#and now works with Alessandro Michele and knows Harry

[persephoneflouwers]

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[skepticalarrie]

Hi Allie! I hope you're well! Your blog is always super helpful to me so I was wondering if you could help me figure some things out: could you recap what are the different roles of Harry Lambert, Harris Reed, Alessandro... and all the people involved with H's clothes? I'm completely lost and i've tried looking for a masterpost through your tags and other blogs but I can't seem to find any... thanks in advance <3

Hi, darling. Sure! This is not exactly my cup of tea but I can try.

Harry Lambert is Harry's stylist, so he's going to coordinate his entire visual aesthetic, he's going to pick up his clothes, jewellery, shoes, nails, hair, etc. Basically, everything Harry wears is styled by Lambert regardless of the designer/brand.

Harris Reed is a designer (and now creative director), he was discovered by Lambert a few years ago and Harry was actually his first client. Harris designed all of his outfits for Live on Tour, the iconic dress from Vogue, the headdress from Beauty Papers and so many others. So Harris works in collaboration with Lambert, Harries designs and creates original clothing, while Lambert does the styling.

Alessandro Michele is also a fashion designer and most notoriously the creative director of Gucci, which he just left last week. As a creative director, he was responsible for shaping the brand, creating entire concepts and campaigns, and establishing what should be created. Basically, everything Gucci has done for the past 7 years, Alessandro was responsible for. And everything Harry has done that involved Gucci, Alessandro was also responsible for. And while being in Gucci, he also worked in collaboration with other designers, including Harris Reed - that he got to know through Harry.

[dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram]

Hi Ralph. So I follow a lot of celebrities and they all share things ranging from about their family and friends, pets, interests, hobbies, thoughts and feelings etc. Whether it's on social media or on podcasts or interviews. It made me realize how Harry gives us nothing but the same jokes told over and over again or comments he makes that are so unclear and open to different interpretations. It can work in his favor like pleasing all parts of his fanbase but now it's starting to work against him like his comments in RS, at the Grammys and Venice film festival. How much longer do you think he can go on being a blank canvas for everyone to project on to? If he keeps making these ambiguous comments then I can see the backlash getting worse. When do you think it'll become a problem? Will it work for his long term career? How can he get around it?

Anon 2: Why do you think Harry is committed to saying nothing? This isn't really to do with politics but the political talk did remind me how he barely gives us anything lol and what he does give us around album promo feels really scripted. Other celebrities I follow, no matter how famous they are, tell stories about their life and experiences. Even if it's something so small like an embarrassing moment at a show or a fear they have or how they enjoy spending their weekend. We very rarely get that from Harry. We get snippets about him from others. Like Harris Reed, Harry Lambert, Alessandro talking about Harrys' views on fashion. His chef talking about what he eats on tour. A gym worker talking about how much he works out. Or we get things like. A book he has in his back pocket, him wearing merch from a TV show. At his shows he repeats the same stories over and over again. I just wonder why we don't get much from him? I did wonder if it was tied to his closet. That because he's hiding such a huge part of himself, he's decided to give us nothing. But he's just very different to other celebrities who do share part of their lives, no matter how small. Do you have thoughts why?

Anon 3: #And his reluctance to say anything in every interview he's ever done Why do you think that is? I find it really interesting. I don't know any other celebrities in the public eye like Harry who keep to themselves so much. I don't expect celebrities to be entirely truthful but most do open up about something like Taylor on sexism, Ariana on being called a diva, Justin on his mental health issues and how religion saved him etc. Most have opened up about some kind of struggle or have talked about their childhood or family or career or goals or whatever. There are endless examples from musicians and actors. Harry barely speaks about anything in detail. Just a few lines here and there and often repeated ones. When it comes to fashion, which is a big part of Harry, it is mostly people doing the talking for him (Harry Lambert, Harris Reed, Alessandro Michele etc). It's often that case with everything. We learn things about him here and there through other people. Like in the Vogue photo shoot of him in the dress. No doubt it was really important to him but he barely spoke about that. He always shows support for the lgbtq+ community but doesn't talk about it, other than expressing his sadness over a shooting. He can talk about the lgbtq+ community without revealing that he is part of it. All I can think of is that he doesn't say much because virtually everything about him is tied to his closet, sexuality and gender. Perhaps he feels that he can't say what he wants to say so he'd rather say nothing at all. I have a gut feeling that he is struggling with his closet. If he does want to CO then I hope that one day he gets to experience that. All the CO stories I've read from musicians and actors have said that they don't regret it and it was worth the damage it did to their career because they can be truthful to themselves.

***********

I think this is a really interesting set of questions anons and I'll try and answer them some (sorry for taking so long, so each time I started a draft there was a new anon talking about this same question).

I think there's a couple of different angles to look at this. The first is the issue of fandom surveillance. A lot of the way that celebrities create a sense of intimacy and share minor details about their life is through social media. But if you have a fandom who will find where you are and match skirting boards - then there's a real risk in doing that. So I think a lot of the avenues for sharing aspects of himself are cut off.

The other point that people have mentioned is that I think Harry is legitimately terrified of saying things. I thought what he said about reading Jon Ronson's "So You've Been Publicly Shamed" was really interesting. I think that's underlined by him saying that he's read that and he feels more comfortable saying things - and then how little he's said. I also think that it's worth saying that while I think there's probably a lot going on for him in terms of speaking

I also think the response to the Grammys and Rolling Stone - were both in response to him trying to say something that was true to him (unlike the Venice Film Festival). Both were exacerbated by the fact that he didn't say what he was trying to say very well. But I think his experience is that when he tries to say something he isn't understood.

In terms of Harry being closeted - I think it's a factor in all of this, but only part of what's going on. The fandom surveillance part is obviously an issue if he's closeted. But it's also an issue, because he's a person. I think his experiences drive a sense of a need for privacy.

In terms of not saying things - I do wonder if the impact here is complex. The first thing he ever said in his very first interview after X-factor was that he had a crush on a boy. That decision has had quite a significant impact on his life - and I think it's very possible that it's the consequences of what he did speak about when he was very newly famous that have had such consequences for him.

In terms of how these things interact. I think from a purely rational point of view - both from his as a brand and also what he wants to experience from the world - not saying anything makes sense. But I don't think that's all that's going on - I also think his feelings about saying things and not saying things - being seen and not being seen run pretty deep. So if being someone people project things onto becomes unsustainable - I don't know that it'll be that easy for him to do something else.

[fkinavocado]

i wonder where harry (along with other celebs that only/mainly wear and work with gucci like jared leto, dakota johnson, maneskin, billie eilish, sienna miller, florence welch, etc.) will go now that alessandro michele is leaving gucci. i’m sure if he goes to another brand harry and jared leto (maybe even dakota johnson too) would follow him because they have an actual friendship with him and like his fashion style. however i don’t know what would happen if alessandro doesn’t go to a new brand and just leaves the fashion scene. like…harry is kinda the face of gucci while also having a very specific style that he follows as if it was a religion. if harry doesn’t really vibe with the new creative director, that could end in a great big fashion mess. on one hand, i just genuinely don’t know what harry will do if alessandro doesn’t go work with another brand because all of harry’s fashion and style is based of alessandro’s gucci. on the other hand, harry wears brands like bode, jw anderson, and ss daley a lot in photoshoots and in his everyday street style so he could potentially work with those brands. however those brands aren’t really red carpet brands…so my money is on him going to nina ricci because harris reed is the new creative director there, harris, harry, and harry lambert are all friends, harry wears harris reed in photoshoots like his dazed and vogue covers, and back when he wore suits on tour (lord please bring that back 🙏) a lot of the time they were harris reed’s suits.

interesting. i dunno anything nina ricci aside from that apple perfume i had once 😂 YSL redeeming their sin would be the move i'd like to see

i'd love to see him wear whatever. not be tied to a brand again because i feel that's very limiting

[lovecanyon]

Sugar daddy harry spoiling y/n and their baby 💖

CARMEN ANNE STYLES

sugardaddy!harry x model!reader

MASTERLIST

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“That’s so pretty darling.” Harry smiles at his daughter showing and describing a beautiful dress that she was holding.

He loved that she had taste for fashion at a very early age, always picking out fashionable outfits with no help from her parents. 

“Daddy can I get it?” Carmen asks her father. When he gives her a nod she jumps up and down before rushing to the dressing room.

The Venice Film Festival was coming up which meant Y/N needed a dress. Her stylist (which was also Harry’s) and Alessandro Michelle had designed a dress that was made specifically for the event.

The Gucci store had been closed for the rest of the day because the model was doing a fitting but the employees were not complaining.

Some workers were holding clothes for the Styles child as she walks around the store picking out items, spending her parents money like it was nothing. A few workers were just gawking at Harry while the rest of the staff helped out Alessandro and Lambert. 

