Thirty-three-year-old Frank Ocean is one of the music industry’s most elusive players.

In the years before dropping his first album, Nostalgia, Ultra, he was hiding under the surface, writing music for Beyoncé and Justin Bieber.

But once he was out of their shadows, not much changed. 

Not only does he drop music without any warning, much like Queen B (lest we forget the unexpected Blonde and Endless album drops in 2016), but he also gives barely any insight into his personal life, despite being fairly active on social media, and rarely agrees to interviews.

No wonder one of his favourite T-shirts reads “Maintain The Mystery”.

That said, one thing that is all too apparent about Frank Ocean is his unimpeachable sense of style.

He knows what looks good, what fits and what brands he definitely needs to be buying in to to earn him a regular place on our best-dressed lists.

With a penchant for Prada and Comme Des Garçons, and the ability to make the uncool look cool (Arc’teryx is now a hypebeast essential thanks to Ocean), he’s undeniably one of the fashionable men in music.

With that in mind, below are ten of his most-stylish moments to date.

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Music Festival, 2013

Though he’s currently retired the accessory, replacing it with coloured buzz cuts aplenty, Ocean’s rolled-up bandana was a mainstay in the rapper’s wardrobe from around 2013 until 2018.

The bandana featured a Japanese rising sun on it a symbol of the old empire of Japan but we’re sure Ocean wore one to channel headband-wearing Marvin Gaye and not in support of right-wing nationalists, who co-opted the sun.

Grammy Awards, 2013

While you might think Tyler, The Creator was the first person to channel one of Wes Anderson’s colourful characters at the Grammys, it was actually Frank Ocean.

In 2013, the Endless crooner seemingly raided Richie Tenenbaum’s wardrobe. 

Washington, DC, October 2016

In 2016, Frank Ocean and his mother, Katonya Breaux, attended the Italy State Dinner, hosted by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, which was the then president’s final official dinner.

And while not the Nikes he sings about, we reckon Ocean is the only person to ever get away with wearing a pair of Vans’ signature Old Skool slip-ons in the presence of the Potus. 

Panorama Music Festival, 2017

It was 2017 and the world was becoming a little more woke (later to become 2019’s word of the year), one day at a time.

Leading the way was Ocean, who took to the stage at the Panorama Music Festival in New York City in a $18.99 design that was produced by online retailer Green Box Shop, who had taken the slogan from a 2015 tweet posted by a teenager named Brandon Mal. In 2020, the T-shirt is more appropriate than ever.

New York City, 2017

In 2017 the rarely photographed Ocean decided to holiday in New York City with paparazzi favourite Kendall Jenner, which resulted in more street-style pictures of him in one week than we’d previously been served.

And he delivered in the style stakes, becoming a leader in the movement towards gender-fluid dressing when he not only sported a Chanel handbag, but neck-hanging bags too, like those seen a year later on the catwalks of Jacquemus, Prada, Dior and Palm Angels.

Met Gala, 2017

Attending the Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art Of The In-Between Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum Of Art in 2017, Ocean appeared to be one of the less dressed-up guests (something he has stuck to since).

As Ocean donned an air tie, ditched a jacket and gave us just a flash of flamboyance through his checkered Christmas Day socks, we soon learned why: Ocean was given photography duties by Anna Wintour and was asked to capture all the BTS action, resulting in an outfit that allowed him to dash around the Met with ease.

Parklife Festival, 2017

Any one who wears a T-shirt with a picture of Brad Pitt printed on it gets a thumbs-up from us.

Met Gala, 2019

While the theme for the 2019 Met Gala was “Camp: Notes On Fashion”, you’d be forgiven for mistaking it to be a celebration of The Bodyguard.

Both Kanye West (in Dickies) and Ocean (in Prada) opted for a look that was more suitable for valets at The Beverly Hills Hotel than the Costume Institute.

Nonetheless, Ocean pulled it off and we invested in our own nylon half-zip-ups.

Paris Fashion Week, 2019

Before this moment in 2019, when Frank Ocean attended Virgil Abloh’s Louis Vuitton Autumn/Winter 2019 catwalk show, Arc’teryx was known solely for being the go-to if you wanted technical, high-performance apparel fit for Yosemite hikes.

Now, it’s one of the most-hyped brands on the planet, with Off-White and Beams collaborations under its skeletal wings and the Hadid sisters among its A-list fans. Cheers, Ocean.

New York City, 2019

Wearing a sharply fitted, pinstripe suit, checkered tie, beanie hat and a pair of Cactus Plant Flea Market x Nike Vapormax trainers (which hadn’t even been released yet), Ocean trumped every single one of us when it came to nailing commuter cool.