The relationship between celebrities and the paparazzi is a complex one. When sour, lecherous photographers can exploit people seeking privacy, take photos of celebrity children when asked to refrain, and capture some of the darkest moments of people’s lives. But when things are good, paparazzi are just another tool in a celebrity’s (or publicist’s) kit. What better way to hard launch a relationship, hit the rebound, or model your new fashion line than with a conveniently timed pap walk?
Thanks to the paparazzi, restaurants became runways this year, with Rihanna, Hailey and Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, and other A-listers turning Giorgio Baldi, Funke, and Via Carota into an opportunity to be seen on their own terms. The Kar-Jenner clan uses the paps to help promote their businesses. And even brands are getting in on the action now, with Bottega Veneta deploying paparazzi-style photographs of A$AP Rocky and Kendall Jenner for their latest ad campaign.
Below, Vogue rounds up a few of our favorite pap walks of 2023. Some are glamorous, some are deeply silly, and others are a naked cry for attention. We’ll let you decide what’s what.
Swift told Time that the Kansas City Chiefs tight end caught her attention on an episode of his podcast. “This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell,” she said. While the two apparently had some private time, they ultimately made it official by taking a number of pap walks outside New York City restaurants, including the Waverly Inn and Nobu.
While Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny are rumored to be no more, we can always look at this photo with fondness in our hearts.
The singer and his gaggle of friends sent the internet into a tailspin, probably because they looked like a contemporary LA version of Jesus and his disciples. What they lack in members they surely made up for in adaptogens.
This photo is 2023’s answer to Grimes’s post-breakup walk while reading The Communist Manifesto. A woman of taste, Rae couldn’t bear the idea of putting Britney Spears’s memoir down to focus on the road ahead. Thankfully she had eyes everywhere (namely her bodyguard, seen just out of frame).
After Madix’s highly publicized breakup from noted “poo-poo head” Tom Sandoval, the world waited with bated breath to see what the Vanderpump Rules star would wear to the cast reunion. Not one to let a single moment go to waste, Madix rolled up to the studio wearing a 1-800-BOYS-LIE sweatsuit, indicating more revenge dressing to come. Chapeau!
The married duo appeared to have gotten very different memos when dressed to celebrate Hailey Bieber’s Rhode x Krispy Kreme collaboration in New York. The diametrically opposed looks sparked a good deal of Discourse™ about chronically underdressed men and their put-together partners.
After his split from his wife Addison Timlin, White took to the streets to show off his physique during a brutal Los Angeles heat wave, even performing push-ups on the surely scorching asphalt. Clearly whatever he’s doing worked, as he’s now linked to singer Rosalía.
Our Father of Perpetual Ennui Ben Affleck continued to look dismayed at any given moment during 2023. The only thing that could brighten his day? Dunkin’, of course.
When the model began swapping her minimalist ’fits from The Row and Khaite for the more playful Bottega Veneta, we had to raise our eyebrows. Sure enough, Jenner was in cahoots with the Italian brand to engage in some good old-fashioned guerrilla marketing.
Kendall Jenner wasn’t the only star that was tapped for this project: A$AP Rocky also took to the streets in some head-to-toe Bottega looks. His bubble-gum pink Andiamo fit right into his extensive handbag collection.
Rihanna continued to pave the way for maternity style while pregnant with her second son, Riot Rose, with this remarkable fur outfit among her many looks.
What could be more terrifying than two women with the same ex meeting up for dinner? If you’re Joe Jonas, probably nothing. Swift and Turner showed a united front after the actor’s split from the Jonas Brothers singer earlier this year, with Swift reportedly even offering up her NYC apartment to Turner and her children. We, for one, love to see the power of paparazzi used for good.
The youngest Jenner turned the Giorgio Baldi sidewalk into a Khy fashion show, beta testing her venture into womenswear on her sister and friends.
