After years of whisper-quiet fashion and muted palettes, pop culture is once again turning the volume all the way up. Rhinestones are back, hair is bigger, and glamour has rediscovered its sense of fun.
Doja Cat, Taylor Swift, and Sabrina Carpenter are leading a high-octane revival that blends the power-dressing bravado of the 1980s with the internet-age irony of 2025. Forget normcore. Forget stealth wealth. Welcome to Opulent Pop — a glamorous renaissance where feathers, metallic lamé, teased hair, and unapologetic confidence take centre stag
The RevivaThe Icons of the Revival
Doja Cat: The Architect of Modern Glam
The return of extravagance arguably began at the 2025 Met Gala, when Doja Cat stepped onto the red carpet in a Marc Jacobs pinstriped ocelot suit, complete with sculpted shoulders and a waist so cinched it could’ve been lifted from a Dynasty costume department. Her makeup, courtesy of Pat McGrath, fused pastel lids with a blood-red lip — a fusion of old-school glamour and futuristic satire.
It wasn’t rebellion; it was reclamation. In an era obsessed with minimal effort, Doja dared to look like she’d tried. Her Met Gala appearance became a manifesto for a new era of performance-driven beauty — irreverent, ironic, and utterly deliberate.
Her music video for “Jealous Type,” the lead single from Vie, doubled down on the message. The visuals — a postmodern mansion, animal prints, gleaming metallics — traded grunge minimalism for a cinematic opulence reminiscent of ’80s Versace campaigns.
Taylor Swift: The Showgirl Reimagined
Then came Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl era — an ode to glitter, feathers, and rhinestone decadence. In promotional imagery, Swift appeared in custom Bob Mackie and The Blonds ensembles, complete with plunging bustiers, opera gloves, and a bold vinyl red lip.
The transformation was electric. Gone were the cable-knit cardigans and neutral prairie dresses of her Folklore and Evermore days. In their place: champagne coupe in hand, lashes lacquered, feathers framing her silhouette. Swift wasn’t merely performing; she was inhabiting glamour — a declaration that femininity could be powerful, playful, and visually loud all at once.
Sabrina Carpenter: The New Age Rhinestone Cowgirl
By September, Sabrina Carpenter closed the loop at the 2025 VMAs, performing “Tears” in a fringed, rhinestone-dusted look worthy of Dolly Parton’s Rhinestone Cowboy era. Her blonde bombshell hair, smoky eyes, and exaggerated blush felt like an ode to early MTV excess.
Carpenter’s aesthetic sits at the heart of Opulent Pop’s power: it’s not parody, it’s homage — a knowing wink to the pop divas who came before, filtered through Gen Z’s lens of self-aware glamour.
By the time Sabrina Carpenter took the VMA stage in a fringed look worthy of Dolly Parton’s Rhinestone Cowboy era, the aesthetic had fully crystallised.
The Look
What defines this movement isn’t just the look — it’s the attitude. The Opulent Pop aesthetic borrows from late-’80s and early-’90s icons like Joan Collins, Diahann Carroll, Prince, Iman, and Jerry Hall. It’s about height, shine, and silhouette — hair that grazes the heavens, lips that shimmer like lacquer, and power suits that could double as armour.
Doja’s Vie visuals nod directly to vintage Revlon and White Diamonds ads, with their airbrushed sensuality and unapologetic femininity. It’s theatrical, yes, but grounded in the craftsmanship of couture and the nostalgia of glamour past.
The key details?
- Textures: lamé, satin, metallic tweeds, and mirror-sequins.
- Beauty codes: sculpted blush, bold liner, shimmering lids, and glossy red lips — often all at once.
- Hair: backcombed, teased, and styled into statement silhouettes that reject restraint.
The Shift
After seasons of “quiet luxury” and stealth wealth, the pendulum has swung towards spectacle. Demna’s debut at Gucci, all exaggerated fur and “rich-girl hair,” made one thing clear — minimalism’s reign is over.
This is glamour with intent, luxury that laughs, and style that refuses to whisper.
So dust off your hairspray, reach for the crimson lipstick, and let the sequins do the talking — subtlety has officially left the building.
