The Radical Authenticity of 2023's Most Stylish Celebs
This year, you had to know where to look for celebrity style. Hollywood was on strike for the better part of 2023, meaning that red carpet slays took a backseat to streetwear swagger. There were of course high moments on the runways and red carpets but it was casual, candid celeb streetstyle that defined the year.
Having good style isn't just learned overnight but it's not impossible to get better at it, as this list shows. Many of the people on this list evolved into their signature looks throughout 2023, taking a chance with a cape (!) or showcasing that they truly DGAF about the state of their footwear.
Because so many celeb-style sightings weren’t overseen by the watchful eye of a glam team, 2023 was the year that authenticity was every celeb's best accessory. It's like we got a little window into their thought process about putting an outfit together, even seeing that some celebs are really just like us and have the same tried and true pieces they weren't worried about repeating errand after errand, date night after date night.
This sort of "unofficialness" of 2023 celeb style highlighted what makes it so hard to just cop a personal style — you have to have a whole lotta personality. No matter how much money you have in the bag, you can't buy good taste.
A$AP Rocky
It’s no secret that we have a hardcore crush on Rocky’s fashion sense but 2023 was the year he truly came into his own. Whether it was his kilt over jeans at the Met Gala or jogging in Beverly Hills clad in a Bottega Veneta leather sweatsuit, Rocky's already-excellent personal style might've peaked. Heck, Bottega went as far as to stage paparazzi pics with him (and model Kendall Jenner) for its Spring 2024 campaign, a pure celebration of his streetstyle.
From being Rihanna’s best accessory (next to her baby bump) at the start of the year to closing it with his PUMA F1 collab, hype dad Rocky continued to dial into his tastes, trying out a massive number of techniques and styles and, frankly, nailing them all, like a true style chameleon. And let’s not forget about his signature hair clips — sometimes less is not more.
Baby RZA
A$AP Rocky and Rihanna’s son, who turned one year old in May, was born to be best-dressed. RZA Athelston Meyers is the son of stylish parents, after all. But this well? We should have known. Now that he’s almost out of the infant stage and has enough mobility to put his little arms through puffer coats and slip those feet into sneakers, it’s only a matter of time before RZA’s modeling professionally. Or not — this kid can do whatever he wants in life, especially dressed this well.
Over the past 12 months, RZA dined at Giorgio Baldi wearing a white sweater set, rocked remarkably fresh PUMA and Onitsuka Tiger sneakers (or sometimes just really dope socks as babies are wont to do), and even complemented mom and dad’s outfits with his own bright coat on family date nights. RZA’s little sister Riot will no doubt start rocking her own outfits very soon. Watch this space.
Usher
It’s been over 20 years since Usher told you to “Pop Ya Collar” and the R&B legend has only gotten more fashionable since. Long gone are the dark wash jeans, white tank tops, and tilted Atlanta Braves hats, all ditched among Usher's 2023 style renaissance. Nowadays, he’s sitting front row at fashion shows and walking red carpets in full Rick Owens.
Usher’s outfits are playful and fun, epitomizing an open-minded exuberance for wearing crazy (and crazy cool) clothes. Where was all this panache before? Maybe it was there all along. But grownup Usher now has the confidence to play with his personal style.
Given that he has a whole new album slated for a February 2024 release, Usher’s fashion revolution might have just been a warm-up. Still, there are some clear standouts, including the Balenciaga face mask, pearl-encrusted Louis Vuitton beanie, and Marni polka dots, the latter worn while smoking a blunt with Erykah Badu at Paris Fashion Week.
Michelle Yeoh
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Michelle Yeoh made history with her Oscar win for Everything Everywhere All At Once in March 2023 and she showed out accordingly to accept her overdue honors. But is it really showing out if Yeoh always shuts down red carpets? In the early aughts she was partial to Marchesa, Ellie Saab, and other long sequined and feathered gowns, for instance, but going into 2023’s busy award season, she redefined neo-classic beauty.
While Yeoh wasn’t averse to a traditional gown here and there, also wore dolled-up pantsuits and played with finer details on her gowns. Her red carpet looks ran a gamut of styles and trends while maintaining old-school Hollywood glamour. Yeoh somehow looked simultaneously timeless and fashion-forward, not an easy balance to achieve.
Yeoh’s big award season swings include Schiaparelli confetti fringe at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, her caped Dior pantsuit at the BAFTAs, and the angelic, feathered Dior gown she wore to accept her Oscar. Clearly, she wears haute couture just as naturally as she does her own stunts, making her a true triple threat.
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence personifies quiet luxury every time she steps outside, decked out in Bottega Veneta and Kahite, clutching handbags from The Row that cost more than a West Village mortgage payment.
