A fashion recap of Eurovision 2023

This year’s Eurovision competition was filled to the rim with great performances and even better outfits. We could see some trends emerge on stage, one of them being an elevated knitwear look several male contents opted for. Not only is knitwear very popular at the moment, but one common trend we saw a lot during the competition was bedazzled knit. Shining almost as bright as the contestants themselves. «I feel better in my sweater,» sang Dav.Jr enthusiastically on stage. We can see why as the artist representing Malta wore a funky sweater with colorful stripes that later on in the performance was transformed into a sparkling statement piece - talk about a versatile look. And while The Buskers did not land in the finals, at least Dav.Jr got to live his Katniss Everdeen moment on stage in front of a captivated audience. Marco Mengoni, the artist representing Italy, wore a Versace sparkly gray and black asymmetric shirt which he paired with a pair of leather pants. Overall a classic style that was brought to life through the glistening style element that stole the stage.

Kris Gustin who is a part of the Joker Out band representing Slovenia in the Eurovision, was another performer who was spotted wearing a shimmering knit during the performance. This look paired well with his dusty pink trousers and complimented the band’s overall style aesthetic that was very reminiscent of the 70s. Funky prints, dusty rose and flower patterns were all over the place when the Jokers took the stage and we loved to see it. Another fantastic dose of retro classic styling was seen by brothers TuralTuranX who were representing Azerbaijan. While the comment section was hard at work thinking of a suitable Merryn and Pippin comparison, their color contrasting matching suits and funky pattern match was not lost in the conversation. Cutouts were also most definitely having a moment, as we saw a slot of performers rocking them with style this year. Alika, who represented Estonia, wore a romantic blue suit,  with cutouts giving the outfit a needed modern edge.

The former champion and the official winner of this year's Eurovision Song Competition Loreen who represented Sweden might have won the judges votes with her performance but what the audience seemed to love more was her show stealing outfit choice. Loreen had chosen an all-brown assembly that was seemingly inspired by the movie Dune, or at least one could assume. The outfit was detailed with cutouts and layers and gave an earthy impression that fit well with the performer’s reputation and style. A similar desert core look was delivered by Armenia’s representative Brunette, who took the stage with a deconstructed asymmetric dress with stitch detailing throughout the look. Brunette finished off the look with matching thigh high desert brown boots and long braided hair that flew wild during her performance.

Denmark’s representative Reiley was wearing a bedazzled pink suit with a heart cutout on the thigh. The overall look was straight out of Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Barbie film, and definitely left an impression. Talking about Barbie, it is clear the pink fever driving the fashion world insane right now has a hold on Eurovision as well. An overwhelming amount of the performers chose pink as their power color and this showed. In addition to Reiley, another pink suit that stole the spotlight was Theodor Andrei who represented Romania. Theodor chose to go for a more casual blazer and shorts combo, and finished this look off with a pair of pink combat boots and a silver chain, talk about a legend. Belgian representative Gustaph also wore a pink and white suit to the Eurovision stage. The look was accompanied by a gigantic hat, which was quite fitting as the hat itself was roughly the size of Belgium as a whole. The performance suited the romantic styling and they complimented each other seamlessly. While all of these looks made justice to the color pink, they all did pale in comparison to Vesna, an all girl group representing Czechia. The band members were wearing baby pink uniforms that highlighted femininity. Even though the styling was reminiscent of a modern Barbie doll, it is important to remember these girls are «not your dolls!»

Although it might definitely be tempting to pull out the craziest, most over the top costume you can find to leave a sure impression, some artists went a more toned down route which really worked to their advantage. Proving that bigger is not always better and you can not go wrong with the classics. A good example of this is Andrew Lambrou who represented Cyprus. Andrew decided on a classic black vest trousers combo that did not disappoint. He also stayed loyal to this clothing choice throughout the competition, wearing a similar white version of it to the turquoise carpet. Remo Forrer, the artist representing Switzerland, also wore an all black fit. He however got a tad more creative with the mixing of different materials on his outfit. Remo wore what looks to be latex trousers and combined them with a sheer blazer top that we believe will be one of the stand out fashion pieces coveted even long after this year's competition. A perfect mix of soft and strong, just like his moving performance. Another great monochrome look was worn by Dilja Petursdottier, representing Iceland. With a silver suit and slick back white hair, perfectly representative of the icy country.

And now for the crazy ones: Finland's representative and audience’s winner Käärijä wore an eccentric poison green outfit that has quickly become the national color of Finland, considering how it has taken over the country. The overall costume consisted of black leather trousers with spikes thrusting from his thigh area and of course the iconic green top, or to be more accurate, the green puffed out sleeves leaving his midriff exposed, revealing the performer's stomach and an old surgery scar. This left the end result surprisingly gentle all things and spikes considered. I see London, I see France, I see Croatia's underpants! If we are talking eccentric, we have to mention Croatia’s representative, Let 3. This band is known for their eccentric performances and at times provocative songs and while their reputation suppresses them, they had no problem letting their fun flag fly on Eurovision stage either. From the colorful jackets to the amusingly bizarre strip show, we enjoy a dose of male burlesque.

France’s representative La Zarra also went big, literally. She performed wearing a "platform" dress that was connected to a five-meter-tall column draped in a sparkling dark fabric, seemingly giving the impression of the iconic Eiffel Tower. Proving once and for all that France does have a bit of a cheeky side. And of course, we always have to have an honorable mention and this year it was obvious who brought the style to the arena. While all the performers had no problem stealing the audience’s heart on stage, one of the brightest style stars of this year's Eurovision Song Contest came off stage. To no one's surprise, we are talking about the one and only Hannah Waddingham who is a world-famous British actress and this year's Eurovision host. Anderson wore several stunning evening gowns that all had sculpture-like form fitting elements that highlighted her classic look perfectly.