The Best Pop-Girl Fashion Of The Month Is By Emerging Designers

It’s Monday and we’re still nursing our FOMO-induced migraine after Charli xcx brought out Tinashe for her Weekend Two headlining set at Austin City Limits (if you saw the live debut of “Nobody Wanna Dance Anymore,” it should’ve happened to me). If that wasn’t enough metaphorical food for us, our favorite pop girls fed us with fashion from various independent designers to rock out for the gayest weekend in recent memory.

On the West Coast, after a pitstop in Austin, Charli and Tinashe decamped back to Los Angeles for the second annual Mistr National PrEP Day Celebration, where Charli performed and Chappell Roan DJed. Charli opted for a custom boho-slutty look (complimentary) from Irish designer Julia O’Callaghan, with voluminous tiered bell sleeves, a chunky beaded necklace, lace-up (and lace-down) shorts, and her trusty platform heels. Demi Lovato was also in the building wearing a corseted red-and-purple dress (a favorite color combo of late) from Vietnamese indie designer Fanci Club. Pop mother Christina Aguilera whipped her hair back and forth to Charli’s set in a black DIDU sheer minidress. (It goes without saying that the real hero of the night was stylist Chris Horan, who dressed all three pop legends.) To tie it all together, Roan served in a major way in striped latex from Christian Cowan, which she matched her wig to perfectly. A joint slay in the name of sexual health? We’ll take it.

For the West Hollywood shindig, Tinashe chose an Erik Charlotte blue sheer lace set, confirming what we knew about Charlotte and also aligning with what Rosalía was up to on the East Coast. For her musical guest appearance on Saturday Night Live, the Spanish superstar wore an Erik Charlotte lace tutu dress to perform “Reliquía” (entirely on pointe, we might add) and also chose a sheer gown with a mile of tulle wrapped around her ankles from London-based designed MYAT, the perfect canvas for the lyrics of “Magnolias” to be projected onto. Her performances were next-level, and they simultaneously put the spotlight on two worthy fashion designers.

So, beyond a victory lap for the gays, what can be gleaned from this second-weekend-in-October fashion storm? Firstly, that every sartorial choice made by pop stars is important, especially in the age of celebrity-fashion-label partnerships reaching a fever pitch. With contracts and ambassadorships signed every other week, going with someone relatively unknown is a strong endorsement from those with influence and celebrates the tough, unforgiving work that goes into being an emerging fashion designer in this day and age. Plus, it’s fun to play “Who’s that designer?” when someone pops out in something new. It keeps us on our toes, celebrates the unknown, and its never a bad thing to be the first to wear a dress.