the feminomenom of chappell roan's fashion
a deep dive into the looks by your favourite artist's favourite artist
Words by Mia Mandala
Edited by
You can hardly make it five minutes on TikTok without seeing the HOT TO GO dance… or a video with the Good Luck, Babe chorus… or someone lip-syncing to Red Wine Supernova…
Basically, the internet is on its knees for everyone’s favourite mid-western princess: Chappell Roan.
Through her rise to fame, Chappell has outdone herself, time and time again, with her extravagant outfits. When you see a Chappell Roan performance, you expect an iconic look.
In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, she discussed how her and her stylist Genesis Webb take inspiration from a myriad of sources, including drag, theatre, and horror movies.
“It’s not that serious,” she said, explaining how she loves “looking pretty and scary.”
My Kink is Karma
Released in May 2022, My Kink is Karma is the fourth single from her album Mid-Western Princess, and the looks are fan-favourites.
Chappell did the costume and makeup design herself for this shoot, and on Instagram, she talked about how she created the drag and burlesque-inspired makeup. From finding inspo on Pinterest to trial runs, she goes in-depth on the process, explaining how they used a Valentine’s Day decoration for the heart-shape stencil, alongside face gems, ‘drag eyes and glued brows.’
Casual
In March 2023, the music video for Chappell’s hit song Casual was released. A song she originally had “no expectations for,” Casual gained over seventy million streams on Spotify, continuing to be a fan favourite — and, for many people (myself included), the song they met Chappell through.
The Casual music video is filled with symbolism and beautiful visuals, and after its release, it was nominated for SXSW’s Official Film & TV Selection.
In the video, Chappell falls in love with a siren, and they begin their casual relationship.
She wears a beautiful vintage Lime Nite formal dress and custom-made rhinestone gloves, giving the illusion of bubbles along her hand, and starfishes in her hair giving an eerie siren girlfriend look.
Tiny Desk Performance
Chappell Roan’s Tiny Desk Concert showcased some of her most popular songs including Casual and Pink Pony Club — and, of course, featured a fabulous look.
She wore a Betsey Johnson dress, which had also been worn by Ariana Grande on a 2012 episode of Victorious. Chappell’s prom queen-inspired look is finished off with out-of-this-world hair by Dom Forletta, and makeup by Sterling Tull.
Forletta used a trash bag to give the hair volume, adding butterfly clips and a cigarette poking out the top of her hair. Tull described this look as “80s-prom-gone-drag,” and that idea becomes even clearer with the makeup, which combines the typical drag queen white base with Chappell’s signature red lipstick and bright blue eyeshadow.
Gov Ball
Chappell premiered one of her best looks to date at the 2024 Gov Ball.
Not only was this look visually beautiful, but it also came with a powerful message. Chappell entered the stage in a larger-than-life apple, wearing a drag take on the Statue of Liberty, complete with Lady Liberty’s crown and torch.
She told the crowd that Lady Liberty was “the biggest queen of them all,” and then went to recite the poem at the bottom of the monument.
Partway through her performance, she made an outfit change, and reappeared in the cutest taxi driver outfit you will ever see, debuting her unreleased single Subway.
In 2022, Chappell started assigning themes for each of her shows, providing a collage of inspo photos. Some of the past themes have included: rhinestones and rainbows, mermaid, and midwest princess. She says dressing up for her shows is “highly encouraged,” expressing that, “the show is not only on stage, but also in the audience with you!”
For Chappell Roan, her fashion goes beyond looks; she uses it as a way to express herself and her popstar branding, creating a safe space for others at her shows to dress however they want.
They may be described as tacky and campy, but one thing’s for sure: Chappell Roan’s looks are undeniably out-of-this-world, and something we’re excited to see every time.
seated for anything mother Chappell!! Lovely article