“Hi baby!” Y/N smiles at Carmen who had just walked in the dressing room that was full of mirrors. 

“Hiii mommy.” Carmen grins at her mother who was stood on a platform while a few people work on the dress she’s wearing. “You look like a pretty princess.” She giggles which makes everyone in the room coo.

“Thank you baby.” Y/N gazed adoringly at her daughter. 

-

After Harry took about a three hundred photo’s of Y/N in the dress she was now free from all the people surrounding her and back in her casual clothes.

Before getting ringed up Carmen drags her parent’s back to the kids section.

“I don’t know which ones.” Carmen lisps holding up two pairs of shoes.

“Get both darling.” Harry tells his daughter as he bends down to pull her pink face mask over her nose.

“I guess!” Carmen sighs out which made Y/N almost laugh, she was definitely her child. Soon after she rushes to the cashier and tells them what pairs of shoes she wants.

Y/N smiles contently as Harry wraps his arm around her bare stomach. His cool rings made her skin get goosebumps which she loved. 

She couldn’t believe they had a child together.

“We should go over there before she makes the cashier even more scared.” Harry chuckles watching his daughter babble something to the worker. 

By the time both of them get to their daughter she has made the cashier look scared, more like petrified. 

“And I had to go to the hospital but I’m fine now.” 

“What are you talking about Carm?” Y/N chuckles placing down two cardigans she decided to get last minute. 

“Just that time I fell from the slide when I was with auntie Gem.” Carmen giggles at the fawn memory.

A loud scream coming from Carmen makes Gemma jump up from the blanket she was sat on. 

“Carmen are you okay!” Gemma rushes over to her niece who was sprawled out on the grass. The child didn’t seemed to bothered as she just laid there with a smile on her face

“I wanna do that again.” Carmen grins.

“Almost scared her to death.” Harry shakes his head with a smile which makes Y/N laugh under her breath.

Soon the cashier begins to bag their items but she needed help with the amount of children’s clothes she needed to fold.

After three employees bagged the clothes they were finally ready to pay.

“One hundred ten thousand four hundred seventy-nine dollars is your total.” The cashier speaks up looking at the large amount on the computer screen. 

Swiftly he pulls out his wallet and slides his card through the payment terminal which immediately makes the very large purchase be accepted.

The employees behind the register let out a gasp as they watched Harry give Y/N his wallet and credit card to put in her purse.

She was truly living the dream.

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TMZ

Y/N L/N in London earlier this morning arriving at a Gucci store. Sources say she was doing a fitting for her Venice Film Festival dress.

If you didn’t know her and Harry styles, a very well known musician have a child together! Carmen Anne Styles, one of the most loved nepotism babies was also seen with her.

Since Harry Styles, L/N’s boyfriend has previously sued companies for releasing photos of their daughter, we have decided not to share pictures of the child.

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tag list: @harrysmatcha @harryspinkpillow @helen-with-an-a @florencepughily @needyghosts @peterparkerbae @deadass1011 @toji-dabi-wife @fallonx @cherriesrae @alienorknight @valluvsu @drphilssoulmate @ivegotparticulartaste @ayeshathestyles @hazgoldenstyles @eiffelmezarry @tsukishimawhore @renatavieira @michellekstyles @eleanordaisy @shawnsblue @academiaghosts @evanjh @samaraaaaa @agustdpeach @hannahnikohl @hrryscherrys @whoscamila @ch3rryrry @msolbesg @newyorker14 @futuristicpalacegardenpsychic @youusunshineyoutemptress @galacticharrys @eunoiamaa @kaitieskidmore1 @mexicosuitrry @filmsbyameilia @twilightrry @cherryfragrancx @ssuziess

[stylesnews]

I met him because he starting wearing my things when I came out with my first show, or the second, I don’t remember, in 2015. I didn’t know who One Direction were, I was a bit too old for that. [...] I knew more their fans, the directioners, [...] So I didn't know him, or the band, not even one song, so we met in London and it all came naturally, apparently he liked my work s now we meet every summer, we're friends, friendship was born. [...] I rediscovered the adolescent in me. Harry’s an intelligent person, he's a fantastic and smart guy, absorbent, stimulating, and he's interested in every thing you can talk about, starting from 'big' conversations.

Alessandro Michele on meeting Harry and becoming friends 

[hshouse]

I do find it a bit odd that Harry never talks about his home aka UK politics but engages in US politic comments like end gun violence, supporting democratic candidates, about abortion rights etc. Dont get me wrong, I like that he uses his platform but I saw British fans annoyed because he never does the same for the UK like right now they have a new Prime Minester that plans to do some crazy reforms and some transphobic crimes that even Lambert or Alessandro Michele talked about and he didnt.

Hi bby,

Oh I totally agree. Totally. UK has plenty of hot issues in politics. I think, and this is me thinking rn, that the US is safer to have these political statements because the core old people that handle politics for real don’t know who harry is. I think Harry is a much bigger household name in the UK. Like your grandma knows of those one direction boys. So, I think he would get much more flack for taking positions there. Plus the UK has a stronger tabloid culture that shit talk british celebs. I think those are some “logical” reasons. There is a more cynical explanation that these US positions he takes are very very vanilla and don’t really upset anyone that likes him. I think maybe (I’m guessing here) there are more nuanced issues in the UK which requires taking a stand. Like Brexit is much more complicated to have a position than the gun crisis. If you pay attention harry doesn’t take any positions that are niche, like an issue he personally cares about that is not super out there (like paris hilton doing the bullying thing and kim doing the death row thing). So, while I like him taking these positions, they mean very little to me personally because he is not sacrificing anything to say them or putting any effort. Real activism is to say/do things that either no one else is doing or is very frowned upon. (I don’t think H has any obligation to be an activist. Just saying that if he does wish to be one he needs to put in more work).

[hldailyupdate]

“I knew more their fans, the Directioners. So I didn't know him or the band, not even one song, so we met in London and it all came naturally, apparently he liked my work so… Now we meet every summer, we're friends, a love, a friendship has born.”

-Alessandro Michele on working with Harry. (12 July 2021)

via Muschio Selvaggio

[hlupdate]

The relationship between A-list muse and lauded designer is nothing new. But few have been as serendipitous that of Harry Styles and Alessandro Michele: the pop star’s solo career coincided neatly with the designer hitting his stride as the game-changing creative director of Gucci. Theirs is a mutually beneficial partnership that has elevated the former to new echelons of style, while the latter has become something of an icon to an unexpected fandom.

Unlike the large-scale productions of recent show seasons, Michele first presented his vision for Gucci with a quietly confident collection on 19 January 2015 — reportedly pulled together in just five turbo-charged days. The collection had all the signifiers of the retro-inspired aesthetic that has since become Michele’s beat, introducing the fur-lined loafers, pussy-bow blouses and florals that still form the backbone of his work today. A 20-year-old Harry, meanwhile, was still a long-haired One Direction member set to embark on the band’s biggest ever — and as it turned out last— tour. Just as One Direction’s days were winding down, Michele was picking up speed. Gucci reported a five per cent rise in sales in the last three months of 2015, amounting to 1.1 billion Euro in the final quarter.

Stylist Harry Lambert, who had been working with Harry for a few years by then, decided it was time for the boy-bander to try something new. A floral suit – that floral suit – from Michele’s spring/summer 2016 collection would be just the ’fit for the American Music Awards in November 2015, they decided.

Looking back it was a “very bold move,” Lambert admits. Styles was the first to take one of Michele’s full menswear looks from the Gucci catwalk and wear it on the red carpet. “It was very exciting to see everyone’s responses, but also how great he looked in it,’’ Lambert told Miss Vogueof what he still views as a turning point in his client’s fashion journey. This winning suit encouraged Styles and Lambert to pull more Gucci, and Harry gave his final performance as a member of One Direction wearing a suit in the retro petal print that defined Michele’s early collections.

In fact, Gucci was just about the only thing that the 1D alum carried over to his solo career. Even his shoulder-length curls were shorn. The music videos that accompanied Styles’s eponymous number one album, released in April 2017, all incorporated Gucci, as did his appearances on the promo trail. A navy tailored coat floats through the sky in the video for “Sign Of The Times”, and he wears floral tailoring in the clip for “Kiwi”. When the time came for Harry to take his record on the road, he wore countless bespoke Gucci suits on stage. Most were floral brocade with flared trousers, and paired with pussy-bow shirting.

By June 2018, the relationship had been formalised. Styles was revealed – in a series of photos taken by Glen Luchford in the suitably English setting of a chip shop – as the face of Gucci’s tailoring campaign. Two more campaigns followed, in which Styles models the most exuberant of Michele’s creations without ever sacrificing his schoolboy cheekiness, not even with a lamb slung around his shoulders. The campaigns, two by Luchford, a third by Harmony Karine, helped to usher in a new dawn in menswear advertising.

