Pride month brings with it a whole host of colourful opportunities. From breaking out the classic party anthems to heading to your favourite drag bar, it’s certainly a time to celebrate in style.
Speaking of style, pride month is the season of embracing out-of-the-box fashion, vibrant shades of colour and new styles that reflect your inner king or queen.
If you’re getting ready to switch up your summer lookbook this pride season, look no further. We’ve collated five of the best LGBT+ fashion icons to follow in 2023 for colourful style inspiration like no other.
Billy Porter
Known as the leading man in Ryan Murphy’s iconic Netflix hit, Pose, Billy Porter is a fashion icon both on and off the screen. Also a leading star in Broadway’s Kinky Boots, Porter is well known for dressing expressively on the stage to the runway.
As an openly gay influencer, he’s become one of the leading fashion icons for men since his rise to the top. Working on over 150 of his own red carpet looks over the years, he’s styled gold body paint to silver platform boots, proving that fashion has no barriers, gender or constraints.
'I would describe my style as free. I've worked a long time to find a space where I don't care what other people think about me. That's a really interesting and hard place to get to. I'm there. I'm free,' says Porter.
Sarah Paulson
Sarah Paulson has become something of a lesbian legend in the acting world. Every time she steps onto the red carpet, we are wooed by her colourful, well-embellished looks, designed by the likes of Prada, Valentino and Dior.
However, it’s not the clothes Paulson pulls off but her confidence that seals the deal when it comes to her being named an LGBT+ fashion icon.
Embracing drama on the screen and the red carpet, Paulson calls some of her carpets looks ‘pieces of art’ and suggests that fashion should feel like a form of self-expression rather than a challenge to look good.
“I've had very magical moments in Prada, to the point where it feels like a delicious dream. It's hard to believe I've encased my body in such works of art,” she claimed in a recent interview with Schmigadoon! star Ariana DeBose. “Some people cast aspersions on fashion as if it's a frivolous waste of time when, in fact, it's an opportunity for self-expression. And coming off the sweatpants year, being pulled back into the aspirational fantasy world of fashion is quite alluring right now.”
Lil Nas X
Lil Nas X may have kept his sexual orientation a secret until he found fame, but in 2023 he is out and proud with a sense of freestyle that you can't help but follow.
Slaying the runway with androgynous outfits, Lil Nas X has become a pioneer for genderless fashion. With each appearance, the American Street rapper regularly shows his audience that fashion has no gender. Seen frequently in skirts, heels and feminine shaping, he pushes limits and combines masculine and feminine styles to create abstract masterpieces.
Let’s not forget the rapper's use of makeup and accessories to also enhance his iconic looks. Pairing lilac blazers with striking lavender eyeliner at the 2023 VMAs is just one example of a style choice that stands out for all the right reasons.
Sam Smith
Sam Smith has become an advocate for fashion-forward LGBT youth all across the globe. After changing their pronouns to they/them just a few years ago, they may have faced controversy but continue to come back bigger and better when it comes to style.
After documenting the first time they wore heels in a 2019 awards show, they have since become one of the key pop singers blurring the lines between fashion and art statements.
"Tonight I wore heels for the first time to an award show," Smith told their Instagram followers. "There was a time where I thought I'd never ever ever be able to be myself like this in front of the industry or anyone."
Today you see them rocking all-black latex looks and statement shades that you can choose here. As Fashion trends move forward, Smith wants to start a conversation amongst young queer youth.
AJ Clementine
Last but not least, we have to mention TikTok’s AJ Clementine. As a Trans icon in her community, she has been dubbed as a ‘modern-day Cinderella’ by her social media fans.
In November 2022, Clementine took her fashion-forward thinking one step further as she walked her first Fashion Week runway in Melbourne, Australia. Styling fierce frills and dainty floral, this queer icon has a statement style that you’ll want to copy.
"The world is a literal rainbow, and there are no limits on who someone can be, who they can love or where they can go," she says.
As new LGBT+ fashion icons rise up within socials and on our screens, the question is, what barriers can we break next with our favourite clothing trends?
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