Hailey Bieber on strokes, fashion style and marriage

Hailey Bieber is one of the best dressed women alive. “I look back at the things I wore and I’m literally embarrassed. What was I thinking?! I missed that so much,” she told me from Idaho, where she and her pop-superstar husband Justin Bieber were gone on a mini-vacation. It’s a surprising confession for someone whose style has been reported to be so self-conscious. But embarrassment is different from regret. “I’ve never been afraid to try anything. I think it just goes to show that there’s an evolution in motion.” [in my style]. It just keeps growing. How I want to be in all aspects of life. “

Bieber, 25, describes herself as a “very organized and normal person.” She grew up a Hollywood child, the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin and Brazilian-born Kenya Baldwin, and trained as a ballerina. However, one of the things that makes her successful is her ability to resist change. Last year, in March, she suffered a stroke-like event related to a blood clot and went through a personal health crisis. Then in June, Justin Ramsay was diagnosed with Hunt syndrome and suffered facial paralysis, causing him to postpone his US tour dates. That same month, Hailey launched a skincare line called Rod (her name), which has been in the works for over two years and is winning raves from discerning beauty fans.

“I was never afraid to try anything. … What kind of person do I want to be in all aspects of life?

Her view of marriage is paradoxically progressive. Like most people in their 20s and 30s, they only get married once life settles down, but Bieber, who got married at 21, sees it as just the beginning: It’s not about getting married, it’s about getting married and getting married. Things are out. “I think life is always changing,” she says. “Day after day, week after week, year after year. I think the perfect example of that is in the last six months, we’ve both been through some pretty serious health issues. You have to figure out how to deal with this shit, you know? There is a reason they say ‘for better or worse’. Right, that’s true!”

The same take-it-out-and-you-go approach seems to apply to her outfits. Her style “evolves every couple of months,” she says, but what makes her unique is her care and willingness to take chances. Her hair, nails and skin are always impeccably done, creating a restrained beauty even in the most stripped-down looks. She actively seeks out new designers—often before they appear on the popular radar. She is a muse for ERL, founded by booze designer Eli Russell Linetz, and was an early admirer of Martin Rose, whose name was floated as a successor to Virgil Abloh at Louis Vuitton. (Abloh famously designed Bieber’s wedding dress.)

“She’s one of the most stylish women I know,” says stylist Carla Welch, who has worked with Justin and Hailey on red carpet looks over the years. “I went to an event recently, and everyone looked like her. How powerful and influential she is.

“You’ve got to know how to deal with this shit when it comes, you know? There’s a reason they say ‘for better or worse.’

However, Bieber is a street style individual. She looks gorgeous in her usual influencer uniforms, like oversized Gregg suits and Yassified Princess Diana après-gym collection baggy t-shirts, barely-there bike shorts and sneakers. But she also wears things that are self-restraint: a white coppery lace dress with funny little roses, strange jeans by Eytys, or a Jean Paul Gaultier look from the golden era of the 1990s. Her style isn’t a well-coordinated team effort, but the fun expression of a true clothes horse who browses the men’s room (that’s how she found Rose) and scrolls through sites like Sense.

Although Bieber’s look is very modern, her approach is very old school. Whether it’s a Northwest vacation or a friend’s wedding, she dreams of different “vibes” (to use her favorite term) for trips and events. Her process is a true fashion icon. In fact, in a 2019 magazine shoot, Bieber paid tribute to her and also reminded her of Diana’s fashion choices with a smile and lighthearted consideration. “She really inspired me because she was the most visible woman in the world at the time and she did what she wanted with her style,” Bieber said of the late princess. No matter where she is, she defines herself through her style.

Diana’s tenure as a paparazzi target resonates with Bieber as well. Despite how much she loves it, she admits that getting dressed sometimes makes her nervous. “Sometimes I feel like I’m putting pressure on myself because I’m being photographed.” It is partly her own perfection. “Even if I’m throwing on jeans and a t-shirt, I want it to be a dope pair of jeans and an oversized t-shirt!”

Bieber always makes the effort—with fashion and love. The day we spoke was four years since she and Justin got engaged. “He’s still the guy I want to get back to,” Bieber said. “If I fly somewhere I might do some work, but I can’t wait to come back. And I feel that this is because of the efforts on both sides. At the end of the day, he’s just my best friend, but he still needs a lot of work to do. And I know eventually, when kids come into the picture, it’s going to be another season of exploring how to do that.

Regardless, she will have the right attitude to take it and see.

Hair: Evanie Frausto for Redken; Makeup: Raisa Flowers for MAC; Manicure: Gina Edwards for Dior Vernis; Product: Eric Jacobson at Hen Dental Products; Set design: Jesse Kaufmann.

Video: Director/Producer: Amanda DiMartino; Director of Photography: Ryan DeVita; B-Cam: Kevin Kim; Voice: Xiao Han; Producer: Chris Davis; Motion Designer: Josh Walker.

This article originally appeared in the September 2022 issue Harper’s Bazaar, Available on newsstands August 30.

Find the latest issue of Bazaar