The Music Issue

As we settle into February, I still have January’s fresh-start vibes on my mind. I’ve never been a “new year, new you” person, but I like the idea of taking stock, taking care, and then barrelling clear(ish)-headed into my awards-season-meets-fashion-month-filled calendar. I’m not alone in embracing the prolonged season of reset. Saweetie, who covers our Music Issue, is back with a new sound, and ready to release her first album—but it took her two years of slowing down to “rejuvenate the mind, body and soul” to get here. Now that she’s arrived, watch out. As the songstress tells writer Suzy Exposito (over high tea in London) “Anything that may be trying to compete with my goals, with my ambitions, with my priorities… I no longer second-guess my career, and if you can't understand it, then respectfully, get out of my way.”

For others, new beginnings are just the start. In 25 Musicians to Watch in 2025, InStyle Deputy Editor Jonathan Borge presents the artists whose playlists we’ll be listening to on repeat this year. From an American-Ghanian singer who’s set to perform at Coachella and make waves at Paris Fashion Week to a Destiny’s Child-esque R&B girl group that counts Missy Elliot as a fan, these creatives are sure to go from breakthrough to Spotify Wrapped.

And then, of course, there are the people who dress these instant-earworm artists for virality. Fashion plays a big role in cultivating a singer’s It factor, and while there is a formula to it, that doesn’t mean you have to color in the lines—just take it from Genesis Webb, the stylist who dressed Chappell Roan for her meteoric rise. “I hope what Chappell has done opens up a space so that artists don’t feel like they have to be safe to be popular and digestible,” she tells Fashion Features Director Madeline Hirsch in How to Make a Pop Star's Style Go Viral. “I think self-expression is endless and should be that way.”

I hope you enjoy our Music issue—and apologies in advance for all the new bops you definitely won’t be able to get out of your head.

The Ripple Effect

Maximalism is the trend making waves this season. While there have been plenty of fabulous frills and punchy prints all over the spring collections, the pieces we’re gravitating toward have a more aquatic touch. We aren’t just talking about a rehash of pretty pastel mermaidcore or preppy nautical stripes—instead, think romantic oceanic ruffles, organic shapes, and reflective finishes that nod to the movement and light of the ocean.

Diving into the season’s latest offerings, you’ll see that designers were swept away by the grandeur of this amphibious aesthetic. At Chemena Kamali’s second outing for Chloé, models walked in floaty frocks that had a fresh, fluid motion, while at Matthieu Blazy’s final collection for Bottega Veneta, dresses covered in sea anemone-like fringe and crustacean-esque patent leather coats transformed their wearers into warriors of water. For more everyday options, Tory Burch and Prada offered outwear and dresses with sleek and shining surfaces that made our eyes twinkle with delight.

Read the original article on InStyle