A year later Harry was unveiled as part of a diverse line-up in the campaign for Gucci’s Mèmoire D’une Odeur — the near century-old house’s first gender-neutral scent. Yes, he was the main event, but Styles shared the spotlight with other creatives in what became an unavoidable campaign, covering buildings, beauty counters, column inches and iPhone wallpapers across the globe. Styles has since quipped that he wears it to bed,making a bottle a necessary purchase for even half-dedicated Harry fans.

That Harry’s work with Gucci has proved so popular with his dedicated fanbase is a key component in the success of their collaborations. Though — and again, this is likely owing to Harry’s own allegiances — his followers do tend to have a keen interest in fashion compared to other fandoms, it’s down to their idol that Harries know the artistic director by his first name alone. “It is really exciting for us fans to see another facet of Harry as a creative individual, and his Gucci partnership cultivates that and gives us an even more in-depth perspective of who he is,” Nadhila, a 26-year-old fan in Indonesia told Miss Vogue.

Nadhila, who has been a part of the team behind the Twitter account @HSNewsUpdate since 2011, believes that the fluid nature of Michele’s vision has contributed to the interest in Harry’s Gucci looks. “There are no boundaries on what he might come up with, so fans are always excited to see what look [Harry] might step out in next,” she says. Styles’s efforts to be a fan-focused, ethical pop star – his motto is “treat people with kindness” – are relevant, too. “He has inspired us to be bold, unique and unafraid to experiment when it comes to fashion,” she adds. “He has shown us that there is no such thing as too feminine or too masculine, we can be both and we can be ourselves.”

Another of Harry’s biggest fan accounts, @TheHarryNews, is run by four women in their mid-twenties: Annie, Océane, Lena and Rachel. “You can really see the confidence he’s gotten from working with Gucci,” they share collectively over email. “[He’s] taking more risks and letting more of himself show… In a lot of ways we’ve seen Harry really come into his own. I think that really resonates with people, especially his fans, who get tiny pieces of [who he really is] through fashion.”

Two fans who have an almost encyclopedic knowledge of this fashion partnership are the transatlantic duo behind @HSFashionArchive. Since April 2016, London-based Lu and Washington DC-based Alex have documented every look worn by Harry in meticulous detail, all to act as “a resource for fans”. Its posts lets his followers know how they might go about procuring these items, but also sheds light on key house codes – thus enabling fans to quickly identify which of Harry’s looks are Gucci, and which aren’t. “We have noticed that fans buy the Gucci pieces that Harry has worn,” 29-year-old Alex explained. “Though some pieces are pricey, we’ve seen people buy the loafers, boots, and bags that Harry has sported over the years. Lots of our followers bought the £34 Gucci lipsticks he wore in Beauty Papers.”

The pair believes that the relationship works because Gucci is able to offer Harry such a broad spectrum of looks to choose from. “Gucci’s looks range from wearable to outrageous, so Harry’s continued partnership with Gucci guarantees both attainable style and flashy moments. There’s nothing like seeing him in a wild new outfit that we couldn’t have anticipated.” And though one might assume the scene-stealing suits are most popular with fans, according to Nadhila, they like his low-key looks best, given that “they show a more casual and intimate look into who he is as a ‘normal’ person”.

Of course, there is a notable exception: the 2019 Met Gala. For the opening evening of the “Camp: Notes On Fashion” exhibition Michele and Harry acted as co-hosts, and arrived on the pink carpet together. “After such a colourful tour wardrobe it was nice to do something a little unexpected,” Lambert told Miss Vogue of the black blouse Styles wore. “[It was about] taking traditionally feminine elements like the frills, heeled boots, sheer fabric and the pearl earring, but then rephrasing them as masculine pieces set against the high-waisted tailored trousers and his tattoos. Camp, but still Harry.” Lambert explained at the time: “We met up earlier this year to share mood boards with the Gucci team. We had pages of printed references all on the table from Alessandro, myself and Harry, then we edited them down.” Today, the @HSFashionArchive duo agree the night “was a massive deal amongst fans”.

There was the now pearl earring-wearing fashion darling of the music world, standing alongside the closest thing to a rockstar the fashion industry has at present. “I love dressing up and he loves dressing up,” Michele told The Face in 2019. “The moment I met him, I immediately understood there was something strong around him. I realised he was much more than a young singer. He was a young man, dressed in a thoughtful way, with uncombed hair and a beautiful voice. I thought he gathered within himself the feminine and the masculine.”

Since the Met, the relationship has continued to go from strength to strength. Styles wore a custom look on the cover of his second record, Fine Line, shot by Tim Walker, and Michele and Styles collaborated on a T-shirt to coincide with it, with a percentage of the sales going to the Global Fund For Women. Gucci’s high-waisted trousers, cropped blazers and dazzling shirting now takes up even more space in Styles’s wardrobe, and bring as much attention to the star as his sophomore record’s commercial and critical success.

Sightings of Styles in Gucci have become a source of comfort for fans in a turbulent 2020. From his Mary-Janes at the Brits to his oversized turquoise blazer and crochet gloves in the “Golden” video, by way of outré sunglasses and floral sunglasses in the clip for “Watermelon Sugar”, Harry’s recent sartorial choices have managed to be pleasingly familiar, while simultaneously keeping his followers on their toes.

A bit like the chicken and the egg conundrum, the question remains: is Harry very Gucci, or is Gucci very Harry? The verdict is out. But without each other, both might be missing a little something.

[berrynarrybanana]

the gala - honeybee

A/N: I sat down today and wrote out everything I wanted to happen between Harry and Honeybee(A.K.A Beatrice). I was going to do this chapter by chapter, but I have honestly never been good at that kind of thing. I was doing a Met Gala section of Bea and Harry’s life and I started thinking about the meeting that would happen before where they discussed it and then I started thinking about fucking Harry in an office and it was great. I do want to put out a disclaimer that this is a self-serving fic and even though I have given her a name, I base her off of me and what I want in life, so yeah. Also I don’t personally know any of the people I have just written about and I get my knowledge from extensive google searches like everyone else. Please enjoy this first published piece of Honeybee and let me know what you think! Love you all lots! 

for visual people, I’m making a pinterest board for these two, but I imagine honeybee’s outfit (the shirt wouldn’t be tied, it would be tucked) and body type to be a bit like this, but imagine her however you feel!

p.s I love getting messages and questions so don’t be afraid to come chat with me, I would really love it! 

“Beatrice,” Georgia walked into my office with a wide smile. “Anna would like to see you.” 

“Oh, okay.” I said, glancing at my computer screen. “I just have to finish this edit really quick and then-” 

“She said right away, it’s very important.” Georgia’s eyes lit up as she spoke. “I’ll finish the read, just head on out.” 

“Thanks, G.” I said slowly, standing up from behind my desk with furrowed brows. 

What the hell was in the air today and why was everyone acting so weird?

I grabbed my phone, my notepad, and my coffee cup as Georgia came around my desk, sitting in my seat as I walked out. I headed in the direction of Anna’s office with my head held high. There was a lot of chatter going on around me and it left me anxious and confused. I looked down at my shirt, making sure there were no spills or rips. My outfit was fine and I had checked my makeup in the bathroom earlier. When I walked past reception and into Anna’s wing of the office, I suddenly realized why everyone was freaking out. Jeff was sitting outside of Anna’s office on his phone. 

“Jeffrey?” I tilted my head, confused. “What are you doing here?” 

“It’s top secret.” He looked up from his phone, standing up with open arms. “It’s weird seeing you this dressed up. I’m used to band shirts and sweatpants.” 

“Sweatpants is a forbidden word inside the walls of this office, Jeff.” I teased. “Don’t let anyone know I own a pair.” 

“Beatrice, darling!” Anna opened her office door with a wide smile. “Come in, come in the both of you.” 

“Hi, Anna.” I smiled at her walking into her office. 

My eyes immediately fell on Harry and Alessandro Michele sitting at Anna’s boardroom table. Harry looked stunning in his bright yellow shirt and black jeans. I loved yellow on him. I could never pull it off, but he did it so well. He shot me a smile as Alessandro continued to whisper next to him, his eyes still trained on me. I walked over to the table, taking the seat across from Harry. When I set my things down on the table, Anna and Jeffrey joined us. I looked over at Jeff and then to Anna with furrowed brows. I had no idea what the hell was going on in this room. 

“So I’ve just had a conversation with these lovely creatures,” Anna pointed to Harry and Alessandro. “They’ve agreed to be host and co-host of the Met Gala this year.” 

