Black Style Icon – Pharrell Williams

I have wanted to do this for a long time, and so think I will start my series of styles icons today. I want to showcase famous people who I think just have amazing fashion sense and effortless style, in order to give you some ideas about what works for them and why. I will maybe throw a few items in there as well which are similar to what they would wear. I am going to start with Pharrell Williams, who I think has really come into his own over the last few years.

His style has evolved from typical basic skateboard/street wear into what I think could be called the modern gentleman. He and Kanye seem to be really upping the fashion stakes for musicians and especially black musicians. When we went through the strong stage of hip hop a few years back – 50 Cent, Jay Z (really improved as well since his Def Jam CEO role), Dre, Snoop and even Eminem – it seemed that to be associated with “black culture” you had to wear baggy jeans, an over sized white t-shirt and some bling. It is a completely different story now with a lot of these artists wanting to become more well rounded business men.

Pharrell to me just oozes cool and style. I haven’t ever seen him when I thought he was just another average man on the street. He has a lot of flair and creativity with his outfits – mixing bold colours, patterns and using key accessories like scarves, sunglasses and watches to really stand out. I think a lot of people who are naturally creative just “know” what works when it comes to expressing themselves through their clothes.

I have put together a collection of his outfits below that you can have a look at to see the kind of items he wears and also how he mixes his items up:

Now I think there is a lot to love about this style. The mix between formal items and casual items is particularly appealing. The waistcoat with beautiful silk purple tie and pocket scarf looks very stylish, but then he mixes it with some dark grey jeans and a very casual white watch. His casual style at the top right is very basic, but adds some flair and keeps with his street style roots by wearing his red fitted cap and some amazing wayfarer framed clear glasses. Again it just adds that little bit “extra” to such a simple outfit.

Love the layering of knitwear in his other outfits – one time mixing a crisp white shirt and tie with a bold purple v-neck (right on trend colour) and then a graphic tee with a nice chunky cardigan which tips towards the nautical trend that is so big right now. I think all these images just show how far he has come and how he has really developed his style to become an icon. You can do the same, it is just a case of finding what you want to express about your personality through your clothes, and then buying pieces which reflect this.

Obviously a basic grasp of what items work well together and what colours coordinate is also a good start (which is what I am here for), but I hope throughout this series of icons, you will find someone who’s style really appeals to you whether they are black, white, Chinese, Asian or whatever. You can take looks from a variety of people and add them to your look, and drop styles that you know wouldn’t work for you.

Items to Get The Look

A lot of good formal items are a must – along with hats, scarfs and glasses. Bright knits and unconventional colours for formal wear should also be sought after. Obviously with jeans there are so many styles, you can pick whatever you are comfortable with. Check out some of the picks I found below.

Waistcoats

Shirts

Ties/Scarfs

Hats

Knitwear

Glasses/Sunglasses