Lil Nas X gets emotional looking back at his fashion choices from his first music video all the way up until his first time attending the Met Gala.
His personal style has continued to evolve beyond the Nike Air tee shirt he was wearing when Old Town Road first skyrocketed.
From his Christopher John Rogers "Prince Inspired" neon green suit to his 2021 VMAs Versace pink cowboy look, Lil Nas X reviews some of his most iconic, memorable, and meme-worthy looks.
- Wow.
It's kinda nostalgic.I'm getting a little emotional.Oh, sorry.You guys just made me cry on camera.What's up, GQ?This is a Lil Nas X andthis is my style history.[upbeat intro music]Oh, my god.
How'd youguys find this [beep]?- We went digging.- How did you find this?- You've been trying to scrub-- Oh my God.Okay, well, this is from likeone of my first music videosfor a song called "Carry On"that I think I have a pending lawsuit forwhere I was wearing those big Fila bootsthat everybody was wearingthat year, some ripped jeansand this really niceyellow jacket, you know.- [Interviewer] Do youstill have that jacket?- I actually do still have that jacket.I think it's somewhere putup in my closet or something.- Yeah.- Yeah,that's iconic right there.That's actually the jacket onthe cover of my first EP, too.It was one of the only outfitsI ever had at that time.- [Interviewer] If you could go backand like just send yourvoice to you at this time,what would you say?- I probably wouldn't say anything'cause I'd probably throw him off trackand he wouldn't be here.I just let him, likewatch him from a distancebecause if I tell him, "Yo,you're going to make it,"then he'd be comfortable, you know.Let's see the next one.This is me performingat the 2019 VMA awards.Oh, my God, this outfit, Iactually almost got burned alive'cause this outfit wassupposed to light up, you know,we were supposed to see pink lightsbut now you just see likethis white outfit and whatnot.So right before the performance,my outfit starts to smoke,you know.- Oh, shit.- And you know, I thoughtI was going to havelike a really bad accident.I was like, this is goingto be iconically terrible.But luckily I didn't catch on fire.I finished the performance.Would I wear it again?
No.
Nah.- [Interviewer] Were youscared in that moment?- I was definitely a little scared.I was hoping, you know, I wouldmake it to the performancewithout like dying or anything.[interviewer chuckles]I wanted to have like thisfuturistic looking outfit.It was supposed to light up onthe chest, I think the knees,the arms, like a lot of this outfitwas supposed to light up, even the shoes.- [Interviewer] Kinda like Tron.- Yeah, I guess it does give Tron vibes.So I guess I succeeded since you say Tron.- [Interviewer] What does the 73 mean?- I forgot why I chose that number 73,but you know,- It's better than 69.- [blows raspberry] 69, it'slike the sex number, guys.- [Interviewer] You arethe most casual personin this photo.- I am, huh?I never thought about that.- How often does that happen?- It happens a lot.
Ilike to be comfortable.And that was a really comfortable outfit,especially if I'm going tobe drunk as fuck of my ass.- [Interviewer] Do you remember this nightor is it like a blur?- I feel like this was probablyVMAs night of 2019 possibly,just a big tee and someblack jeans, nothing crazy.- It looks like an Ed Hardy tee.- Is it Ed Hardy?
I don'tthink it's Ed Hardy.- Ed Hardy-esque, maybe?- Ed Hardy-esque.- The woman on the leftin the pink is Hodo.She's my stylist, thebest stylist of all time.DJ Broadway, you can tell who he isbecause he out-dressedeveryone in this picture.And the two guys, Take ADaytrip, those are my producers.They're really amazing and unbeatable.Definitely one of the bestoutfits I've ever worn.Ooh, this is BET awards right here.This came out really nice.It was probably the heaviestoutfit I've ever worn.- [Interviewer] Yeah, yousay you're like a comfort guyand this doesn't look comfort to me.- That was not comfortable butit was definitely worth it.Very much hard to walkin and I almost felllike a million times butat least I look good.It was like, "Wow, who'sthat hot guy falling?"I was like, "It's me."- You wore two outfits this night.- Yeah, they were bothreally great and I was like,I have to get these bothout there, you know.I feel like it's thefirst time I've ever wentto a red carpet andleft and then came backto the red carpet.- [Interviewer] Where wereyou going and changing?- I went to the BET awardsbathroom and changedin like two minutes and likehad to do it really fastand then run back outbefore the show startedand I had to go and get ready to perform.- [Interviewer] Well,your chest looks great.- Really great chest.- Is that wax or shave?- I don't really use wax or shave,my chest hair just startedgrowing in recently, I believe.Still got a few more years of puberty.Ah, yeah, this is a fav,Christopher John Rogers.She's amazing.
