Charli XCX turned a fashion ceremony into a love letter — and a cheeky roast — this week. The “Brat” singer attended the InStyle Imagemaker Awards 2026 on October 15 in Los Angeles to honor her longtime stylist Chris Horan, delivering a speech that swung from genuinely moving to gloriously unhinged, capped off with an unexpected shout-out to fellow pop star Addison Rae. The Charli XCX InStyle appearance is already one of the most talked-about moments from the third annual celebration of the people behind the looks.

Charli XCX InStyle Speech: Honoring Stylist Chris Horan

Charli took the stage at the private-residence ceremony to present Horan with the Future of Fashion Award, and she did not keep it buttoned-up. According to InStyle’s own coverage of the night, she credited her stylist with helping her redefine her image after the pandemic — pushing it toward something that felt “more true to who I was” and to the work she was making at the time.

The tribute got genuinely emotional when Charli spoke about the vulnerability of being styled in the public eye. As InStyle reported, she told the room she believes “the female body is a sacred thing,” and that for her personally it can also be a volatile thing wrapped in insecurities. In a world where women are constantly judged for what they look like rather than who they are, she said Horan’s approach to styling her is “always kind, it’s always sensitive, and it’s always considerate of how I’m feeling.”

Then the tone flipped. Charli handed Horan a set of mock self-dedicated awards for his years of service, including joke titles poking fun at her own impossible demands — from mediating between her and European fashion houses to pulling off custom looks on impossible timelines, to being her “Best 3 a.m. House Party DJ.” It was a room full of fashion heavyweights laughing along with her.

The Addison Rae “Prophet” Moment

The night’s biggest viral line came at the very end of Charli’s remarks. Closing out her speech recognizing Horan, she borrowed a lyric from her friend Addison Rae, telling the crowd: “As our prophet Addison Rae would say, the world is your oyster, baby come touch the pearl” — then dropped the mic with, “Come get your fucking award, Chrissy!”

The “prophet” label wasn’t random. Charli and Rae are longtime friends and collaborators: Charli made a guest appearance on Rae’s 2023 track “2 Die 4,” while Rae guest-starred on Charli’s “Von Dutch” remix. The two have been publicly championing each other for years — Rae previously told Billboard that what Charli did with Brat felt “so true to her,” saying there was “just kind of no other way to categorize it,” and that Charli’s example pushed her to be as intentional and free-flowing as possible in her own work.

Rae’s influence on Charli’s world has been easy to trace since the Brat era, and quoting her friend’s lyric mid-speech felt like peak Charli: sincere, referential, and slightly feral all at once.

Charli XCX InStyle Look: Leather Blazer, Tie, and Tights

The outfit deserved its own award. Charli hit the carpet in a black leather blazer worn with tights and a tie — a “sexy rockstar meets office-core” look, as InStyle framed it, per Reality Tea’s coverage of the evening. Details reported by outlets on the night painted the full picture: an oversized black leather blazer worn braless, with a patterned cream-and-gold tie wrapped around her neck, sheer black tights, and pointed-toe black pumps, finished with chunky rings and oversized black sunglasses. Her signature dark hair was worn long, straight, and center-parted.

Red Carpet Fashion Awards noted the look was a custom Balmain black leather blazer dress paired with leather shorts and a silk tie, all styled — of course — by the night’s honoree, Chris Horan. It was the perfect visual thesis for her speech: the image he helped her build, on full display.

This marked Charli’s first time attending the Imagemaker Awards. Just weeks earlier, Horan had styled her for the MTV VMAs on September 27, where she shut down the carpet in a custom black velvet Saint Laurent two-piece — a semi-sheer bra top with a matching maxiskirt, towering platform heels, and diamond rings — underscoring just how prolific the Charli-Horan partnership has been this year.

Who Else Attended the InStyle Imagemaker Awards 2026?

The third annual Imagemakers celebration, which honors influential stylists, makeup artists, hairstylists, and other visionaries across film, television, music, sports, and culture, drew a heavyweight crowd.

Heidi Klum presented her Project Runway co-host Law Roach with the women’s stylist award, calling him “a little bit of a magician.” Priyanka Chopra Jonas received the Woman of Impact Award for her work on and off camera, honored on stage by Megan Suri, Amita Rao, and Avantika Vandanapu. Megan Thee Stallion was there to honor her longtime hairstylist Kellon Deryck during the ceremony.

The guest list also included Adam Driver (with celebrity men’s groomer Amy Komorowski), Elizabeth Debicki, Joey King, Simu Liu, Julia Stiles, Lisa Rinna, Hannah Einbinder, and Tyriq Withers, according to event coverage. Klum arrived in a cream corset-style lace gown, while Megan Thee Stallion opted for a dramatic cape-and-mermaid-skirt look.

For more music-world headlines, see our stories on Taylor Swift’s “Patient Zero” hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Miley Cyrus’s record-setting “Bass Persuades” chart drop.

FAQ

What did Charli XCX say about Addison Rae at the InStyle Imagemaker Awards?

At the end of her speech honoring stylist Chris Horan, Charli quoted Rae’s lyric — “the world is your oyster, baby come touch the pearl” — and called Rae “our prophet,” before telling Horan to come collect his award.

Who is Chris Horan and why did Charli XCX honor him?

Chris Horan is Charli XCX’s longtime stylist. She presented him with the Future of Fashion Award at the InStyle Imagemaker Awards 2026, crediting him with redefining her image after the pandemic into something more true to who she is.

What did Charli XCX wear to the InStyle Imagemaker Awards 2026?

Charli wore an oversized black leather blazer (a custom Balmain blazer dress, per Red Carpet Fashion Awards) with a patterned cream-and-gold tie, sheer black tights, pointed-toe pumps, and oversized sunglasses — styled by honoree Chris Horan.

How are Charli XCX and Addison Rae connected?

They are longtime friends and collaborators. Charli appeared on Rae’s 2023 track “2 Die 4,” and Rae appeared on Charli’s “Von Dutch” remix. Rae has also praised Charli’s Brat era as an influence on her own music.

Sources: InStyle, Reality Tea, Red Carpet Fashion Awards.