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It was an impossible feat for Ariana Madix to break free of Vanderpump Rules<\/em>\u2019 gravitational pull and ascend to the Love Island<\/em><\/em> villa in 2024. Looking back now, how lucky we were to witness an achievement so Herculean that it has proven completely irreplicable by just about everyone Madix has ever shared a network schedule with. <\/p>\n In fact, let me read exactly what I wrote at the time, witnessing her megawatt talent completely transform the villa<\/u><\/a>: \u201dWhat makes Madix\u2019s run noteworthy already is that she didn\u2019t need the show \u2014 the show needed her. She has, undeniably, the star power to drag a flagship franchise behind her. In an age of ubiquity for the format, it\u2019s spectacular to witness.\u201d At least I can still say I\u2019m always right, and everyone should listen to me more. <\/p>\n Love Island USA<\/em><\/em> is back for season 7, with fireworks exploding over Fiji. A dramatic public vote and subsequent recoupling has shaken the foundation of the villa, and in walks Ariana Madix, sheathed in Laquan Smith with a 60-inch ponytail skimming the top of her ass. Nobody has ever looked hotter, not for a single moment in the history of reality television. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \nSee on Instagram<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n It\u2019s just one of many moments created in tandem with her all-star glam team, like stylist Emily Men, hairstylist Carl Bembridge and makeup artist Krystal Dawn. Each piece of this works together for maximum effect. If even one single strand was out of place in that ponytail, if her makeup wasn\u2019t this buttery smooth, if this Laquan Smith didn\u2019t hug her just so, the entire thing would have swallowed her whole. Describing her team as having incredible technical skill doesn\u2019t even begin to explain what\u2019s happened here; what I\u2019m looking at could have only sprung into existence through sheer magic.<\/p>\n Longtime viewers of the Love Island<\/em><\/em> format will balk at the suggestion that art is present in the villa, or even high level fashions. This is not a show that engenders critical thought outside the kind peddled by fake love language \u201cexperts\u201d on TikTok or Vulture<\/em><\/em> recap writers. But if artistry is not in the room with us right now, what else do we collectively call this PatBO crochet number with hair pulled straight off Amanda Seyfried\u2019s scalp during the filming of Mamma Mia<\/em>?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \nSee on Instagram<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n I\u2019m most interested in the storytelling through fashion that defies the expectations of the format. More specifically, it\u2019s styling that rejects the idea that Love Island<\/em> is simply a garbage receptacle for fast fashion and cheap clothing. As host, she\u2019s elevating the contestants, and reputation of the franchise, by association. This is not to diminish the work of others who\u2019ve come before her. To recycle my earlier gravity metaphor, she\u2019s become a planetary force dragging everyone else into the gravity well around her. There\u2019s a visible effect she has on contestants that is positively electric to watch \u2014 their reactions supercharged by the outfits she keeps showing up in.<\/p>\n Last season, she set the bar with her entrance look \u2014 a spectacular wet effect Di Petsa moment \u2014 which I dubbed the premiere reality television moment of the year. I was keen to see how she\u2019d come back for season 7\u2019s big moment, and found myself surprised again by the custom Taylor Jean Cox mesh two-piece she sauntered in with. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \nSee on Instagram<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n According to her stylist Emily Men, it featured over 3000 beads and crystals from Mood Fabrics. Each was used to incredible effect here \u2014 the nude effect amplified by the subtle pop of pink in her eyeshadow and her matching champagne nails.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \nSee on Instagram<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n The look that will go down in the books for this season, however, is her look from the dominatrix party. It\u2019s the perfect example of how flawless this styling is, considering her dress is $114 on Oh La La Cheri<\/u><\/a>, and her shoes are from Steve Madden. Under any other circumstance, this would be a cheap costume someone wears to a kitschy bachelorette function or Halloween party. But this wig, courtesy of Carl Bembridge, completely alters the vibe. The dramatic draping of the shawl helps also, as does the just-too-much accessorizing and pink lip and nude eyeshadow combo. There\u2019s a version of this glam that leans into a red lipstick that\u2019s the significantly worse version, albeit the version most other teams would have went with.<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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