See Coi Leray's Style Evolution in Pictures
Rapper Coi Leray has only been in the spotlight for about five years, but in that time, she's become a front-row fixture. Leray dropped her first single, “Huddy,” in 2018, and since then, she's amassed a following of fans and fashion insiders alike. She has walked the runway for The Blonds, attended multiple Fashion Weeks in Paris, London, and Milan, and signed on as the face of streetwear giant Snipes. Musically, she's collaborated with Nicki Minaj, Pharrell, and Sabrina Carpenter, among others, and recently paid tribute to female rappers while joining Busta Rhymes onstage at the BET Awards. It's safe to say 2023 is Coi Leray's year, but she's always dressed for the occasion.
Though Leray's style has changed over the years, certain elements always ring true. She loves Y2K trends like low-rise jeans and midriff tops and gravitates toward fitted silhouettes with plenty of color and pattern. She's as likely to glam it up in a gown as she is to slip into a pair of oversized trousers and a tank, and she has tons of fun with accessories and layering; a silver or diamond collar necklace is practically her signature piece, and you'll often find her wearing a thigh-high boot and mini bag or an off-the-shoulder jacket. She also always nails sheer.
No matter what she's wearing, confidence is key to Leray's overall look. “I have a unique aesthetic. I have this style where I’m going toward the tomboy swag,” Leray told W in early 2022. “I sew my boy clothes, and I got on the baggy clothes, whatever. Then I also could get sexy and put that sh*t on, you know what I’m saying? As a trendsetter, I just felt like confidence is everything.” Leray counts Missy Elliot and Lady Gaga among her biggest style icons, and their influence on her fearless fashion sense is clearly evident, though Leray does dressing her way — and her fans listen, taking a cue from her colorful, expressive perspective. There's a reason she titled her first studio album Trendsetter. (Her second album, Coi, dropped on June 23, 2023.)
Below, discover rapper Coi Leray's style evolution, from her early days performing at festivals to her high-fashion 'fits at Paris Fashion Week.
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June 2023
At the 2023 BET Awards, Leray paid homage to female rappers, including Missy Elliott, Da Brat, Saweetie, and Ice Spice, with her custom black and white suit. “Shout out @otheezycreatedit for pulling this look off!! I had an idea, and the way she brought it to life, I couldn’t even imagine!! HIPHOP 4EVER," Leray wrote on Instagram after the event.
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June 2023
The rapper showed off her take on the sheer trend in a black lace Saint Laurent catsuit at Berlin Fashion Week, complete with attached gloves. She styled the super sleek look with black pumps and bold jeweled earrings and bracelets.
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June 2023
Cropped top? Check. Baggy jeans? Check. Jeweled necklace? You know it. Leray's outfit for the Louis Vuitton menswear show in Paris was the perfect example of her go-to look.
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May 2023
Leray showed off her Spidey spirit at the Across the Spider-Verse premiere in an on-theme varsity jacket and matching pants.
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April 2023
Leray donned her signature bikini top and low-rise jeans for a Revolve event at Coachella in April 2023, adding a furry jacket and diamond necklace to up the glitz factor.
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March 2023
Back in L.A., Leray suited up in a gray double-breasted Kenzo suit with a sailor-style collar and a matching blue beret for the Billboard Women In Music event.
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February 2023
Leray looked sporty chic at a pre-Grammys event in a cropped hoodie, pleated cheerleader micromini skirt and slide heels, and even added pigtails!
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February 2023
At Moschino, Leray embraced the brand's colorful pop aesthetic in a printed bodysuit and matching jacket and boots.
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February 2023
The “Players” rapper traveled to Milan for the GCDS Fall 2023/2024 show and brought a vibrant dose of neon color to brighten up the winter weather in — you guessed it — a cropped top.
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February 2023
Leray took on the denim-on-denim look at Diesel's Milan Fashion Week show, posing in a jean corset top, skinny pants, and matching booties. If Britney Spears's infamous denim gown got a 2023 update, it would look just like this.
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February 2023
Leray posed at the JW Anderson show in a dolphin tank from the fashion house, worn with a super trendy teeny pleated miniskirt and a high braided ponytail.
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February 2023
In London, Leray slipped into a strappy bright blue leather minidress and dark blue thigh-high boots at the Mowalola show, accessorizing with a bright pink bob and bejeweled mini bag.
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January 2023
She again experimented with the sheer trend at the Saint Laurent menswear show during Paris Fashion Week, posing in a see-through black tank gown and black underwear.
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September 2022
Leray walked the runway at the Blonds in 2022, and though she told Paper she was nervous, you couldn't tell. “The pants I wore had chains all over them that made it hard for me to walk with heels, but I prayed and did the best I can,” she shared. “It came out great.”
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September 2022
Leray's accessories made a serious statement out and about in New York City. She wore a cropped top and mini short outfit with a furry pink hat and floral-bedecked, thigh-high lace-up sandals.
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June 2022
Leray had us seeing red at the 2022 Governor's Ball in a red triangle top, mini shorts and a matching red shrug top layered over it.
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June 2022
The rapper served up a denim-on-denim-on-denim look for the 2022 BET Awards, hitting the carpet in an oversized denim blazer over a cropped top and slouchy over-the-knee boots.
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June 2022
The “My Body” rapper went full glitz at a birthday party in a sheer, shimmering maxi skirt and bikini top set.
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February 2022
Leray sat front row at the LaQuan Smith Fall/Winter 2023 show looking like a modern Marilyn Monroe in a bandeau top, matching ruched skinny pants and a white coat worn low on her shoulders, a pile of necklaces, and a glam curly bob.
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November 2021
Leray brought the bombshell vibes to the American Music Awards red carpet in a slinky, shiny black gown with a train, swapping her braids for a high ponytail.
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September 2021
Leray freed the nipple backstage at the Laquan Smith show during NYFW in a sheer bright orange top and metallic red skinny pants, which she paired with white sneakers, silver jewelry, and a jacket slung over her shoulders.
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September 2021
Leray went for a super, super, super cropped silhouette at New York Fashion Week in a black and white micro-jacket and matching pants from Moschino, which she paired with a teeny hat and black nipple pasties.
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August 2021
In summer 2021, Leray hit the stage in a gray utility flight suit over shorts and a cropped white tank, styling the menswear-inspired ensemble with a silver choker necklace and space buns.
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June 2021
Leray's onstage ‘fits are similar to her red carpet looks; she loves a good bikini top and patterned pant combo, and it’s become one of her signature aesthetics.
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June 2021
The rapper played with proportions in June 2021 with her teeny-tiny bikini top and cargo pants — a look she'd return to again and again.
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January 2020
Leray looked stunning in icy blue in early 2020, pairing a patterned corset top with matching jeans and a cheeky binocular-shaped bag.
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November 2019
Leray showed off her sporty side in Puma x Balmain track pants and a cropped turtleneck, which she paired with boots and silver jewelry.
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June 2019
In 2019, the star-in-the-making performed at Summer Jam at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey wearing a 2000s-inspired Dior tank and patterned low-rise flares — a silhouette she would return to again and again.