“Really?” I looked at Harry, a smile tugging at my lips as he nodded, reaching up to fiddle with his lower lip nervously. Seconds later, I felt a foot nudge mine. Harry shot me a wink. “That’s amazing!” 

“The theme is camp.” Anna said. 

“Wonderful,” I nodded, opening my notepad to write that down. “What date are we going with?” 

“May 6th,” She said. “The Met is dealing with the catering and everything else, but these two gentleman and yourself will be working on press releases, invitations, and guest lists.” 

“Okay,” I nodded, looking back at Anna. “The lead interviewer for the carpet, have you picked one?” 

“You.” She smiled. 

“Me?” I dropped my pen, looking at her with wide eyes. “You want me to do...for the Met Gala?” 

“That is correct.” She laughed. “I think it would be perfect for you. It’s great exposure, you get to spend some time with your beau, and you’ll have the time of your life. You deserve it, Beatrice. You’ve worked very hard over the last few months and I’m very proud of you.” 

“Anna,” My eyes started to water as I looked at her. “Thank you so much.” 

“Now, with that being said,” Anna looked towards Alessandro and then back at me with a grin. “You’ll be wearing Gucci on the carpet.” 

“That’s so cool,” I looked at Harry. “And what will you be wearing?” 

“Probably a paper bag compared to what you’ll be wearing.” Harry teased. “I’ll be in Gucci as well.”

“Awesome.” I whispered, trying to process the information being spouted at me. I had never worn anything designer. Well, there were times that I had stolen Harry’ s clothes, but that didn’t really count.

“Now, Beatrice, I expect a weekly report of what is happening with Harry and Alessandro. Because you spend so much time with our lovely co-host, it will be easier for you to get information and answers.” Anna said. “He will stay in touch with Alessandro.” 

“Alright.” I nodded. 

“Wonderful!” Anna clapped her hands once before standing up. “Now, I’m sure Harry and Alessandro have a busy day ahead, but I’m stealing Alessandro for a few hours to discuss business further. You two run off for an early lunch.” 

“Are you sure, Anna?” I asked, looking back at Harry. He hadn’t taken his eyes off of me for the entire meeting and it had me fidgeting in my seat. 

“Positive,” She nodded, looking at Harry. “Thank you for visiting my dear, take care of our girl and treat her to a nice lunch.” 

Harry stood up, hugging Anna. 

“I will.” He kissed her cheek. “Don’t work too hard now, Anna. And don’t be mad if I return her late.” 

“I won’t.” She laughed. 

Jeffrey was out of the office before Harry and I.

When Harry shut the door to Anna’s office, he tapped my lower back and leaned down to kiss my lips quickly.

“Hi.” He said softly. 

“Hi.” I giggled. 

“I’m going to the apartment,” Jeff said as his phone began to buzz again. “We have a thing at four, Harry, don’t forget.” 

“I won’t.” He rolled his eyes as Jeff started to walk away. “Alright, show me your new fancy office.” 

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were coming to the city.” I said, walking next to him as we headed towards my office. “I would have picked you up from the airport.” 

“I wanted to surprise you.” He shrugged. “So how do you feel?” 

“About the Met?” I asked, looking up at him. “I feel...honestly, it’s a little weird to me.” 

“Why?” He furrowed his brows.

“Because I have a feeling the offer was a little biased.” I said softly, frowning as Harry scoffed, rolling his eyes at me. “What? You have to admit-” 

“That Alessandro suggested you do it because he enjoys your work,” Harry said, his voice hushed as his brows lifted towards his hairline. “I didn’t know he was going to do it until we got in the meeting. He just blurted it out and Anna agreed that you were the right fit. You’re young, you understand the new wave of celebrities, and you have the right look.” 

“Sorry,” I said softly. “I didn’t mean to imply that was your doing, I meant it more from Anna’s side. She’s obsessed with our relationship these days and it makes me a little paranoid.” 

“She’s obsessed with you, Honeybee.” Harry stopped in his tracks, turning to look at me. “She said in that meeting that you remind her of the greats. Audrey, Grace, Marilyn, hell even Stevie! You’re classic, but you’re not afraid to push the boundaries. You are what camp is in her eyes.” 

“She said that?” I smiled, my cheeks getting warm at the compliments he was throwing my way. I wasn’t used to be talked about so highly.

“Honest.” His lips twitched, a smirk pulling at his lips. “I agree, of course.” 

“I think you’re the definition of camp, that’s for sure.” I reached up with my free hand to brush my thumb over his chin. “You’re super extra.”

“We’re the perfect camp couple,” He laughed. “Now, where is your office? I want to kiss you without everyone watching.” 

“Right here, actually,” I nodded my head to the door just next to us. “Before you pounce, Georgia was in here a minute ago. Let me check for her before you push me against a wall.” 

“Hurry up.” He grumbled. “I’ve been in the same building as you for an hour and I haven’t kissed you yet.” 

“An hour?” I asked. “You were here for an entire hour and I didn’t know?” 

“I turned life360 off.” He chuckled as I opened my door. 

Georgia wasn’t in my office and Harry caught on. His hands grabbed my hips and he pushed me into the room gently, shutting the door with his foot as his lips found the skin of my neck. I rolled my eyes, putting my cup, my phone, and my notepad down at the table by my office door. I had a feeling my desk was about to be used for very inappropriate kisses. I heard the lock click behind me as Harry pulled me against his chest with one hand. I giggled when he slipped his hands down to the button of my jeans. He continued to kiss my neck, his stubble tickling my skin as he did. When he unbuttoned and unzipped my pants, I let out a soft sigh, leaning back into his chest. Being in his arms felt like being home and it was a feeling I would never get used to. 

“Darling,” I said softly. “This is a bodysuit, not a normal shirt.” 

“But it’s a button up.” He said softly, lifting his head up as his hands turned me around.

“I know, it’s a new piece Anna wanted me to try.” I chuckled, brushing my hands over his shoulders as his lips puckered out in confusion. “Just, take my pants off and pop the button.” 

“Oh, I intend on popping the button real good.” He lowered his lips to mine, giggling into the kiss as I groaned at his horrible joke. “That was funny, laugh at me.” 

“I’m laughing at you, don’t worry.” I snorted as Harry’s hands gripped the flesh on my hips through my jeans. “Always laughing at my funny man.” 

It took him a few seconds to tug them down over my thighs, the waistband catching at my knees. In a few seconds, I was on the edge of my desk and Harry was down on his knees in front of me. He found the buttons of the bodysuit, tugging them apart to see one of his favorite pair of panties covering his favorite part of my body. He groaned, swiping the fabric to the side before he connected his lips to my clit in a quick and harsh suck. I gasped, dropping one hand to my desk to steady myself and the other to the messy hair on his head, tugging at the soft strands. At the same time his tongue slipped out, licking up my entrance, a knock on the door startled me. I looked down at Harry, his eyes trained on mine as I took a deep breath before answering.

“Yes?” Harry’s lips closed around my clit, his fingers slipping up my legs until they found my now wet core. He slipped two into me and I lifted my hand to cover my mouth, a moan escaping my lips as he laughed against me. “Who is it?”

“It’s just Georgia!” I bit my knuckles as Harry started to pump his fingers in and out, his eyes locked on mine as tears started to pool at my waterline. Everything felt so fuckin good. “Ben and David need your help in layout.” 

“I’m taking an early… an early lunch, Georgia!” I tossed my head back, mumbling a curse under my breath as Harry sucked my clit back into his mouth. “Tell them to give me ten minutes and I’ll stop in to look at it before I go.” 

“Okay.” Georgia chirped from the other side.

Harry pulled his mouth away from my center, looking up at me with a wet smile. I brushed my fingers through the hair at the front of his head as he continued massage my walls with his fingers. Licking over my bottom lip, I tried not to launch myself down on the floor with him to taste myself on his lips. He added a third finger, my breath catching in my throat as he pushed deeper. 

“Ten minutes?” He cocked a brow, tilting his head. “You think you can finish that quick?”

“You know I can.” I whispered, my eyes fluttering as he stood up, his fingers still lodged in me as he pressed his lips to mine. “Take your pants off, now.” 

“I’m in charge-” 

“No today.” I shook my head, dropping my hands to his jeans. “This is my office. I’m the one in charge here, Mr. Styles.” 

“Fuck.” He chuckled, looking down at my hands as I popped the button on his jeans, tugging the zipper down. 

