On the first day of Harry Styles’ Together, Together tour in Amsterdam, the Dutch city felt fizzy. About to pop. I didn’t have to look too far for some of the 50,000 fans who would later descend on the Johan Cruijff Arena—night one of 10 in Amsterdam, totaling 67 shows that Styles will play across seven cities worldwide promoting Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally: after Amsterdam, there’s London, New York, Mexico City, São Paulo, Melbourne, and Sydney.
For me, it started at London’s St. Pancras station, while waiting in line for the Eurostar: backpacks with Styles’ visage through various eras stitched onto them, baby blue and lavender Pleasing hoodies and sweats. A group plowed by in sequin cowboy hats, each carrying their own talismans, ancient artefacts—different iterations of One Direction tote bags. The train station lounge is where you’ll see what became known as the “Eras effect” in action—music tourism data shows that 1 in 5 music fans will travel internationally to see their favorite artists. Last time I was there, traveling to Paris for the first of Taylor Swift’s European dates, it was much the same: sundresses and glittery co-ords, chevron-style fringe, cowboy boots. Later this year, Celine Dion’s flamboyantly dressed fans will make the same speedy train journeys to her residency in Paris, and in 2027, Olivia Rodrigo fans in their Y2K-coded styles.
Once off at Amsterdam Centraal, many marched straight to Styles’ PleasingLand pop-up. A queue snaked down the block, and voices chattered in American and British-accented English as much as Dutch, French, and Italian. People emerged already wriggling into the merch they nabbed: primary-colored t-shirts with slogans like “Respect your mother!” and cinnamon buns on the chest. Styles’ stylist Harry Lambert stopped by, which incited a (gentle, polite) frenzy for photos. Even my hotel—the sleek and chic Pulitzer Amsterdam, with its charming Golden age Canal houses and stylish restaurant, Jansz—had Harry fever. I heard young women strategizing over omelettes for where to procure more face glitter ahead of the show, and “Aperture” seemed to be on rotation in the main bar—or heavily requested.
Despite a mist of rain, people began to gather at the stadium in the early afternoon, eager to hear the pop star soundcheck. Queues for more merch and hot dogs alternated between people in more cowboy hats and ties, the latter referencing Styles’ proclivity for a statement neck accessory. Fashion was expressive: colorful and textured, fans leaned into the sartorial sensibilities Styles has founded with Lambert, and anything Alessandro Michele-coded. Feathers and fringe were abundant.
Photographed by Se7en
Photographed by Se7en
