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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Lauren Cochrane

‘It’s not much but, at the same time, it’s very much’: the enduring impact of Sade’s style

Sade Adu in a backless white top on stage at Live Aid in 1985
Her own take on the polo neck … Sade Adu on stage at Live Aid in 1985. Photograph: Jacques Langevin

Earlier this month it was announced that Sade, the British group fronted by Sade Adu that found fame in the 80s and 90s, would be inducted into the 2026 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And although the music is indisputably worthy of such a distinction, if there were a similar accolade for style, Adu would have been inducted a long time ago.

With her scraped-back hair, red lipstick, hoop earrings and penchant for simple black dresses or denim and polo necks, she has become the last word in understated – but somehow unattainable – style.

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