Some wore vestments, others scrubs. Some were on courts, others in court. All have shaped the look of the year.
Over the past six months, those whose style has shaped the look of 2025 have worn attire across the spectrum, from feathered overcoats to flight suits to flared jeans. They
Some of the 33 people, characters and things on this list seemingly came out of nowhere. Others have spent years courting an audience. Some may prompt disagreement – style, after all, is subjective. And with six months of 2025 still ahead, there is plenty of time for relevance to fade, for profiles to grow and for new individuals to influence how we picture the year. – Anthony Rotunno, fashion news editor
Doechii
The rapper’s aesthetic – an amalgamation of long braids, Afros, artful nails, clones and energetic clothes – has made her one of the most exciting people to watch.
Elijah ‘Smoke’ Moore and Elias ‘Stack’ Moore in Sinners
Something you may not know about the dandy twins played by Michael B. Jordan: according to Ryan Coogler, the director of Sinners, Stack is a stylist of sorts for Smoke.
Jennifer Tilly
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As a guest star on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, the actor displayed a wit and a wardrobe the likes of which the reality TV franchise had never seen.
Addison Rae
Years after she broke out by dancing on TikTok, the performer, with the release of her debut album, Addison, is commanding serious attention.
Timothée Chalamet
During awards season, the A Complete Unknown actor dressed the part in Bob Dylan-inspired attire. During the NBA playoffs, he used clothes to channel a different role: New York Knicks superfan.
Spike Lee
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Advertise with NZME.A Knicks superfan before others were born, the director brought his team spirit to the Cannes Film Festival through outfits like a blue-and-orange-striped suit, which he wore days later to a playoff game at Madison Square Garden.
Lisa
The singer and actor kept countless eyes on her as she went from wearing housekeeping attire on TV to glow-in-the-dark lingerie onstage to inscrutable lace on the carpet.
Shah Rukh Khan
Bollywood’s biggest star and one of the world’s most famous actors brought the Met Gala into his orbit as a first-time attendee.
Labubu
Few accessories are hotter these days than the fuzzy pastel-coloured dolls collected by celebrities like Lisa, Rihanna and Emma Roberts.
Coco Gauff
The tennis star was the first American athlete in a decade – and the first Miu Miu girl – to win the French Open women’s singles tournament.
Victoria Ratliff in The White Lotus
Victoria, played by Parker Posey, offered a master class in Southern elitism – and drawl.
Alexander Skarsgard
To promote the gay biker film Pillion, the actor practised method dressing in ensembles involving thigh-high leather boots, sequin pants and short shorts.
Diana Ross
The superstar singer stole the fashion show at this year’s Met Gala in a white feathered hat and overcoat with an 18-foot train.
Kayla Schaeffer in Hacks
No longer a lowly assistant, Kayla, played by Megan Stalter, is now a Hollywood boss with her name on the door – but with the same outré wardrobe.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
This season, the Oklahoma City Thunder guard, one of the NBA’s best-dressed athletes, became a league champion and its most valuable player.
Jordon Hudson
Butting into an interview that her boyfriend, Bill Belichick, was giving made the reclusive Maine beauty queen an overnight sensation.
Pope Leo XIV
When Robert Francis Prevost became the first American Pope in May, he achieved a distinction – and gained access to finery – that no other person from the United States has.
A$AP Rocky
Appearing in court wearing a Saint Laurent suit and a coat by Gucci, the rapper made the set of his recent criminal trial (where he was acquitted) more like a fashion shoot’s.
Aimee Lou Wood
The English actor, a star of The White Lotus, charmed audiences with her natural smile.
Iké Udé
The Nigerian artist and reluctant dandy had an outsize role in shaping The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” exhibition, the basis for this year’s Met Gala.
Gabby Windey
On The Traitors Season 3, the nurse and NFL cheerleader turned reality TV star won over fans with a droll, deadpan way of speaking that earned her comparisons to Jennifer Coolidge.
Takashi Murakami
Louis Vuitton handbags designed by the Japanese artist were a hallmark of early 2000s fashion. This year, as interest in millennial culture has surged, they returned.
Noah Wyle
As rabid fans of The Pitt will attest, few things go better together than the actor and a pair of scrubs.
Amanda Nguyen, Lauren Sánchez, Gayle King, Aisha Bowe, Kerianne Flynn and Katy Perry
Adding to the spectacle of their Blue Origin spaceflight were new “sexy” suits made especially for the all-female crew.
Conner Ives
The fashion designer’s T-shirt with the slogan “Protect the Dolls” became a hot commodity after he showed it on the runway in February.
Romy Mars
There are many nepo baby singers. But Mars is the rare one with a debut music video directed by Sofia Coppola (her mother).
Kendrick Lamar
The rapper’s imprint on the year in style could be summed up in four words: Super Bowl bell bottoms.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Written by: The Styles Desk
Photographs by: Amir Hamja, Sinna Nasseri, Caroline Tompkins, Nina Westervelt, Greta Rybus, Gianni Cipriano, Andre D. Wagner, Michelle V. Agins, Dustin Franz and Justin Hamel
©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES
