With the impending release of his fifth studio album Shawn, the musician Shawn Mendes—who, lately, has been sporting some scruffy facial hair and a head of curls to rival Michelangelo’s David—seems to be occupying an earthier plane. After taking some time off touring around his last record, Mendes is back on the road. Which is to say, he’s hitting the friendly skies.
Arriving at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday, Mendes wore a dialed-down travel ensemble: a reversible chocolate-brown/black zip-up hoodie over a white ribbed tank, with dark blue Helmut Lang carpenter jeans and flat-soled black leather shoes. (One of the singer’s travel companions also opted for a hoodie, though his was in the polar-opposite shade of Cheetos-Puffs orange.) He carried a knapsack and a well-worn acoustic guitar case, a.k.a. the heartthrob-iest accessory of all.
Getty Images
Getty Images
Over the last several weeks, Mendes has worn a variety of tank tops (ribbed A-tanks, muscle tees, cut-off shirts) during his recent spate of live shows promoting Shawn, which is due out in November. According to a recent conversation between Mendes and fellow style-minded singer-songwriter John Mayer for Interview, the lived-in coziness of Mendes’s current wardrobe foreshadows the sound of his upcoming LP.
“I love the way you’re positioning this music on social media, where it’s black and white. The album feels very clear and soft,” Mayer told Mendes. “It’s like what you’re wearing. It’s a white T-shirt and gray sweatpants. The aesthetic of what you’re posting is so true to the music, it blows me away.”
