Great Outfits in Fashion History: Mariah Carey Turning a Puffer Into a Glamorous Statement

Mariah Carey in Beverly Hills, CA in 2001.

Photo: Newsmakers/Getty Images

There are perfectly good celebrity style moments, and then there are the looks that really stick with you, the ones you try desperately to recreate at home. In 'Great Outfits in Fashion History,' Fashionista editors are revisiting their all-time favorite lewks.

I wouldn't say I relate to getting dressed for a night out during winter — I'm more of the hibernate with my swimwear until May kind of gal — but if I did decide to up my intake of bar-hopping in the bitter cold, I'd take style cues from Mariah Carey in the early 2000s.

The singer, who thrives in side-split gowns and holiday songs, adds a liberal dose of glamour to everything she wears — like the body-clinging, spaghetti-strap black maxi dress and black puffer shrugged over her shoulders for a February evening in 2001. This simple yet brilliant, diva-approved styling trick is so of-the-moment thanks to the popularity of puffers and skin-baring looks. Plus, it helps with the eternal holiday party dressing conundrum of having to consider treacherous weather conditions while still wanting to sport something short and sparkly sans tights.