Look at this outfit.This is like Prince inspired.One of my first like outward, colorful,flamboyant outfits I feellike I wore in public.And if you look at thepictures of the audience,you would spot me immediatelybecause there's literally,nobody else was like wearingthese vibrant ass colors.- [Interviewer] Oh, likewhen the camera pans,you know exactly where-- Yeah, they're like,"Oh, found Lil Nas." Yeah.People were like saying Ilooked like a Batman villain- Yeah.- And I was like, "Thanks."- Like Riddler or something.- No, no, no, no, not Riddler.They said someone else, I forgot who.- [Interviewer] Nah, youlook like a JoJo character.- Yeah, they said JoJocharacter, too, right?- [Interviewer] How'd that make you feel?- I don't know, I think that's really sickbecause the characters arereally nice, well dressed,you know, really cool looks.- That's true.- [chuckles] Oh my God,this outfit was very much traumatizing.I was feeling reallycomfortable and then, you know,as I saw the pictures of it, Ijust, I felt really terrible.[interviewer laughs]Oh my God.It's a meme now, though, soI guess that's a good part.- What's the meme?- Just, this is the meme,like that's the meme.
[laughs]- [Interviewer] I thinkI saw some people sayingyou look like someone from SSX Tricky.- Yeah, that was one ofthe most popular ones, too.[sucks teeth] But you knowwhat?
It's pretty iconic.10 years from now you're gonna be like,"Wow, look what Lil Nas Xdid.
Look at what he wore."- [Interviewer] It was hard for me to IDlike where the shirt was from.- It was hard for me to look at it, too.[both laugh]Maybe I'll wear thatfor Halloween this year.I'll be a Lil Nas X fromthe snowboarding game.Hmm, this is Met Gala.
This was a moment.And this is my first Met.I feel like I reallyactually just went out thereand smashed it, not to tootmy own horn.
Beep, beep.This is one of the greatestweekends of my life.Versace and Hodo did their thing.Those golden abs, I look like a superhero.- [Interviewer] There'sa couple of inspirations,people say like-- They better not,Don't show me the CP30thing.
You showed me it.I didn't watch "Star Wars" yet.- [Interviewer] What?- I haven't watched "Lordof The Rings" yet either,or "The Godfather," a lotof those popular movies.- [Interviewer] Do youwatch "Steven Universe"?I think you look a littlebit like yellow diamond.- Yellow, you know what?I was actually going tocommission somebody to liketake these outfits and likeposition them as the diamonds.The robe would be likeblue diamond and maybe,I don't know who I wouldbe in this like catsuit,maybe that's whitediamond or I don't know.- [Interviewer] Yeah, what'sgoing to be the other diamonds?- Yeah, who's going tobe pink diamond though?- [Interviewer] Yo, fuck pink diamond.- Ah, we love pink diamond, you know,she did what she had to do.- [Interviewer] I actuallylove that you've never seen"Star Wars", but youlove "Steven Universe".- Yeah, I feel like "Star Wars" is decent,but "Steven Universe" is next level.Wow, I love this outfit.This is a fun night.I feel like I met someone this nightand then had a relationshipwith him, did not end well.This outfit though, right?And you know, you got thislittle kind of see-through,what's the word?- It's like mesh.- Mesh, mesh shirt.Oh, yeah.
I felt like Tom Cruise.- Is that real snakeskin?- No, we love animals.Oh this is VMAs and the Grammys.One of my favorite ones andone of the more known ones,the pink.- Versace?- Yeah, Versace.
Versace,Versace.
Versace, Versace.I guess it's the harnessthat really gave itto the people, you know?- It's like a BDSM cowboy.- Yeah, they were like,"Okay, the harness.
We're feeling it now."- Yeah.- It was the most probably,probably the most gaycowboy look of all time.- [Interviewer] I thinkwhat's so cool about thisis you taking like a look that's likeso quintessentially Americanaand then like fucking it up,like making it completely different.Did you get like backlash from that?- No, but you know what I do see a lot of,they'll be like, "Rappers inmy day," then they have Tupac,and they'll be like, "Rappers now,"and it'll be a picture of mein the cowboy pink outfit.It's like, what?Since when did you careabout Tupac's fashion sense?Hmm, this was a fun one.It looks really hot, sexy,spicy.
That's Versace.- [Interviewer] I'm gettinglike a little bit of Princebut a lot of Rick James.- I got a lot of those comments.- [Interviewer] But youweren't thinking that going in?- Not at all.
I want to trydifferent kinds of wigs though.I feel like I've done this one before.- [Interviewer] Yeah.Maybe I'm going to have likesome kind of cool mohawk.I'm gonna bring mohawks back.- Oh, shit.Like a tall one.
Is therelike a Travis Bickle style,like "Taxi Driver"?- We'll see.Maybe I'll shave my head baldand tattoo a mohawk there.- [Interviewer] Tattoo mohawk.
[chuckles]- This is fun.
