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The Indiana Daily Student

arts

COLUMN: Justin Timberlake's style shines no matter what he wears

Justin Timberlake performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl LII Halftime Show on Sunday at Super Bowl LII between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Just like all of us, Justin Timberlake has made his fair share of questionable fashion decisions.

Unlike most of us who try to pretend Crocs and gauchos never happened, Justin Timberlake owns every one of his apparel choices. 

JT is guilty of sporting curly-haired frosted tips in the '90s. He used to wear bulky diamond-studded earrings as staple items. And he even wore oversized jeans that sagged below his bum. 

Yet even when Timberlake wore light blue-shaded sunglasses, we can’t say that he should have been embarrassed by his attire because somehow he still made it look damn good. 

The same can be said for Timberlake’s Super Bowl halftime show attire this past weekend. 

In theory, what Timberlake wore should not have worked. 

As Timberlake opened the show on a small stage singing “Filthy,” he was very dressed down for what would seem to be one of the biggest performances in an artist’s life. 

He wore what looked like camo-patterned cargo joggers with zippers up and down each leg, a fringed leather jacket, chunky white sneakers and a bright red bandana around his neck.

It was an outfit we’d likely see in a paparazzi photo taken of him on a coffee run. It seemed casual and randomly pieced together. 

After serenading us with “SexyBack,” JT slyly slipped out of his leather jacket to reveal a button-down shirt. It had a printed design of elk standing amid a hilly landscape. The shirt eerily resembled those scenic T-shirts on which a wolf is howling to a full moon. 

Then he covered the elk back up with a camo blazer for his song “Suit and Tie.” And sure enough, he finished out the show in this all-camo suit. 

This look didn’t surprise me as it matched the aesthetic of his most recent album, “Man of the Woods.” Timberlake has been known to align his style to his most recent music releases. 

When his album “The 20/20 Experience” came out with swanky tunes, he constantly sported slicked-back hair and tuxedos for his performances. 

However, this wasn’t just any performance. This was the Super Bowl halftime show. Only the greatest of the great are given the honor of performing. So perhaps some might think: really, he couldn’t have done a dress change or at least worn something a little more spectacular?

While I can understand where these questions are coming from, nonetheless he nailed this look because he knows how to nail every look. Timberlake did what he does best and let his confidence ride out his fashion choices. 

The man makes it known he has a vision in his stylistic decisions and once he sports them – whether it's camo, frosted tips or oversized jeans – he doesn’t have a second thought of what others may think. 

No, it wasn’t the most fabulous halftime show costume, but when Justin Timberlake wore it with such certainty and confidence, I respected it. He made it work. 

Perhaps we can all learn a thing or two from JT’s bold moves on the dance floor and in fashion. He shows that any of us can own an aesthetic we aspire to model with a little commitment, a lot of confidence and a pinch of swagger.

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