I hooked my fingers in the waistband of his pants as he watched, lowering them down to reveal his naked thighs and his half hard cock. The smug bastard knew that I was going to fuck him the second I got him alone. He knew that it would be in my office. He probably planned the entire thing just so that it would unravel that way. I may have thought I was in charge a few minutes ago, but he had all the control. I was wrapped around his finger and he fucking knew it. I reached for his half hard cock, guiding him towards me with the hand pressed into his lovehandles. He dropped his hands to my shoulders as I lowered my head. With my eyes cast up on his, I watched him pant as I lowered my lips down. With a soft kiss on the raspberry tip of his cock, I had him. I stuck my tongue out, letting him guide his hips forward until my mouth was closed around his shaft towards the middle. I let my tongue play at the veins of his shaft as Harry’s fingertips dug harder into my shoulder blades. There were a few knots from stress and winced a little at the pressure, but I didn’t care about myself. I wanted him to feel as good as I did a minute ago. 

“You have on lipstick.” Harry let out a sigh as he dropped his head back, closing his eyes. “Fuck, you’re trying to kill me Honeybee” 

I knew I was wearing his favorite lipstick. It was a cream based lipstick, not a long lasting matte one that stuck to my lips even in our dirtiest moment. I was going to stain the skin of his cock with the deep shade of berry red he loved so much on me. The thought of leaving my mark on him fueled the fire deep in the pit of my belly, causing me to squeeze my thighs together. Normally Harry’s fingers were pulling at the roots of my hair, holding my head steady as he moved his hips for me. Today, I had decided to tie my hair up in a ponytail, leaving him no choice but to hold onto my shoulders. I glanced up at him as he moaned, his chest rumbling as he rolled his head forward to make eye contact with me. My lips were wrapped around his tip, suckilng his head softly as I placed my hand on his shaft. He reached down, gripping my chin before softly pushing me off. 

“I’m ready.” His eyes grew darker as he looked at my fucked up lipstick, shades of it staining his cock just like I imagined. My chest was heaving as I smiled at him. “Lean back a little an’ shift your bum up to the edge of the desk.” 

I followed his instructions, no longer caring who was in charge of the situation. All I wanted was to feel him deep inside of me. He hunched his shoulders, tugging at his cock a few times before lining up with my entrance. I tossed my arms over his shoulders, threading my hands through the hair at the nape of his neck as he sunk into me with a groan. He slipped his arms around me, hugging me close to his body as he tucked his nose into my shoulder. I was biting the inside of my cheek so hard, my eyes closing as I tried to keep quiet. My fingers started to tug at the roots of his hair as he began to thrust in and out of me. His hips were moving so fast that I could feel the desk shifting under me. I couldn’t find it in me to care as I pushed my jeans further down my legs, my heels falling off before I got my jeans over my heels. They dropped to the floor and I tossed my legs over Harry’s calves, laying back on my desk. He went with me, dropping his hands on the flat of my desk as his stomach pressed to mine. He lifted his head from my shoulder, brushing his lips over mine a few times before giving me a searing hot kiss, his tongue tangling with mine before he pulled away, gasping for air as he looked into my eyes, his brows pulled together in pleasure.

“I’m gonna cum,” He whispered against my lips, slipping a hand between our bodies to circle my clit. “Are you close, honeybee?” 

“Keep touching… just like that.” I gasped out, my jaw dropping a little as he hit that spot inside me that only he could touch. “Fuck me harder, please. Give it to me, darling.” 

“Shit.” 

Harry glanced between us, looking down at his hips moved in sloppy, harsh thrusts. I could feel my body get tense, preparing to unravel the second he got me to my high. It was on the tip of my tongue, my lips parted as I panted, trying to control the moans that wanted to escape my throat. 

“Kiss me, darling.” I tugged at his hair, grabbing his attention as I started to feel my release creeping through my body. “Please, Harry.” 

“Fuck, Bea.” He smeared his lips against mine, releasing into me just seconds before my own orgasm took over, milking his cock. I cried into his mouth as his hips continued to press into me in sloppy, desperate thrusts. “Feel so good, I can’t… oh my god, Bea.” 

“I love you,” I whispered, a tear falling out of the corner of my eye as he dropped his forehead to mine, our breath mingling together. 

After a few moments of soft kisses, giggles, and trying to catch our breath. Harry slipped out of me, standing up straight. I groaned, sitting up on my desk with an ache in my back as Harry pulled his jeans up over my hips. I reached up to brush my fingers over my cheekbones, collecting the few tears that had fallen on my skin from the pleasure I was given just minutes ago. Harry smiled down at me, shaking his head as he looked at me. I narrowed my brows at him, confused by his amusement. He lifted his hand, brushing his thumb over my bottom lip.

“You look wrecked.” He bit his lower lip, trying not to laugh. “Honeybee, we have to fix you up.” 

“Worth it.” I smiled, hopping off my desk on wobbly legs. “Absolutely worth it.”

[disgruntledkittenface]

WHEN YOU SEE THIS POST A SNIPPET FROM YOUR WIP

“It smells like what I imagine Joan Didion’s house to smell like.”

Harry glances from his laptop screen, where the bewildered interviewer is fish mouthing at him over Skype, to see if he succeeded in making Louis laugh. It's a game they’ve been playing all morning; Louis doing his level best to maintain a straight face while he works while Harry tries to come up with the most ridiculous answers to the boring questions he’s being asked over and over, just to see if he can get Louis to crack. To his dismay, Louis is distracted by a notification chime on his phone, so he turns his attention back to the interviewer and tries to make up for dicking around.

“I like a fragrance that has some emotion behind it, don’t you?” Harry ignores the sigh of relief he gets in response, continuing, “The triggering of memories from smell is really strong for everyone. My mother has always worn the same perfume. It smells like roman candles and jasmine. So like anytime I smell it, I feel like a kid again. I feel like everyone has those.”

“Thank you, Harry, I couldn’t agree more. Now let’s chat a bit about your history with the brand. Since the start of Alessandro Michele’s reign…”

Harry can’t help it, he glances over at Louis again and this time Louis is looking back. He holds up his phone, turned so that Harry can see one of the photos from the perfume campaign displayed, the one with Harry resting his head on the shoulder of a fellow model. He thinks the reason Louis’ jaw is dropped is because the model is wearing the head of a vintage rabbit suit atop their Gucci ensemble. Harry smiles and shrugs. Might be a bit weird, but he likes it.

“Um, my history with the brand, yeah,” he says, unsure how obvious it is that he has no idea what the interviewer’s actual question was. “I used to wear all black, thinking you know, serious actor stuff, right? And not just that, but also, like, um a blank canvas kind of? So people don’t confuse me with the characters I play. But I think ultimately, you know, it’s okay to express yourself and just have fun with fashion, right? I wore this amazing suit that Gucci sent over a few years back, this black and white with the legs flared, and I had never really done flares before, and it was just really fun. I just kind of started wearing more and more of it, and at the same time just becoming a lot more comfortable in myself.”

This time when he looks over, Louis is looking back with a fond smile. He smiles back, toying with the pearl necklace he’s wearing beneath his robe, and almost forgets the interview entirely.

“...thank you so much for your time, Harry. We got some great stuff, I’ll be sure to send the final draft to Nick.”

“Thanks, thank you! Bye!” He does jazz hands at the laptop screen, flashing a wide grin to go with, and the interviewer laughs before ending the call. Just one more Skype call, and he’ll be done answering questions for the day.

The call from the next interviewer comes through almost immediately, no doubt due to Nick and Aimee’s highly efficient scheduling system, so Harry plasters another smile on his face and clicks accept. 

“Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.”

He can see Louis out of the corner of his eye, flicking through photos on his phone, he thinks, and he assumes that a Google Alert for the campaign came through. He’d sent Louis a few selfies that week, but he doubts they captured the free-spirited, hippie vibe of the shoot. Nick’s already texted asking why it looks like he’s joined a cult, but Harry loves what they worked on. 

The final interview starts with questions about the perfume, and Harry gives his standard answer about how it transcends gender, and how proud he is to be a part of the brand’s first universal fragrance. Learning lines has always been the easy part of his job, and he stifles a chuckle about how he can’t help but refer to Memoire as a perfume mentally when it’s been drilled into him by the PR team to call it a fragrance.

“But do you really wear it?” 

“I do wear it, all the time,” he says, flicking his eyes over at Louis as he adds, “I sleep in it.”

Louis looks up at that, a bit scandalized. He mouths the word “liar” at Harry, shaking his head, and Harry decides that his reaction is worth the headlines that quote will generate.  

