. “I thought it was really unique. It was definitely more of his style.”
Both costumes were styled by Styles’ go to stylist, Harry Lambert, and were designed by Gucci.
“Even though they might have been a little out of the ordinary, they were still Gucci, which is really the only brand that Harry likes to wear,” Williams said. “But he really puts an emphasis to his stylist to make sure that they're making exactly what he envisioned.”
The reveal of audience members’ costumes were just as anticipated as Styles’ on social media. From angels and demons to superheroes, nearly every costume category was covered.
“There's one girl I remember she was like Catwoman, which I thought was a really cool costume,” Goad said. “I've seen a lot of people also dress up as Harry, which is definitely something I think I would have done had I been there.”
The overall atmosphere created through Harryween is what seemed to captivate the fans. Braslawsce said in a message she believes that Styles wanted to create something intimate that the fans and him could all be out, dress up together for one night and be anything they wanted.
“All the fans are all so passionate about his slogan, ‘Treat people with kindness,’” Williams said. “I feel like all the fans absorb that same feeling.”
