Statistically speaking, only around 2% of the population has red hair. But on Saturday night, Forest Hills Stadium was filled with a spectrum of redheads as far as the eye could see: orange to cherry; wigs and dye—and maybe a few naturals, too. Fans of all ages congregated to see Chappell Roan kick off her mini tour, Visions of Damsels Other Dangerous Things, many of them dressed in her image.
Since she catapulted to fame in 2024, Roan has garnered a massive, dedicated fanbase. Beyond selling out her series of pop-up shows in New York, Los Angeles, and Kansas City, MO, fans are also showing up dressed in their finest Chappell Roan-inspired outfits. A walk across the stadium grounds, one could find an interpretation of every imaginable look, ranging from the teal dress and beauty queen sash she wore on her The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess album cover, to the heart-faced, lingerie-clad devil from her “My Kink Is Karma” music video—which Roan had previously announced as the theme of the night.
Fans embraced the DIY spirit while plumbing the depths of Chappell’s extensive fashion repertoire, which she built alongside stylist and creative director Genesis Webb. Nodding to the tour’s medieval theme, Kristen and Brittany, a couple from Louisville, Kentucky, dressed up as a knight and a runaway princess, respectively. “This, I did in the car with safety pins and this old silver glitter shirt,” Kristen explains of the strapless bra top she wore underneath a chainmail bikini top. “This is my grandma’s pin that she gave me,” she adds of the rhinestone-encrusted cross on her sternum.
Honora, who traveled from Washington, D.C. to attend the show, sewed her own gold ruff for the occasion. “I’ve been incredibly inspired by the medieval imagery. It’s very mythical and fairytale,” she says. “I was going for a fairy jester.” While she DIYed her outfit and the gold horns she wore atop her rainbow hair, Honora also found time to bead friendship bracelets to give to other fans, featuring song titles and lyrics like “Femininomenon,” “She got away,” and “Good Luck, Babe.”
Given the New York kickoff, it was no surprise to see concert-goers nodding to Chappell’s many specific references. One fan, Christian, sewed and glued fiery red Rapunzel-esque curls to a thrifted, oversized gray blazer—a nod to her recent music video for “The Subway.” There were also homages to the Statue of Liberty costume the singer wore to debut the song at Governor’s Ball last year. “I’ve been up since 7 a.m. doing my makeup,” says one attendee, Evangeline, whose full-body paint job took a team of four friends.
Dedication to Chappell also manifested through beauty. A fan named Cyn embraced the sad clown look—“Who can’t relate to that?”—complete with a tiny homemade jester hat and teardrops made of parchment paper, hot glue, and dusted with Anastasia highlighter. “I’ve been practicing my makeup the past week,” they say. Meanwhile, Honora’s nails—depicting butterfly wings and mosaic glass—took a friend back in D.C. roughly six hours to create.
For others, though, simple slogan tees more than sufficed. One attendee paired her “Boys R Sus” baby tee with an “I Heart Hot Moms” baseball cap. Meanwhile, Tony, who brought his two young daughters to their first-ever concert along with his wife, rocked a “Girl Dad” T-shirt that he was gifted for Father’s Day.
The enthusiasm extends beyond the Queens stadium. Earlier in the day, a fan named Zoe competed in a Chappell Roan lookalike contest at RiseNYC for floor seats to Tuesday’s show. “I didn’t end up winning, but there were a lot of really cool people there,” she says. “We hung out together afterwards.” She shows me a photo she took with the winner, whom I immediately recognize—not because of her resemblance to Chappell, but because it was my childhood friend, Emily. I text her about the run-in and send her some photos of people we’ve seen today. “I love gay people,” she writes back.
Fans were eager to see what Chappell had in store for her own look. It didn’t disappoint. The singer hit the stage in a burgundy pirate outfit—sword and all. Later, she changed into a vampy corset. At one point, during a more balladic section of the concert, Chappell addressed the crowd, reminiscing on being a 13-year-old who just wanted to dress up and wear makeup. “You’re welcome here however you show up today,” she said.
Here, see the best street style from night one of Chappell Roan’s Forest Hills concerts.
