Billie Eilish was just 13 when her elder brother, Finneas, asked her to lay down the vocals on his mournful love song, Ocean Eyes. That was in 2015, and today the sibling pairing is credited with launching a new-era pop phenomenon, complete with devout global super-fandoms (are you an ‘Eyelash’ or ‘Pirate’?).
Even if you’re not a superfan, chances are you’ve been inspired to reconsider the world around you because of Eilish (a big statement, I know, but hear me out). At a time when our appearances and those of our celebrity figureheads come under constant forensic scrutiny via social media, it was this prodigious teenager who spoke out, calling for boundaries, respect and privacy, and the world took note. She wasn’t about to yield to any preconceived notions of how a female teen pop star should look or behave—instead, she set a new agenda (and changed the course of fashion) by being entirely herself.
“I never want the world to know everything about me. I mean, that’s why I wear big, baggy clothes,” Eilish revealed in a #MyCalvins ad back in 2019. “Nobody can have an opinion because they haven’t seen what’s underneath, you know? Nobody can be like, ‘Oh, she’s slim-thick, she’s not slim-thick, she’s got a flat ass, she’s got a fat ass.’ No one can say any of that, because they don’t know.”
As for those “big, baggy clothes”, they’re custom-made by Gucci, Valentino and Chanel. The ace in the pack? Haute co-ords—bespoke face coverings included.
Long before we were all locked down in our sweatsuits, Eilish had already recognised the power of comfort in any situation and using clothes to delineate a zone of privacy. Whether that’s stepping out in her hometown of Los Angeles, or walking the red carpet as the youngest artist ever to be nominated for all four major Grammy Awards in the same year.
Billie Eilish, the reigning queen of co-ords, we salute you.
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Hi-vis in Valentino, January 2020
Not that she was looking to outshine the competition at Spotify’s Best New Artist 2020 Party—but how about the hi-vis Valentino comfortwear for a full flashbulb-worthy statement?
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Rolling into the afterparty in a monogrammed sweatsuit, January 2020
With a look that, for many of us, will be currently synonymous with bracing the chill of outdoor dining, the pop phenomenon strode into the 2020 Grammy Awards afterparty in a nostalgic oversized tracksuit, sparkling jewellery and sneakers, plus saucer-sized shades.
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Glistening in Gucci, January 2020
During a series of scene-stealing outfit changes, Eilish embraced the razzle-dazzle of the Grammy Awards in a typically idiosyncratic fashion. Her winning stage look? A delicate Gucci blouse layered underneath a short-sleeve jacket with matching pants—each piece strewn with thousands of crystals.
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Green crystal mesh and glittering logomania on the Grammy Awards’ red carpet, January 2020
How do you make an entrance at the music industry’s biggest awards show? You sync your hair colour with your Gucci crystal-mesh blouse, add a monogram mani and a coordinating face covering, and let your glittering logo suit do the talking.
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Making the case for sheer opera gloves, February 2020
Switching to monochrome Gucci co-ords for the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscars party, Eilish championed delicate evening gloves, executing a contemporary take on glamorous after-hours style (blackout sunglasses included). Zoom in to see her signature stacked jewellery layered on top of the house’s sheer opera gloves.
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Overhauling Oscars red-carpet style in Chanel tweed co-ords, February 2020
Walking the Oscars red carpet ahead of her ‘In Memoriam’ performance of The Beatles’ Yesterday at the 2020 ceremony in Los Angeles, Eilish’s haute co-ords and matching tweed sneakers marked the dawning of a new era in awards-show style. Forget the ‘old Hollywood’ gown—the then 18-year-old put the power back into sports suiting that parts ways with tradition.
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VIP velour at the Brit Awards, February 2020
Nothing says comfort like plush velour in soothing, tonal shades. Putting her own spin on a house classic, Eilish stepped out in full-drip Burberry by Riccardo Tisci for the 2020 Brit Awards, with synced nails and stacks of golden hardware completing the look.
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Acid green Gucci, March 2020
Back in March 2020, Eilish was on stage in Miami to kick off her Where Do We Go? world tour with a six-month schedule of concerts stretching out before her. But, yes, this was 2020, and while the tour itself was postponed after just three shows due to the pandemic, Eilish’s liberating custom Gucci stage looks have gone down in history.
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Blush pink jacquard coords, March 2021
At the 63rd Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Note the subtly flared cut of Eilish’s coordinating pants—this is a look that’s all about the details. Zoom in for the gloves and nail art that catapulted Alessandro Michele’s mythical jacquard embellishment straight into the TikTok age.
10 / 10
Monochrome pyjama suiting, October 2020
The sneakers will give away the design brains behind Eilish’s laid-back custom look for the 2020 Billboard Music Awards—yes, this was another Alessandro Michele stroke of fashion genius, which succinctly captured the mood of the times when pyjamas were a 24/7 global uniform.
