The Super Bowl Was Almost More Fashion Than Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week is an institution of style but 2024's edition nearly got out-institutioned by Super Bowl LVIII, as a surprising deluge of fashion-first looks stormed Las Vegas on February 11.
NYFW and the Super Bowl obviously draw entirely different crowds but A-listers really turned out for the 2024 championship between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, and they came to dress.
But were they dressed to impress? Your call, but the effort (and the expensive brands) was definitely there.
Taylor Swift, creator of news cycles, wore Area jeans and a red jacket in support of that one football guy, who himself made a surprisingly stylish turn by flexing custom Amiri before the big game.
BFF Blake Lively matched Swift, sorta, in a red adidas track jacket and white crop top oddly accented with a massive gold chain, channeling Run DMC in no small way.
Also in the stands, Ariana Grande and Lebron James both rocked Louis Vuitton — Grande and Wicked costar Cynthia Erivo coulda matched in football gear but, nope, bespoke Nicolas Ghesquière jerseys — while Kim Kardashian sashayed in with moto-ready Balenciaga leather.
Rapper Travis Scott watched the game in Amiri, hanging out with Louis Vuitton-clad Lil Baby, James Harden, and adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden (?). Hailey Bieber wore YSL (as she often does) while hubby Justin, rumored to perform with Usher, buttoned up a Marine Serre shirt.
Coi Leray hit the road in Balenciaga's giant boots. Beyoncé was there, clad in cowboycore just before the reveal of her new album, while JAY-Z looked relatively relaxed in his typical sorta-streetwear kinda way.
And Salomon bought ad time, to boot!
But the main event, arguably, was Usher’s Halftime Show, itself was as big as a NYFW runway show.
He began the show with a little costume homage to Michael Jackson in a crystal-laden suit, gloves included, before shifting to a handful of other expensive outfits that included $1,450 Flipper's Quadz roller-skates, a pair of custom Air Jordan 4 sneakers, and a custom Off-White™ moto suit laden with even more sparkles.
Alicia Keys joined partway through, wearing her own Super Bowl-sized gown.
Usher alone wasn't to thank for all the fashion. Companies came to spend, for one, paying out not just for the famously expensive ad slots on CBS but also A-list talent.
Beyoncé, for instance, hawked Verizon while Post Malone reunited with Bud Light (biggest non-surprise of the night?) and Ben Affleck recruited Jennifer Lopez, Fat Joe, and Matt Damon for his Dunkin rap.
Not really a surprise that celebrities endorsed brands for Super Bowl ads but the weight of the talent is indicative of the monetary push behind all the other looks at the big game.
Like, yes, of course, no big surprise that celebrities wear fancy clothes when out and about but that a football stadium in Las Vegas would be nearly as much a hub of custom luxury flexes as Fashion Week itself? Kind of a big deal.
