High fashion is dead, and internet lore is currently wearing its clothes. The New York Times dropped its mid-year fashion roundup on Tuesday, and the 39-ish entrants prove the style gatekeepers have officially surrendered to meme culture.
You won’t find many traditional runway looks here. Instead, the list reads like a chaotic timeline scroll. Jeopardy! superchamp Jamie Ding and French President Emmanuel Macron sit right next to RosalÃa and a polarizing slate of internet-native influencers.
The biggest conversation starter? Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the cut. He earned his spot by playing Katy Perry’s Instagram boyfriend at Coachella, wearing a backward cap, jeans, and a plain white shirt. It triggered immediate debate, according to a sharp critique by Chatelaine that questioned if handing an award to a guy in a backward cap is really pushing any aesthetic boundaries. Over on Reddit, the r/Jeopardy community spent the morning celebrating Ding’s unexpected fashion recognition.
But the list rewards spectacle over tailoring. Take Justin Bieber. He secured his placement for his 2026 Grammy Awards transition. Bieber walked the red carpet in a heavily structured Balenciaga suit, only to strip down and perform in pale blue silk boxers from his own SKYLRK brand. It was a raw, stripped-back visual that perfectly matched the R&B pivot of his recent SWAG album era.
And then things get weird. R.F.K. Jr. was recognized strictly for working out in denim jeans. The Times also included Clavicular, the prominent looksmaxxing influencer, a move that raised eyebrows given his controversial history detailed in a Guardian column exploring insecure young men.
The wildest detail didn’t even survive the morning. Shortly after publishing, the Times was forced to make a formal editorial update to delete an entry for former Venezuelan ruler Nicolás Maduro. Editors initially featured Maduro for the grey Nike Tech Fleece tracksuit he wore during his capture and extradition by U.S. forces in January.