There’s been a development in the Katy Perry-Justin Trudeau relationship timeline—taking a significant step since their Instagram hard launch in December, this week, the couple made a joint appearance at the World Economic Forum.
The pop star and former Canadian prime minister appeared in Davos, Switzerland on Monday January 19. Perry opted for a full Jacquemus look: a cream cropped merino wool blend cardigan that featured a 60s-esque scoopneck and structured curved sleeves, with a matching knit pencil skirt. Styled simply, she added square drop earrings from The Care and angular tortoiseshell Jacquemus x Linda Farrow Spiaggia sunglasses. Her hair was swept up into a middle-parted chignon. It was muted elegant, and decidedly pared back for Perry.
The following day, she appeared suited and booted—the Katy Perry way; wearing a Mugler Re/Edit Les Salades wool jacket in navy pinstripe with a nipped-in waist and built in white tank top, paired with matching straight-leg pants. Another shot of Perry shows her toting Jacquemus’s caramel brown, folded Valèrie bag and a Bottega Veneta shearling coat from the Resort 2023 collection—practical, Swiss weather-appropriate.
Perry watched on as Trudeau, who served as the 23rd prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025 before his resignation, spoke at the Global Soft Power Summit. Trudeau even made reference to Perry, stating that he had “a date with an American girl to a rooftop bar in Montréal” where “she ordered a Jack and Coke.”
“The server kindly informed her that there was no more American alcohol, not just in that bar but anywhere in Montréal and probably anywhere across the entire country,” he continued, explaining that this was an example of “Canadians standing up for each other, that’s an example of soft power, being motivated to be there for each other at a time of stress, at a time of anxiety.” Perry, from the crowd, gave him a wink.
This follows a more low-key appearance with Trudeau in Japan, revealed in Perry’s aforementioned IG grid dump. Perry was there performing as part of her Lifetimes tour, but they managed to squeeze in some dates, tourist expeditions, and a meeting with the former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife, Yuko. For the latter, Perry opted for an Open YY khaki skirt suit with a cropped collarless jacket and belted mini skirt—a tentative test at a more prim and proper way of dressing, but still very much with some K.P. edge.
There is a marked departure from Perry’s on-stage and off-duty style. The Lifetimes tour delighted in all of her most outré fashion eras: a cyborgy (Blue Origin-referencing?) metal bodysuit, a peppermint candy cane-hipped latex dress and candyfloss moonboots that remixed her California Girls looks, a Prism-coded and jungle-inspired Dolce & Gabbana corset and grass skirt, and a bodysuit made of tinkling red baubles. Valentino, Moschino, and The Blondes often featured in her line-up of flamboyant costumes. On the fashion week circuit, she was a committed front rower for Demna’s Balenciaga; in day-to-day life, it’s all oversized denim, graphic tees, and fuzzy Charlotte Simone coats.
As a political plus one (again, Trudeau resigned last year, and the first lady title is an American concept), Perry has opted for more conservative, safe co-ords and quieter color palettes. The whimsy, still, floats just beneath the surface, staying faithful to youthful labels and a slightly subversive sleeve here and there. She remains galaxies away from the austere, hard-shouldered silhouettes of, say, FLOTUS Melania Trump. The new First Lady of New York, Rama Duwaji, is the blueprint for a sophisticated, politician’s partner aesthetic that interpolates her own artistic sensibilities and effortlessly chic POV, wearing vintage, independent designers, and witchy Miista boots. From brooches to ballgowns and borrowed archival looks, the spouses of political figure’s sartorial sensibilities can tell the story of her partner (or her own) politics and priorities.
Katy Perry on the Blue Origin space flight mission, April 2025.
Courtesy of Blue Origin
It also hasn’t even been a year since Perry embarked on her three-minute intergalactic float with the all-women Blue Origin team, where the crew donned cobalt blue, body contouring space suits designed by Monse, with Skims underneath. She took the role pretty seriously, while still reveling in the more fashion-forward flight suit: “We’re putting the ‘ass’ in astronaut!” she said. Clearly, Perry’s happy to take up these politics-adjacent roles if she can keep her own sense of humor and style intact.
Perry is no stranger to a significant style shift, having transcended what was a well established campy, kitschy bombshell look (pink bouffants, pin-up rompers, ’50s circle skirts) for sexy and severe Rick Owens and Balenciaga ’fits, and dark, moody palettes by way of under-the-radar designers like La Maskarade, Du Ciel, and XI SCORPII. Don’t expect the “Woman’s World” singer to divest herself of any personal style in favor of the bland and politico-friendly. Katy Perry is chameleonic, so it will be interesting to see how this first lady cosplay develops post-Davos.
Originally published at Vogue
