Harry Styles romances Manila
Two marriage proposals, a One Direction throwback, and flamboyant style ruled the ‘Love On Tour’ Manila leg.
Magenta feather boas, pink cowboy hats, and lots of Gucci styled with flair — that’s the Harry Styles effect for you, out in full force at the packed Philippine Arena earlier this week for the former One Direction member and Gucci ambassador and collaborator’s “Love on Tour” Manila leg.
Harry Styles wore a sequined mesh raglan tee with baby blue leather pants and satellite stomping in his Adidas x Gucci Gazelles.
Known for his gender-fluid fashion and high-energy stage presence — echoing the rock icon Freddie Mercury — he found his match in the Filipino fans who all sang and danced his songs back at him.
And what’s a “Love On Tour” without some romance? For the Manila leg, there were not one, but two marriage proposals.
“I lost my voice so can you help me propose?” Styles read out one.
But it was really when Styles indulged a couple, Michelle and Jeff, with a duet. “Harry Styles, my boyfriend will propose if you duet with him,” said their poster. The song? Sign of the Times. Jeff sang with all of his heart alongside Styles and everyone was screaming with kilig when Michelle hugged Jeff and said “Yes.”
Styles drew in fans who are Gen Z-young and young at heart. I was seated behind a Directioner mom and dad and a Fine Line-era fan daughter. My millennial heart was giddy as Styles expressed his gratitude to his Filipino fans, who have been with him since his One Direction days, throughout the concert. (The band, still on indefinite hiatus, had their first show in Manila in 2015.) But when the band played the first chords of You Don’t Know You’re Beautiful, without introduction, Philippine Arena felt like it was shaking as different generations of fans went wild.
Styles also revived his Banana Song to shout out to the eight fans he spotted in the audience dressed as, you guessed it, bananas. First unveiled onstage in Nashville in 2021, warping the lyrics to Watermelon Sugar, he teased making it official for his fourth album.
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Gucci is in Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center, Makati.