[harrysdimples]

hello i hope this isn’t a weird ask or if you’ve seen a post like it and could direct me but i’ve been a casual fan of harry for forever but tbh only recently have become someone who like follows blogs Exclusively About Harry type beat and i was wondering if u could give me like a guide of who his friends r? like ik jeff and some others but i see lots of names and i get like “????” anyways, have a good day!!

of course bb! thank you for giving me something to do during quarantine lmao, long post under the cut:

jeff azoff - harry’s manager and one of his best friends, been friends since early 2013 and harry signed with jeff and full stop management in january 2016, jeff is the son of irving azoff who is widely considered to be the most powerful man in the music industry

glenne christiaansen - jeff’s long term girlfriend/partner, been together at least as long as harry and jeff have been friends, used to work for snapchat and now works at apple music, was included in the forbes 30 under 30 list (woohoo!)

tommy bruce - works at full stop management with jeff, is harry’s manager/representative when jeff isn’t there, good friends with harry

kid harpoon/tom hull - not sure exactly when they became friends but have been friends for a while, worked together on both albums harry has done, his wife jenny is the jenny referenced in canyon moon, he makes a cameo in the adore you music video lol

molly hawkins - harry’s creative director since 2017, has worked on most major shoots harry has done and is responsible for the visuals when it comes to harry’s album/singles artwork

harry lambert - harry’s stylist since at least 2015, we don’t know how they met/who they were introduced by but have been close since around late 2014 (I think)

kunichi normura - harry’s friend who he spent most of his time in japan with, a radio DJ and writer

nick grimshaw - BBC Radio 1 DJ, close friend of 8/9 years, have spent multiple xmas days together, harry debuted SOTT exclusively on his show, just check my gryles tag for more lol

mitch rowland - you probably already know but one of harry’s best friends, guitarist in harry’s band and collaborator on both albums, in a relationship with sarah (drummer) since 2017

xander ritz - lacrosse player, first became close in 2014/15 ish? xander went to lots of tour dates for the last tour 1D did together, you can see more in the xarry timeline here (this hasn’t been updated in a while though, xander goes to most things harry does lmao), still close with one another, most times if harry is doing something in NYC he will fly out to Philadelphia and stay with xander/his family beforehand

ben winston - executive producer on the LLS with james corden, directed multiple music videos for 1D like night changes and you & I, harry stayed with him and his wife meredith in their home for 18 months during 1d, harry is close with all his family, ben’s dad is a lord in the House of Lords in parliament, harry went to see a debate in parliament on brexit through ben’s dad etc, harry is the godfather of ben’s daughter ruby

helene panbrum - harry’s personal and tour photographer, close friend of all the band and crew including harry

cal aurand - 1d’s photographer and close friend of harry’s, introduced him to the green bay packers (lmao) and harry is the godfather of his son, jackson

adam prendergast/sarah jones - members of harry’s band, harry has known adam since 2011, is married to his wife emi with two children (silver and spike), sarah used to be in the band hot chip before joining harry’s band and is now in a relationship with mitch

ny oh (naomi)/charlotte clark - newest members of harry’s band this era, replacing clare uchima who was previously harry’s pianist before joining dua lipa’s band (let’s not talk about that rip)

johnny/alice/ben/chloe burcham - all childhood friends of harry’s, has stayed in more regular contact with johnny than the other two (has brought him on various 1D tours with him, johnny still tweets and posts about harry sometimes), ben was in harry’s band at school with him, alice grew up with harry, chloe burcham is a close family friend of everyone in harry’s family since her mum and anne are very close, gemma, harry and chloe all grew up together and spend most christmases together

rob stringer - head of sony music and close friend of harry’s

tom glynn carney/jack lowden/barry keoghan/fionn whitehead - all part of the dunkirk cast, harry has more publicly stayed friends with tom and barry in particular (tom went to harry’s arena tour and harry went to his play on broadway, barry went to the secret london show for fine line) but they have a group chat called funkirk lmao

roman kemp - capital fm presenter and close friend of harry’s for many years now

tomo campbell/sam campbell - tomo is a close friend of harry’s, harry has been to a few of his art exhibitions and has bought a few of his paintings, sam is also a close friend with their two kids and is the sister of 1d’s hair stylist, lou teasdale

matt irwin - photographer friend of harry’s who was one of his best friends, he sadly took his own life in 2016, harry dedicated his issue of another man to matt and has spoken since about how the grief of losing him impacted him, may he rest in peace.

alessandro michele - creative director of gucci, close friends since 2015 ish, lovely man :’) harry is learning to speak italian for him and has stayed with him in italy before, harry is alessandro’s muse

jack guinness/alexa chung/pixie geldof/waseem etc - all part of harry’s london crew of friends who he was mainly introduced to by nick, harry went to pixie’s wedding, and is still close with jack and alexa in particular etc

tyler johnson/sammy witte/jeff bhasker - all collaborators on both albums and close friends of harry

james corden/kendall jenner - you don’t need me to tell you who either of these people are lol, harry is the godfather of james’ youngest child charlotte

[womansharry]

SHE

Chapter 2 - Who

Juliet's morning started early. Despite the time difference in Rome, she had a hard time sleeping in. At 6:30 her eyes were open and her brain was fast at work, already thinking of all the things she needed to check off her to-do list.

She was staying at the Aleph Rome Hotel. It was such a gorgeous place. She had been to Rome several times before and loved it more and more each time. It certainly had its charm about it.

By 7, she decided to stop scrolling through Pinterest and order coffee and some breakfast. She called down to the front desk. And within 5 minutes there was a knock on the door. She pulled the fluffy white robe tighter around her and went to the door. She pulled it open; a short middle-aged man was on the other side. He gave her a warm smile as he pushed the cart into her room.

"Buongiorno signora." Juliet's Italian wasn't the best. She could piece words together, but to speak and understand it fluently was lost on her.

Juliet returned the smile. "Buongiorno. Grazie." He gave her a curt nod and turned around, leaving the room. She picked up her coffee cup and the plate with her croissant and walked out to the terrace. One thing that Juliet had loved ever since she was a little girl was traveling. Whether it was a trip to the Hamptons for the weekend or a 3-week European vacation. She loved packing her things in a suitcase and exploring different places. Places that were different than New York City. And as she had gotten older, the thrill of traveling alone had become something that she loved more than almost anything in the world. The freedom of being by yourself and getting to see the world the way you wanted to was beautiful to Juliet.

She sat down with her coffee and her mind wandered to the reason she was in Rome in the first place. It had been a bit of a surprise to her when Alessandro Michele had reached out to her not long after the Met Gala. He had told her that he was disappointed that the two of them didn't get to talk in person, but he wanted her to do a feature on her website for the upcoming Gucci Cruise show which was being held in Rome at Capitoline Museums. She had eagerly accepted his offer and now here she was. Spending three days in Rome before heading back home for meetings.

She sat her coffee down on the table and went back into her room to get her computer. She decided that she would work for a little bit, then she'd do a bit of shopping in the area before going to the show later.

She had meet with two investors last week about launching her own collection. She wanted to create a capsule wardrobe of sorts, timeless pieces; the kind of pieces that could be worn around the world. The investors had been interested. Once she was back in NYC they would be meeting with her again.

After sending more than 20 emails, finishing up an article on some of her favorite looks from Paris Fashion Week, and ordering a new dress from Net-A-Porter, she went in to change her clothes. She threw on a white bodysuit, a patterned midi skirt, and white sneakers. She threw her hair into a low bun, making a mental note that she had to be back at the hotel soon because it desperately needed a wash before the show.

As she was walking out the door she grabbed her bag and sunglasses. The outfit that she would wear to the show was hanging in the closet. The garment bag was adorned with the word Gucci. Inside was a black velvet blouse and a pair of yellow wide-legged trousers. This outfit was out of her comfort zone but it intrigued her. She'd be wearing it with a pair of black Gucci heels.

Juliet ventured out onto Via di San Basilio and checked her phone. It was 9:45. She wandered off to her left. She took in the sights, the men and women bustling around her speaking to one another in Italian, the gray pavers that were placed haphazardly together to make a sidewalk, the bright hues of the buildings against the soft blue of the sky.

She passed cathedrals, little shops that barely seemed big enough to hold a few customers, and huge ornate water fountains.

Finally, she arrived on Via del Corso. She was going to a few shops and then she'd grab lunch and be on her way back to the hotel. Zara was the first store that Juliet went into.

She didn't spend much money or time in Zara. She picked up a pair of gold hoop earrings and a white silk cami. She wandered into a few locally owned stores. She admired getting to visit other countries and experiencing other cultures. There was truly nothing in the world like it.

As she started heading back in the direction of the hotel, she stopped in a small cafe for pizza. It was before noon and the cafe wasn't crowded at all. There was an elderly couple sitting by the door ogling at one another. And at the next table was a mother and her two toddlers. Juliet smiled at the patrons and ordered two slices of pizza.

She got back to the hotel at 12:30. And the show wasn't until 8. She knew she needed to be at the museum early. Alessandro had put her in contact with a wonderful lady name Nicolette. She had lined up someone to do Juliet's hair and makeup before the show.

Juliet fell down onto the soft bed once she was back in her hotel room. She took some time to scroll through her Instagram feed. She looked back at her pictures from the Met Gala. It had only been 2 weeks ago.

