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Shawn Mendes Styles Guide : Deciphering Shawn Mendes’s Elegant Fashion Style
Shawn Mendes, 24, is not just a chart-topping, award-winning artist (including Teeanime Solo Artist Of The Year 2020) who has fronted advertisements for Calvin Klein and Armani, but he’s also a regular on Teeanime’s red carpet radar and one of our favorite street style destinations.
But he got off to a shaky start. Back in the mid-2010s, when he was a teen bopper, he favored a relaxed approach to his style, favoring ill-fitting leather jackets and scoop neck tees. But now he’s got it down pat.
Mendes’ unwavering sense of personal style has seen him become a regular presence on our weekly best-dressed list, whether suited up or in casual performance gear (usually a vest and straight-cut denim). From vividly colored shirts undone to his naval to perfectly tailored tailoring, he knows what looks good on him and wears it.
Here, we look back at some of our favorite Shawn Mendes clothes from the past.
1. THE SHOW-STOPPER TUX
Mendes wore a finely fitted Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo to the Oscars, which fit his 6ft2 frame perfectly. Although he did not collect an award on the night, he did receive our vote for best-dressed attendee.
2. OFF-DUTY FIT CHECK
Mendes is comfortable in casual attire and is frequently seen conducting errands in Los Angeles. Having said that, take note of how the singer expertly balances everything in perfect harmony.
3. GASTON CHIC
Mendes enjoys fun with his fashion, as evidenced by his ensemble for the 2022 Met Gala. He dressed for the big fashion event in a Tommy Hilfiger suit that might have easily been worn on the set of Bridgerton or Beauty and the Beast.
4. LOOSE AND LOUCHE
Mendes like wearing slim jeans, but he’s demonstrated that he’s not a one-trick pony. For example, during the VMAs last year, he wore an oversized, loose-fitting white suit that billowed in all the right places. Drainpipes have their uses, but this wasn’t one of them.
5. IF YOU’VE GOT IT, CROP TOP IT
Shawn Mendes has been working really hard to enhance his image. He’s got the hair, the fits, and the figure, all due to his trainer Josh Adamson. So why wouldn’t he put on a crop top to flaunt his abs?
6. SLEEVELESS ALL THE WAY
Mendes enjoys being sleeveless on stage, but he also does it on the streets. When he climbed on board 2022’s huge arm-baring trend, he posed up a storm in New York City.
7. MET GALA MADNESS
What is the best way to make a statement during the world’s most talked-about fashion event? Of course, choose the sexiest outfit of the night. Mendes attended the prestigious Met Gala in 2021 wearing leather slacks and a leather blazer, but he let his fit figure take center stage. Because, well, why not?
8. SMART KING
Do you require dependable formal trousers? Look no farther than the black, single-pleated pair Mendes wore for his performance alongside Justin Bieber at this year’s AMAs. Pleats not only make smart trousers more comfortable (since the extra fabric allows for more space around the waist and thigh), but they are also extremely flattering on thinner bodies like Mendes’, nipping the wearer in at the waist. Follow Mendes’ lead and combine them with something more casual on top to make them more wearable – he wore his with a slouchy grey checkered shirt worn open over his now-signature skin-tight white vest.
9. MASTER OF THE SCOOP-NECK
For the Teeanime Men Of The Year Awards in November 2020, Mendes made a compelling case for the comeback of the scoop-neck, which was popularized by Freddie Mercury before being adopted by Calum Best.
10. COLOUR BLOCK CONNOISSEUR
Mendes is a big lover of the color-block suit, wearing bright colors that add a little excitement and flair to otherwise boring tailoring. It’s a look he always pulls off, as evidenced by this claret three-piece suit by Louis Vuitton, which he wore at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards in January 2020.
11. GRANNY CHIC
Mendes has been embracing bolder menswear approaches as he matures, such as this knot-hem, silky dream of a shirt he wore back in January at the Primary Wave x Island Records Pre-Grammy Party at 1 Hotel in West Hollywood. We love a silk shirt for partywear; it’s the essence of laid-back luxury, yet Mendes keeps it from looking too “Playboy” by embracing a fashion-forward style more normally associated with womenswear. The matching fitted trousers and gender-bending pearl necklace provide a touch of Harry Styles-inspired granny chic.
12. BEADS AND PEARLS – SHAWN LOVES ’EM
Few celebs have mastered necklace styling like Mendes, who wore many pieces to perfection at the American Music Awards in November 2019. The idea is to limit yourself to two necklaces of clearly different lengths – any more and you risk looking like a crazy old hippy. If you’re wearing a shorter chain (or, like Mendes, a string of pearls and beads) with a larger piece, make the latter a pendant to ensure a clearly male edge.
13. MENDES IS ALL ABOUT SKINNY JEANS
Is it true that skinny jeans are making a comeback? Mendes seemed to believe so. He was photographed out and about with girlfriend Camila Cabello wearing this particular black pair (paired with some amazing Chelsea boots) three times in August 2019. He clearly took cues from Stuart Vevers at Coach, Hedi Slimane’s Celine Spring/Summer 2019 collection, and Anthony Vaccarello at Saint Laurent. We agree.
14. MAN CLEAVAGE DONE RIGHT
Mendes gets simple street style in this shirt and pants, due to the healthy flash of chest – a significant trend for this year, as seen on Kim Jones’ Dior and Alexander McQueen. Call us controversial, but we love man cleavage here at GQ. See Luke Day, our Fashion Director, for proof.
15. ACCENTUATE YOUR FIGURE
When it comes to nailing the 2019 Met Gala theme (“Camp”), Mendes was a clear contender, with slicked-back hair and a Sant Laurent suit that was understated but nonetheless on-point. We love the super-slim silhouette, silver linings, unbuttoned shirt, and gold embellishments.
16. BLACK AND BLUE ALWAYS GOES
Shawn Mendes wore a navy Paul Smith suit with a black shirt to this year’s Grammys in Los Angeles, proving that sartorial conventions can be defied – and to great effect.
17. SAFE, BUT NEVER BORING
Shawn Mendes played it safe and maintained to his polished – but with a slight edge – personal fashion formula for his first-ever Met Gala, wearing this claret Tommy Hilfiger suit with a basic white shirt underneath and a quiff so neatly coiffed even James Dean would be envy.
18. INVEST IN AN EXAGGERATED DB
Paul Smith tailors perfectly for larger men, as six-foot-plus Mendes demonstrates in this color-contrast suit he wore to the VMAs in August 2018. The musician nails the exaggerated double-breasted trend seen during the AW19 presentations, establishing him as a sartorial pioneer.
19. HEAD-TO-TOE GIVENCHY GETS OUR VOTE
Mendes donned Givenchy from head to toe in January 2018 for Clive Davis’ Pre-Grammy Gala in New York. When it comes to tailoring, this black light moiré suit with contrasting western yoke on the jacket is a must-have.
