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At this point, Aaliyah’s style influence is undeniable. The late R&B icon managed to strike a balance between sultriness and tomboyish charm. Her look caught the attention of designers like Tommy Hilfiger and Roberto Cavalli in the ’90s and continues to inspire trends to this day. Whether it’s baggy tracksuits or glossy motocross looks, Aaliyah probably did it first (and best).
So in honor of what would have been the princess of R&B’s 39th birthday, we asked six musicians with a similar sensibility to count the ways that Aaliyah shaped their personal style. From Aaliyah’s surprising gothic influence on the underground nightclub impresario Venus X to the way her experiments with androgyny inspired the DJ Tygapaw, these musicians explain how Aaliyah’s style informed their own.
“Aaliyah is definitely a huge part of the way that we built up the GHE20G0TH1K aesthetic. And I think having artists like her that were able to take part of the stuff that we knew was traditional in the gothic scenes and the BDSM scenes—even like vinyl materials and shiny black leather and motorcycle wear, things that weren’t always a part of the pop aesthetic—and bridge those things in the urban. And those are some of the most meaningful images for us as we were growing up as DJs trying to create our own identities and just having the right uniform for the music we were playing. She was major. I think she had a lot to do with the way that we developed the aesthetics of HBA and GHE20G0TH1K. The things that we encouraged people to wear to the raves, it was very directly inspired. She was not known for wearing a lot of colors, she wasn’t known for wearing crazy silhouettes, but she has a very specific memorable style, and it has a lot to do with playing on her gender and creating a sense of hard-core sexuality in the midst of singing really sweet R&B love songs, which I think is the balance that we’re all kind of looking for, especially as DJs.”
“Aaliyah’s sense of style is motivating pop culture to this day. Her fearless play with tomboy style and sexuality made her unique in every way. Dance has always been a part of my journey and her influence still motivates every dance step I take. Fashion and dance is an aesthetic I champion in my art. Artists like Aaliyah paved the way for black women like me to share our fashion and art to the world.”
“As a girl growing up with Aaliyah, her style was just the thing I needed—it so beautifully showcased the journey from girlhood into womanhood. Her style was so forward-thinking, but at the same time, it had a strong sense of street culture which made you relate to her on all levels. The moodiness her style evoked was a message to young girls everywhere that it was okay to be more than just ‘picture perfect,’ to grow into yourself with depth, strength, and fierceness. I’m so grateful to have witnessed an artist as authentically herself as Aaliyah was in my lifetime.”
“Aaliyah’s sense of style made quite an impression on me growing up in Jamaica. I was already wearing baggy jeans, high-top sneakers, and baby tees, but was teased about my tomboyish style in my early teens. When I first saw Aaliyah, in her signature crop-top-and-baggy-pants look, it gave me this profound sense of relief that I wasn’t alone. She was cool, and seemed to have such a chill, sexy vibe about her in her videos, and the girl could move! She was an icon, even before she knew it.”
“Aaliyah has influenced my style so much. Her choice of clothes and how they fit were always dope to me but also how she carried herself inspired me too. She never tried too hard. Effortlessly cool and mysterious was her vibe. That’s what I wanted to be and, in many ways, I believe I have embodied that through my own style and music. Some of my favorite looks from her were the ‘Hot Like Fire’ video where she wore red leather camo pants with Clarks (Wallabees), one red and one black. Also, the iconic ‘Are You That Somebody’ video.”
“Aaliyah has been such an influence not only on my music but my style. What I admire most about Aaliyah is her confidence and how being a tomboy or wearing baggy clothes could be sexy. She was able to cross boundaries and was the first example of androgyny for my generation. She will always be a queen.”
