The interlude of Super Bowl it is a cultural institution, writes the New York Times. THE’halftime of the 60th edition of the National Football League championship final will not be denied: performing on the evening of February 8th from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, will be Bad Bunny. The Latin idol has just been awarded at the Grammy Awards for the best album of 2025 (I should have taken more photos) and there is no doubt that with his hits he will warm up the public, both present and far away. In the history of the Super Bowl, the halftime shows, in a dozen minutes, welcomed the greatest artists and performers, making them the protagonists of spectacular medleys of their hits on moving sets, accompanied by dance troupes. Fashion understood the importance of that stage and took its place in the event: the next day, everyone was talking about the brand that dressed the guest musician. In recent years, some items have gone viral on social media and quickly sold out. Let’s look back at the most memorable halftimes of the third millennium.
Madonna
It was 2012, when Madonna, with three dresses Givenchy by Riccardo Tiscistaged a dive into the ancient Egyptian and Roman civilizations. He started with a golden cape, worn on a throne complete with hieroglyphs and sphinxes, and a Philip Treacy headdress. Having abandoned the Cleopatra atmosphere, she quickly moved on to that of a gladiator, with a skirt made of belts, long gloves and golden pompoms. He concluded his glorious quarter of an hour, to the tune of Vogue e Like a Prayer, with a more sober total black outfit, illuminated by sequins.
Beyoncé
Beyoncé’s 2013 performance began with a long-awaited Destiny’s Child reunion: the girl band had disbanded seven years earlier. The change of clothes, in the tight times of the Super Bowl halftime, is often done by adding or subtracting layers. The queen of soul had aimed for a New York designer, Rubin Singerwho had designed a leather bodysuit for her with lace inserts – coordinated with her colleagues on stage – to be hidden at will under a metallic black minidress.
Bruno Mars
When the Red Hot Chili Peppers, along with Bruno Mars, entertain during halftime, there isn’t much to add about why that Super Bowl (2014) was memorable. The singer’s golden jacket, with an original retro look, was signed Saint Laurent.
Katy Perry
The University of Phoenix Stadium, scene of the 2015 NFL final, was transformed into a sort of living video game with Katy Perry’s performance. Four changes of outfit and scenography: the pop star floated in the air dragged by a comet, climbed aboard a maxi golden sculpture with feline features, danced among plush sharks. The clothes, following the inspiration of the singer’s great friend Jeremy Scott, long-time creative director of Moschino, they took the form of 3D flames or colored wheels. Lenny Kravitz had joined Katy on stage.
Lady Gaga
In 2017, it’s Lady Gaga’s turn to impress the audience. He does it in Atelier Versacewith lace-up outfits embroidered with disco sequins, right up to the boots. Even the eye make-up was decorated, almost recreating the effect of a Venetian mask. We are far from the stylistic levels of the last tours, but his halftime was equally disruptive.
Maroon 5
Especially by Adam Levine’s fans, 2019 will be remembered as the year in which the Maroon 5 frontman made his stage debut in a sweatshirt, only to then remain in a tank top and end up shirtless. The most worthy looks of that halftime were the tattoos drawn on the star’s skin.
Shakira e JLo
The two divas with inexhaustible energy raised the bar of the Super Bowl interlude to perhaps unattainable levels. It was 2020, when Shakira in gold, Jennifer Lopez in silver, made spectators go wild. The tailor-made outfits were dynamic, they accompanied each movement: for both, they had been imagined by Peter Dundas, at that time creative director of Versace.
The Weeknd
In 2021, Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd, performs surrounded by men with bandaged faces, all dressed in red. Her flaming suit with crystal-embroidered jacket was designer Givenchy by Matthew Williams. The sets recreated the skyline of a city with dazzling lights, just like his Blinding Lights.
Rihanna
Rihanna’s presence on the Super Bowl stage in 2023 is epic: certainly, for the concert and the choreography, but above all for the indirect announcement of her second pregnancy. In fact, the baby bump peeked out from his technical suit, a catsuit Loewe.
Kendrick Lamar
And here we are at the last halftime before Bad Bunny’s turn: Kendrick Lamar had the power to make searches on the web for men’s flared jeans soar. His were from the Céline brand and were combined with an irresistible rapper’s jacket, just like the hat with the visor on backwards and the large chain around his neck.