This is areally fun time in my life.Looking back on it, I was too in my head,but this is a fun time.This outfit was hot as fuck andI was literally going aroundpassing out gift cardsto people and was like,"Hey, check out my new song, 'Holiday'.Check out my new song," inthis hot burning outfit.I'm gonna get out hereand do what I need to doto get these numbers, baby.- And it worked.- Definitely worked.- [Interviewer] Why'dyou make a holiday song?- Why'd I make a holiday,you know what's funny?I actually made the songlike eight months in advanceand it was already called "Holiday"and I was like, you know what?Let's put this together and let's say,okay, we're doing a Christmas theme.I had a lot of fun.- [Interviewer] I feellike that whole era,It was almost like, "Oh,shit, like Lil Nas Xis like family-friendly now."And then you drop like"Call Me By Your Name".Where you pulling a bait and switch on usor what's the deal?- It was supposed to be"Call Me By Your Name" firstbut then we had some things happenand "Holiday" isn'tfamily-friendly, like I'm reallyin this song saying I gothoes on hoes, like it's like,I don't know wherefamily-friendly came from.I guess it's Santa Claus isassociated with family and love.But, you know, not this one,that's Saint Nas X literallytalking about bottomingin the song like,well let's continue.- Yep.- Ooh, the BET awards again.Okay, this is iconic.
This islegendary.
This is necessary.I feel like I had to shitbefore this performance,was so nerve wracking going out therein front of all those people,especially like other rappersand whatnot in my littleskirt and twerkingand singing "Call Me By Your Name".Very fun performance, though.I would wear this again, maybeto like some kind of partyor something in Hollywood andjust like randomly show uplike this, right?- Yeah.- This is a 100 out of 10.Oh my God.
I think this isone of my first flights ever.I wore the hell out of that Nike shirt.I thought that was thebest shirt of all time.I feel like this is whenI first got to Los Angelesand like everything wasstarting to happen, you know,"Old Town Road" had just taken off.I recorded "Panini" in this shirt,I went to the Lakers game in this shirt.I met the people at the labeland went to the Tik Tok headquarters.I even went to Apple tothe Beats One radio thing.This is all in one day, by the way,I did so much shit inone day in this shirt.- Do you still have it?- Ah, I don't know.I think I got rid of it.- But you got the picture.- Yeah, I got a lot ofpictures of this shirt.- [Interviewer] So you're the kind of guythat takes selfies onan airplane bathroom.- Then, at that time, I mean,'cause it's like how manytimes do you go on an airplaneat that time, you know?- Hm-hm.- It was like probablymy second flight ever.I was like, "Holy shit.
Supguys." Post to Instagram.Oh this, this is from thebest music video of all time,"Call Me By Your Name",the denim, everything,even the nails, that's fire.Marge was not a reference.I just saw other people saying it,so I was like, "Ah, that's funny."Why do you have the actual scan of this?[crew laughing]Like how did you possibly get that?This is like myperformance at the Grammys.There was a big Nas and LilNas and we made Nas squared.It was pretty cool.Did you know in thisperformance that entire backwas open the whole timeand I couldn't turn around.- No.- Yeah, couldn't turn around.- [Interviewer] And what'sthe inspiration here?- Like a punk rock slash blade slash-- I get some matrix in there.- Yeah, matrix, too.I was trying to get, I wasgonna get around to it.Wow.
It's kinda nostalgic.
I'mgetting a little emotional.This one, this is at the Tom Ford event,which I was invited to.This is actually a women'ssuit that I made fit me.This is really fun.I had a great night there.
Maya was there.I think Sierra was there.This is just a good time.
Theoutfit, I would wear it again.Actually I probably wouldn'tbecause I think the buttonpopped at the end of the night,could not take Lil Nas X.- [Interviewer] What is it about itthat makes you emotional?- About what?- About the outfit or looking-- No, it was just likegoing through all of these.I'm like, "Wow, it's been a journey."- Yeah.- Yeah.- All right, final one coming up.- Whoa, whoa, whoa, oh my God.This is funny 'cause it lookslike a bananas in my handbut it's really like the phone.I've never seen a phonein a hotel bathroomexcept at this hotel.This is probably the firsthotel that I went to.Oh my God.
This, these swimming trunks.I forgot where I gotthese from.
Was it H&M?I don't know, but I thoughtthese were fire.
[sucks teeth]This is probably one ofthe best days of my life.- What happened that day?- I think this is stillthe same day as like the,- The Nike?- The Nike, the Nike shirt.I was posting so much.
Iwould post like 30 times a day'cause everything is just so new.Aw.Yeah.- It's like a differentperson you're looking at here.- It's like a different person.
Oh, sorry.I'm a crybaby.- It's sweet.- Yeah.Yeah, I would wear, I stillhave these swimming trunks.I still have these swimming trunks.- What was your favoriteoutfit out of all?- My favorite one?That Nike shirt, that Nikeshirt did something, man.Nah, probably Met Gala.I'm going to remember thatMet Gala.
That was super fun.- [Interviewer] I'msorry.
It's sweet though.It's beautiful.
God,you're gonna make me cry.All right, we gotta cut.Let's cut.
We're done.