Punk spirit underlines everything Miley Cyrus does, but since debuting her platinum mullet in January, the pop star has channelled a glam-rock aesthetic that straddles Sid Vicious style and hyper luxury. Think Mugler naked dresses dripping with sequins and glittering Gucci cocktail frocks accessorised with lashings of Loree Rodkin chains, cuffs, cross pendants and diamond skull rings.
For her latest sexually-charged appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Cyrus wore a custom one-shoulder Cong Tri dress with dramatic cut-out and chain detail. The Vietnamese designer is known for his excellent draping and fabric sourcing skills (see Beyoncé’s crushed gold Cong Tri dress at the world premiere of The Lion King for further details). But Miley’s power stance and her bold Debbie Harry-inspired make-up elevated the look to a level that prompted Paris Hilton to post numerous flame emojis to Cyrus’s Instagram (subtext: the reality TV star’s inimitable phrase: “That’s hot”.)
Cyrus saved a space on her feed for a picture of the Blondie singer (sadly not Paris), between promo posts for her new disco-infused single “Midnight Sky”. She shared the fan account @lilbitunholymc’s DIY montage of Cyrus partying with Harry and Joan Jett. “You can’t sit with us,” read the caption on the doctored snap of the rock‘n’roll gang clutching beers in a parallel universe where only anarchist performers with heavy eye-shadow have admittance. Cyrus has cited David Bowie and The Beatles as influences behind her latest image, but the resemblance between the Disney star-turned-subversive performer and Debbie Harry is uncanny.