In Harry Styles' music video for his latest single, 'Watermelon Sugar', he's at the beach frolicking with over a dozen women (and a couple of men) and eating wedges of watermelons. The latter—just like the title of the song and its accompanying lyrics—is a sexual euphemism that's anything but subtle, once you take into account the way the music video is shot.
Oh, the stuff those watermelons got into.
But juicy watermelon-chewing aside, 'Watermelon Sugar' starts off with a pre-roll text that reads: "This video is dedicated to touching." It's a fitting message; a stark reminder of the times we're in now, yet at the same time, harkens back to a temporal normalcy where physical interactions weren't limited to collecting parcels at the front of your door or confined to those living in the same household.
In true Harry Styles fashion, his style choices throughout the music video once again prove that he's fearless when it comes to embracing off-kilter looks. Styles starts off with a burnt orange crochet tank with lime green trims, accessorised with an excessive amount of rings and a trio of necklaces, and then finally topped off with a playful Elton John-esque pair of clear blue shades. Then we see him lounging in a look that we're all too familiar with now—a Styles favourite consisting of a knit vest worn over a printed silk shirt. There's even a stylistic nod to the more sexually free '60s in the form of a cropped knit top paired with ripped jeans and a fringed scarf that look as though it was taken from Mick Jagger's stash.
Styles' most conservative look out of the four outfits featured is a shirt by New York-based brand Bode. 'Conservative' in the sense that it's an oversized shirt you'd see on the beach, except that this was a custom creation made from '70s lace.
We can't all be flocking to the beaches right now (we definitely shouldn't) and enjoy the same sense of unbridled freedom as Styles and his gang of beauties portray. But if anything, the on-brand, vintage-inspired fashion choices capture the positivity that a typical summer feeling would. While we're all looking back at moments in time where we're free to head out into the open air, they're also a reminder that things will get better and sunny days will indeed come again.