Then her thoughts went to Harry. Harry. The one that she hadn't seen or heard from since the after party. She had hoped that he would reach out. But, he hadn't. And as much as Juliet wanted to hear from him, she was scared to make the first move.

___

At 4:15, there was a knock on Juliet's hotel door. She opened it. There was a man holding a large suitcase and a woman holding one just as big.

"Hello! I'm Gianni and this is Isabella. We're here for hair and makeup." He said politely. His English was good, but his accent was thick.

"Come in, it's nice to meet you two. I'm Juliet."

"Let's get to it, shall we!" Gianni exclaimed, digging into the suitcase he had brought and pulling out a hairdryer.

___

Juliet took one last look in the mirror. She had ordered some food up to her room for an early dinner. Gianni had done her hair is loose waves and Isabella had done the makeup in a soft glam look. Juliet decided to wear the gold hoops that she had bought earlier. She was so pleased with the look. She took her phone out and snapped a mirror selfie. She quickly uploaded it to her Instagram.

She had ordered an Uber and when she emerged onto the street, the car was sitting there. The drive to the museum was only 15 minutes. Once she arrived she made her way inside the grade hallways. It was amazing to see the art around her and know that soon she would be experiencing a fashion show, which was her favorite art form.

She was sat beside two younger girls that looked to be about her age. They were deep in conversation in French.

Juliet looked up and admired the sculptures around her. She glanced down the hallway and could have sworn she saw Harry. Even though Juliet had only met him once, she could tell that Harry's presence was electric. He walked into a room and everyone knew it.

Eventually the seats filled up. And there was no sign of Harry. Her mind must have been playing tricks on her. She sighed, disappointed that he wasn't there.

At 8 pm the lights went out and the show began. It was incredible. Probably one of her favorites that she had attended in person. After the show, was the after party.

When Alessandro has talked with Juliet, he had personally invited her to the after party. He wanted to meet her in person.  So, after the show was over Juliet made her way over to Palazzo Brancaccio.

She was swept up in a whirlwind once she entered the lounge. She talked with several people, drank champagne and danced a little. At some point she felt someone touch her shoulder.

"Juliet?" She turned around to see the kind face of Alessandro Michele.

"Alessandro, it's a pleasure. The show was wonderful. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I really can't wait to write about it." He beamed at her.

"Thanks, you are too kind. It's nice to finally meet you. I'm glad that you'll be doing a piece on it. Are you enjoying Rome?" She nodded.

"Yes! I love it here, unfortunately I'm flying back home tomorrow night. I've got a few business meetings in New York coming up."

"I know how you feel. Well, it was nice to meet you. Please, enjoy yourself and have a safe trip home. We'll talk soon." He hugged her quickly and was whisked away.

The lights went dim and there was a sound like someone talking in a microphone. Juliet wasn't standing far from the stage. She moved so she could see a bit better and she couldn't believe it. Harry was there, he was standing on stage. He was standing on stage with the one and only Stevie Nicks.

She stood there for a while with a goofy smile on her face. She was so happy to see him. As he was singing "Stop Dragging My Heart Around" with Stevie, his eyes met hers. His smile grew.

They sang for a little while longer and once their set was over, Juliet set out for the open bar.

"Jules, I didn't know you'd be 'ere." His voice sent electricity down her spine. She spun on her heels and came face to face with the man she had been thinking about for two weeks.

"I didn't know you'd be here either." She smiled at him.

"'M glad 'm here. Got to see you." His eyes were sparkling.

"You're quite the rockstar, Harry. On stage singing with Stevie Nicks." Juliet grinned and moved closer to him.

"Don't tell me that, 's bad for my ego and all." He gave her a devilish grin in returned. She chuckled.

"Can I tell you something Harry?"

"Anything ya want,"

"I haven't stopped thinking about you since the Met Gala." He looked up at her with a smile.

"Funny, I was hoping I'd 'ave the chance to see ya again. To talk to ya, look at ya. Do ya wanna get out of 'ere? We can go anywhere ya want."

Juliet felt a jolt of excitement. She looked him over, his brown curly hair, his green eyes hiding behind a pair of oversized pink sunglasses, his cream colored suit, it contrasted beautifully with his tan skin. He looked so good. But best of all, he seemed at ease and happy.

"You know what, I would love that."

"Come on then, love." He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd of people.

______ read chapter 3 here!

[hearteyeslikeafooligan]

Gender Bending Fashion

Exhibit at the MFA  (featuring a Gucci suit worn by Harry Styles in concert)

Harry’s suit was in this section of the exhibit:

(It was near impossible to get legible photos in the weird lighting of the exhibit with all the glare and shadows, so I’ll transcribe some of the signs).

DISRUPT

One of the main messages that clothing has communicated is gender distinction.  In Western culture at the start of the 20th century, the quintessential garments for most men and women were, respectively, the suit and the skirt.  While cross dressing was not always considered subversive (and was a frequent trope in performance settings), many cities in the United States passed laws in the 19th and 20th centuries that specifically targeted a person “wearing a dress not belonging to his or her sex” as part of broader prohibitions against public indecency.  This reinforcement of moral codes through the policing of dress pushed back against perceived threats to the gendered power divide essential to patriarchal society. 

The works in this section speak to moments when designers and wearers of fashion disrupted the paradigm of a suited man or skirted woman - often at personal risk.  Today, as our understanding of gender progresses, individuals continue to upend history by adopting and adapting garments once strictly associated with a specific gender with new resonance and meaning.  Then as now, such actions reflect specific contexts and desires, from personal taste and artistic performance to protests and struggles for rights and visibility. 

The DISRUPT section included suits worn by David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, and Janelle Monae as well. 

Before the sub-section Harry’s suit was in, there was the sub-section highlighting the concept of the “peacock revolution.” 

Then Harry’s sub-section highlighted the concept they called “peacock revolution - today.”

And FINALLY... Here is the sign under Harry’s suit:

(It was so hard to get these signs in focus and out of shadow and glare omg)

This blurb directly above, about Alessandro Michele for Gucci, is everything it says about Harry’s suit.  

I don’t know why the signs with information on the suits worn by the other artists such as David Bowie and Janelle Monae mentioned who wore them and when, and the suit Harry wore never mentioned him at all.  

His name was not mentioned anywhere in the exhibit, or the pamphlet for the exhibit, or the website information anywhere at all.  

It may have more to do with the fact that the very famous Gucci is the interesting thing to mention about that suit’s design, whereas the suits worn by the other musicians didn’t have famous designers (I’ve never heard of any of them), so the only interesting thing to mention may have been the famous people who wore them and commissioned them to be designed, since the designers of those suits weren’t well-known.  Or else the museum may have needed permission to name people on the signs in the exhibit, and didn’t get that permission from Harry’s label (which has always held demonstrably strict controls of his image rights) or some such business shenanigans.

The next section was BLUR:

BLUR

The gendering of fashion over time has reflected societal ideas about the roles of men and women.  In certain contexts, however, those gendered decisions have blurred - including in children’s clothing, military-inspired dress, and sportswear.  The acceptance of swimming, bicycling, and motoring as gender-neutral gave rise to a host of new silhouettes for women in the late 19th century.

The 1960′s witnessed a revolution in “unisex” fashion, with designers proposing garments meant to be worn by both women and men - including the robe-like caftan, its form taken from West Asian and North African traditions.  More recently, avant-garde Japanese designers such as Rel Kawakubo for Comme des Garcons and Yohji Yamamoto have subverted standard, Western silhouettes by combining elements of both menswear and womenswear.  While unisex fashion has become increasingly common, it has nearly always veered masculine-of-center, emphasizing styles that prioritize comfort and practicality.

And the last section was TRANSCEND:

TRANSCEND

Gender is complex: it holds meaning for society at large, while remaining a deeply personal, individual experience.  It represents the interrelation of different dimensions, including how we understand our place in the world; how we relate to our own bodies; and how we express ourselves.  In recent decades, the ways society perceives gender has begun to change, thanks to the pioneering efforts of feminists, queer, intersex, and trans activists, social scientists, entertainers, and many others. 

What does this evolution of understanding mean for fashion?  Increasingly, designers and wearers of fashion are seeking approaches that leave longstanding conventions on the dressing room floor.  The four designers in this gallery provide a glimpse of a new vanguard - one that is working to reframe conversations about fashion and gender entirely.  Out of a long history of traditions disrupted and blurred, they’ve emerged to argue for a future in which clothing will be designed for, and worn by, anybody.

The entire exhibit was fascinating and truly worth a visit to the museum if you’re anywhere near Boston.  Check the website mfa.org for different kinds of opportunities of free entrance days and special Friday nights with free entrance at different times, etc., and also check your library for museum passes.  The Gender Bending Fashion exhibit is there until August 25.

