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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Entertainment
Christopher Megrath

Perrie Edwards' style evolution from H&M fan to red carpet superstar

Perrie Edwards has rocked everything from messy boho and gothic looks to sleek and statuesque red carpet showstoppers.

Just a few months ago, Little Mix broke the hearts of fans all across the world as they announced they would be parting ways to focus on their own solo careers. The majority of us were first acquainted with Leigh-Anne, Perrie, Jessy and Jade following their appearance on X Factor where they became the show's first-ever group winners with the help of N-Dubz star and mentor, Tulisa Constavlos.

What followed was a phenomenal career spanning over a decade, kickstarted off the back of their debut track Cannonball, which went straight in at Number One on the UK Charts. Little Mix proved they had the star power to keep their names afloat against other heavy hitters for years to come.

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Over the years they dabbled in genres like pop, dance and electronic before settling on an amalgamation of all three for their latest and final album, Confetti. With the changes in sound came changes in fashion.

Though a style icon in 2022, Perrie was hit like the rest of us with the high street fashion from TopShop, Zara and H&M from a decade ago. Fresh off their X Factor win, the subsequent year consisted of the easy, festival girl look where no outfit was complete without some sort of daisy accessory.

Ripped jeans paired with a baggy - usually also ripped - crop top and dyed, volumised hair was the mark of the new wave of bohemian style, ushered in as Coachella started to make its name as not only a music festival but a fashion show.

When Perrie, now fiancee to Liverpool player Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, first started hitting the red carpet she also preferred a relaxed bohemian style, even dying her hair lilac.

Perrie Edwards seen at a hotel ahead of The Brits on February 20, 2013 (FilmMagic/ Getty)

With a little edginess, the boho style had quickly evolved into a darker, sleeker grunge feel. A notch up on the goth and emo phase of 2008, the new trend included pops of colour in pastel tones accompanied by an all-black outfit. With intricate designs taken from gothic stylings, the edgy trends of 2013 were an elevated look for those still wanting to embrace the darker side of fashion.

Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jesy Nelson, Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall of Little Mix on day 3 of the Isle of Wight Festival at Seaclose Park on June 15, 2013 (Getty Images)
Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirwall and Perrie Edwards arriving for the World Premiere of One Direction: This Is Us, at the Empire Leicester Square, London. (PA)

Throughout 2013, Perrie began dating One Direction's Zayn Malik. The honeymoon soon came tumbling down in 2015 when news of their breakup came to light which not only birthed the bop Shout Out To My Ex but a new era of fashion.

The new era coincided with other superstars like Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Rihanna's fame skyrocketing which saw sexy, revealing costumes take centre stage. Bodysuits adorned with crystals, fringe, and avant-garde extras were the rage and, for Perrie and the girls, they were very much on-trend.

Leigh Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, Jesy Nelson and Perrie Edwards in 2017 (Shared Content Unit)
Perrie, Jesy, Jade and Leigh-Anne in the winners room during The BRIT Awards 2019 (Getty Images)

Condemned for being too revealing and labelled "strippers" by some and "bad influences to young girls" by others, Little Mix hit back by performing in full suits for their X Factor return performance. In a show-stopping turn of events, viewers watched on as the suits were stripped off in spite of critics.

Perrie and her bandmates later hit back at their fashion criticism with a beautifully shot image of the entire group huddled together naked with the insults they received written all over their bodies. The post to Instagram said: "Take off all my makeup cos I love what's under it. Rub off all your words don't give a f*** I'm over it. Jiggle all this weight, yeah you know I love all of this Finally love me naked, sexiest when I'm confident."

Little Mix's concluding years saw the entire group opt for a more sophisticated, stripped-back look as a natural and clean image was the way forward. Perrie's iconic long blonde hair was pulled back into tight braids or a high bun in order to show off minimal makeup, complimenting her red carpet looks.

2020 saw Perrie enter her effortless bombshell era as she went back to basics with casual clothes. Low-cut jeans paired with crop tops and heavy jackets echoed her earlier boho fashion but were tied together through complementary colours and less busy accessories.

The minimal style coincided with the star falling pregnant with her first child with Alex but proved motherhood didn't have to mean taking a hit to her wardrobe. This was especially true as the girls pulled out all the stops in the looks department for their farewell tour. Given fans had supported the Little Mix girls for over a decade, the only way to end their reign as global superstars was to go out in style.

The confetti tour saw Perrie, Leigh-Anne and Jade head-to-toe in colourful latex bodysuits, huge neon tulle dresses and diamond-encrusted catsuits that shone to the back of a stadium. Similar in colour to the PowerPuff Girls, each member represented either blue, pink or yellow when they hit the stage. As their music changed with the times, so did their fashion as it often embodied their ever-evolving lifestyle.

The early years focused on getting out there and having fun and doing as much as possible which echoed the busy fashions of her bohemian style. After getting a taste for the fame and how it worked, a moody, cool era was ushered in as Perrie and her bandmates wanted to show they were more than just the fresh-faced new arrivals.

As the years went on, the focus was less on an extravagant and heightened image but more on the writing and the music they wanted to create. Once the idea of who Little Mix was and what they stood for was solidified with fans, it allowed the simplistic, more polished fashion to take centre stage. Perrie has proven herself as a fashion chameleon because, despite the criticism of her looks over the years, no one has ever attacked her for looking bad.

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