Of course, she has her luxury luxury moments, too. Draped in red and bejeweled at Cannes, or making press appearances for her film No Hard Feelings, Lawrence looked outrageously sophisticated throughout 2023.
But especially on her own time, Lawrence defined class all year long in her crisp white collars, beautifully baggy jeans, and coat after coat after coat. Even her most casual moments — the baggy mustard yellow sweater Lawrence wore over airy white shorts and her summery silk wide-legged pants come to mind — exuded elegance.
Really, ever since JLaw became JLaw she’s been celebrated as the girl next door, and while yes, her actual wardrobe is expensive and elite, her actual style is still textbook effortless. Who else is making socks 'n sandals look like a million bucks?
Lewis Hamilton
A couple years ago? who could’ve expected that Formula 1 racing would lowkey be the place to gawk at luxury fashion? That's all thanks to British driver Lewis Hamilton, really. But he also knows how to dress up when he’s not behind the wheel, having lead the zeal for driving and racing-inspired gear that trended hard throughout 2023.
Hamilton’s sleeveless blue suit in Dubai, sparkly blazer in Las Vegas, and floral cardigan he shrugged on before an F1 race in Japan are all proof of his exquisitely fashion-forward taste. And he has the personality and swagger to pull them off. Tailored wool jackets and diamond accessories could look stodgy on a person with less personality but Hamilton made them look joyful. Come to Formula racing for the speed but always stay to soak in Hamilton’s outfits, which continue to be as explosive as anything that actually blazes over the finish line.
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar has always had good style, but 2023 was the year he became best-dressed. He said it himself on 2023's “The Hillbillies,” even. And it isn't an empty boast: the way that Lamar mixes approachable brands and luxury labels is unmatched, demonstrating his adventurous, eclectic taste.
Like, Lamar might pair a vintage army jacket and Joe Freshgoods New Balances with a $650 Martine Rose hoodie of his own design, just because he can. Lamar was especially partial to Rose this year — always a good sign — wearing a reflective, construction worker-style get-up from her Spring 2024 collection during a stop on Beyonce’s “Renaissance” tour, later topping off a black suit with a crystal-studded LA Dodgers hat.
But Lamar isn't defined by a single brand. Consider the Chanel tweed jacket and furiously logo-ed jeans in Paris that he rocked at a fashion show over the summer, a high watermark that any Chanel ambassador is destined to be compared against.
Lamar is impressively democratic when it comes to sharing his personal style with fans, posting outfits and BTS pics to his finsta, giving us all a look at things he really digs, like crocheted beanies and Jordan sneakers he bought as a birthday present. It's a sign that Lamar's looks are as incredibly purposeful on the inside as they look on the outside.
Jeremy Allen White
Jeremy Allen White went from wearing dirty, stretched-out t-shirts on Shameless to a dirty apron and a slightly cleaner white t-shirt on breakout hit The Bear to dirty, white Nike Air Force 1s on the street. I’m sensing a trend.
White doesn't always catches our eye with his red carpet tuxes; he wears them well, sure, but its the way that he layers casual staples on his days off that makes our heart sing. He doesn’t take big fashion leaps nor does he need to — his fashion sense is classic in all of the best ways, the epitome of dressing with purpose. White knows what he likes and he wears it well.
Seriously, when he’s not all pressed, creased, and meticulously layered for the cameras, White dresses with an impressive quiet confidence. He wears little other than the same two baseball hats, unbuttoned shirts, and scuffed-up Nikes but what makes White’s outfits special is that his signature pieces hit just the right way. His light-washed jeans fall on those Nikes just so, his not-too-boxy shirts drape over plain t-shirts in a way that's not just a little James Dean.
Lil Yachty
If there’s anyone on this list who truly let their inner stylist shine this year, it’s rapper Lil Yachty. He truly found the sweet spot by never actually sticking to a single look for too long. Yachty is equally at home in denim bucket hats and color-blocked polos as he is in formal jackets and suited skirts. Balenciaga, Chanel, vintage workwear, rare sneakers, it all goes into Yachty's deliciously varied stylistic gumbo, a wardrobe built with equal care and raucous disorder.
Was his bowtie crooked on purpose at the CFDA Fashion Awards this fall? Who cares! That’s the kind of devil-may-care, DGAF style that informs his evolved fashion sense.
Yachty mixes unbuttoned jerseys with very of-the-moment wide, ripped jeans and pairs simple windbreakers with loud, sequined leather pants, because he can. Yachty’s style is eclectic and fun, just like his music, an attitude that extends to his accessorizing. His nails are consistently painted, there’s always some sparkle in his ears, and multicolor beads tying off his braids. Even the little touches say so much about Yachty.