[stylesnews]

Vogue Spain: A relationship that does not understand gender.

Singer Harry Styles reinforces his relationship with Gucci, becoming ambassador of his new fragrance, Mémoire d'une Odeur, with this proposal for all audiences, defends the greatest of our time: freedom of being yourself.

Roman chamomile, jasmine, cedar, several musks and an irresistible touch of vanilla, declamation of memory and with a perfect intonation, Harry Styles (England. 1994). They are the ingredients of Mémoire d'une Odeur, the first universal fragrance of Gucci, the singer apostles, sitting in the suite of a Roman hotel he has come to present you as ambassador of the same. The lesson, of course, has already been learned. 

The British will therefore lead an innovative aromatic-diplomatic exercise emerged from the mind of Alessandro Michele (creative director of Gucci for four years), a varied cast of friends that includes the designer Harris Reed. Artist Ariana Papademetropoulos, musician Stanislas Klossowski, designer Zumi Rotsow and more than a dozen models. The proposal is therefore as universal in the selection of raw materials as in the protagonists of the campaign. "Gender is less and less important in matters such as perfumes or clothing. People already express themselves as they feel like in these areas - I think the standards are not as strict as they used to be and it is something that seems incredible to me," says the singer. 

His outfit at the last Met gala - dedicated to the aesthetic camp - and which he attended with Alessandro Michele - corroborates him, high-waisted pants (up to the chest), semi-transparent chiffon blouse with laced neck, painted nails in various shades of blue and green, a multitude of rings, patent leather ankle boots with a heel of five centimeters and an earring with a hanging pearl, "It was an exceptional opportunity to play with the look. Also in an absolutely liberal industry in that sense, clothing is part of the show. and allows you to express yourself in a manner similar to that of music," he defends.

It was not the first time that the public celebrated its stylistic audacity. In fact, his relationship with Michele dates back to 2016. He had bought a lot of shirts and a handful of costumes for his concerts and one day they met in London for coffee. "He is incredible: kind, generous, good, or the kind of man to be around," he describes. By the time he started his 2017 tour, Harry Styles Live On Tour, he was already completely surrendered to the ornate and colorful designs of the Italian, "Making shows is what I enjoy most. And I think wearing a slightly crazy suit can help you in certain moments, make you feel good."

The admiration was mutual: in January 2018, Styles starred in his first campaign for the Gucci men's division. Directed by Glen Luchford, he visited a chicken fry with a live chicken under his arm. "Glen is one of my favorite people on the planet to work for. And we have been fortunate to meet again now, for the Memoire d'une Odeur campaign. We all met for three days outside Rome. It was great, because so much of time, we were just chatting and hanging out while they were recording us. It was really entertaining."

Outside the Roman hotel where he is now staying, a large group of mainly teenage fans awaits him passionately since he sang in the One Direction boyband, in an undefined hiatus since the end of 2015, when Styles started his solo career. They have learned of his arrival in the Italian capital and do not want to leave without knowing their idol. He, dressed in wide khaki pants, a mustard sweater with a generous v-neck that allows you to see three of his more than fifty tattoos (the two pectoral swallows and the upper part of the butterfly that adorns his abdomen), continues relaxed on the couch where he will give interviews to various media throughout the afternoon. Animatedly ramble about fashion, gender, memories, perfumes... "Times are changing in every way. It's amazing to be alive in this era. To see how the world evolves and be part of it. My friends and My friends' friends have a freedom like never before to be free and open They enjoy the opportunity to be who they really are It seems incredible to think that my children will arrive at a time when they can be whatever they want to be."

Seconds before the interview ends, he returns to his role as ambassador. "I know from Alessandro that the new perfume has to do with the connection we have with smells, and fragrances, which can evoke certain memories or transport you somewhere," he says. «He is not just making a perfume and presenting it. There are emotions behind. I like that. And besides, it smells really good. It has Roman chamomile, jasmine, cedar, several musks and an irresistible touch of vanilla”.

[awomanindeniall]

Relative Values interview: documentary producer Nick Reed and his fashion designer son, Harris

The father and son on going from washing dishes to the big time — and dressing Harry Styles

The Sunday Times, December 1 2019

[[MORE]]

Nick

I always wanted to be a father and Harris was an extraordinary baby. At the time he was born, I was just starting out as a Hollywood agent and his mother had just launched a candle company; she had clients such as Ellen DeGeneres and Jennifer Lopez. She is super-creative too. She would take him to work or he would travel on planes with me.

We knew that Harris was special when he was very young. When a six-year-old holds a conversation with adults or starts doing interior design on the house, it’s pretty obvious. Our job was to support him. Life pressures led to the dissolution of our marriage when Harris was about 10, but we dedicated ourselves to co-parenting.

My father was in the navy. I was born in Gibraltar, but we moved every three or four years when I was young. It gave me an adventurous spirit, which my son has definitely inherited. Harris moved from the US, his birthplace, to France for a year at 15 years old because he knew he wanted to get into fashion and needed to learn French. That takes balls.

...When I won an Oscar for The Lady in Number 6 [in 2014], I called Harris — in France, where it was the middle of the night — and got Bradley Cooper to tell him in French that I’d won. No one wanted that film at first: Hollywood had told me I couldn’t produce a film about a Holocaust-surviving pianist because I wasn’t a producer, nor Jewish, nor knew anything about music. I really believe — and this is something Harris realises — that great timing, on top of talent, is key. You need to be able to connect the dots.

As a Brit, I think something I have picked up in America is that Nike-style “Just Do It” attitude; I’ve tried to show Harris that he can do whatever he wants. At school, he had a lot of problems: attention deficit disorder, which they wanted to put him on drugs for when he was six, and dyslexia. But we moved him to a liberal arts school and I think that’s one of the reasons he’s turned out soamazingly. Given he loved fashion, I bought him a subscription to Women’s Wear Daily to encourage him to read.

I remember a school project for which Harris and his classmates were given cardboard boxes and asked to represent their pasts, presents and futures using them. Every other kid had just drawn on the side; Harris’s had twigs flying out of it in all directions.

He was always super-artistic and immaculate. He reminds me of James Bond: always cool. On the few occasions I look great, people assume it’s down to Harris. But I’d be so lucky: there’s a queue to be dressed by him now.

Harris

My dad’s still very English, despite having lived in LA for so long. He doesn’t throw compliments around, but I know he thought my work with Harry Styles was amazing. Harry wore about 13 different looks on his worldwide tour [in 2017-18] and about half of them were mine; Gucci did most of the rest, then there was Yves Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen. To be among them was incredible. I wrote down most of the ideas in crayon on the back of a napkin in a meeting with Harry. He’s really amazing. Seeing him singing in my clothes in front of 40,000 people was ridiculous.

Having a dad whose career has gone up, down and all over the place, in a great way, has been brilliant in teaching me that taking risks and potentially failing is part of reality and success.

I’m studying fashion at Central Saint Martins in London and we have to do placements in our third year. The only place I wanted to work was Gucci, so I emailed them one evening and got a generic reply. I thought, fine. But then they called and said Alessandro Michele [the brand’s creative director] wanted to fly me to Milan, the Disneyland of fashion, to meet me.

We got on so well, talked for 15 minutes and he asked me to walk in their upcoming show. It wasn’t quite like my dad’s casting call — being told you’re cute while washing up — but it was extraordinary. He said he’d seen me on Instagram, then a magazine article about me, then my application and decided he needed to meet me. Gucci don’t do internships, so it was huge. I knew I couldn’t not do it.

Usually I sew all day, go to dinner, come home and work on my designs. I just don’t sleep;

Dad says you can sleep when you’re dead. He’s the one I call for advice, mostly of a creative or business nature. He understands I don’t want to say no to things, just know how to fit them all in.

Central Saint Martins was the only fashion school in the world I wanted to go to and I got in following a terrible interview. The guy interviewing me ripped me apart and I was holding back tears. But in my first year I felt like the sky was the limit. I don’t want to make beautiful things, I want to make things that have a story. My parents told me off when I was eight for telling a friend’s mother that the curtains in their house didn’t match the rugs. I can’t help tweaking things.

I believe you should always be who you are, do whatever you’re doing to the fullest, and not give a shit about what people think. Moving around a lot, like my dad, has made me really understand myself — I must have moved 30 times already and it’s made me strong. Home to me is everywhere, or where family is.

People who don’t understand fashion often think it’s silly, but it has such power to change the way people feel and to push ideas. My dad helped me grow up in a bubble of acceptance and freedom. I came out as gay at nine years old and think of myself now as more fluid. But I hate labels, and don’t need them with Dad: he’s always trusted that I know who I am.

Claire, the documentary by Nick Reed and Ryan Azevedo, is available on YouTube