The 10 Best Playboi Carti Outfits, Ranked

When: 2018

This one is cheating a bit since its on a designer’s runway, but it must be acknowledged. When Playboi Carti walked onto a rainbow colored runway with a silver poncho for the grand finale of Virgil Abloh’s first Louis Vuitton runway show, it was a true win for the culture. Old heads can say what they will about Carti’s raps, but when this stylish rapper closes out a Louis Vuitton runway show, it properly acknowledges that he’s an influential fashion icon.

When: 2017

Playboi Carti was nominated for “Best New Artist” and “Best New Mixtape” at the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards. Carti had just released his self-titled debut and you couldn’t go a single day without hearing the opening verse of “Magnolia” blasting out of a JBL speaker. For his first BET Awards, Carti came through dripping in designer, wearing the iconic Raf Simons “I Love NY” sweater from the Belgian designer’s Fall/Winter 2017 collection, Mastermind Japan denim, and a pair of suede military boots from Yeezy Season 5. Carti’s been getting fly for years.

When: 2026

Ever since Ye tapped Carti to model for Yeezy Season 5, Carti and Ye have been kindred spirits. Nearly a decade and a brief internet beef later, the two patched things up at ComplexCon 2026. Carti flexed multiple fits in full unreleased Yeezy pieces as he navigated the convention floor, took some jumpers on the basketball court, and performed his headlining set at Crypto Arena on Sunday evening. The ghoulish Season 12 trench coat turned heads, but the best look came on stage when he switched to a sleek brown Yeezy jacket and military boots accessorized with an insane amount of diamond chains and an incredible mic cover by SEXISDEATH and Liam Denhamer that depicted Saint Michael defeating the devil. The look punctuated one of the biggest reunions of 2026.

When: 2025

Carti made it abundantly clear that prime mixtape Weezy was a key inspiration for his MUSIC era. That extended from standout album cuts like “Like Weezy” (two-tone, yeah, APeezy, lookin' like Weezy) to teaser album covers inspired by the Dedication mixtape series. Of course, it also extended to his style throughout the album’s rollout. The most obvious homage came at the 2025 BET Hip Hop Awards when he took the stage to perform the aforementioned track in a colorful BAPE camo hoodie a las 2000s Lil Wayne. The accessories made the look that much more memorabe: a custom Chrome Hearts belt buckle and an iced-out red lollipop, courtesy of Alex Moss.

When: 2019

Hype for Whole Lotta Red reached an early peak when photos of him sporting small devil horns dropped with the caption, “i jus made 10 vibes<3.” The fit featured a Rick Owens Vomit work jacket, skin-tight Rick Owens Detroit jeans, and 1017 ALYX 9sm boots.

The album wouldn't arrive for another year, as leaks led Carti to move away from this early version of WLR, but the photos remain immortalized as a symbol of the genre-shifting era.

When: 2024

Carti’s MUSIC era relied heavily on paying homage to the rappers before him. The most impactful example of this was his short-lived backwards jersey phase. He peppered the @opium_00pium IG feed with a handful of fit pics channeling Kriss Kross and Nelly. It was a stark contrast to the all black, skin tight luxury looks that had become the norm for Carti in the Whole Lotta Red era, but his fans immediately embraced it. The look become so synonymous with Carti that it even got immortalized with a Fortnite skin. Carti has also dropped two collections of “YVL” throwbacks with Mitchell & Ness to date.

When: 2023

Following Whole Lotta Red, fans waited nearly five years for MUSIC. So when King Vamp returned in a Grinch-green Rick Owens fur jacket, Gimp mask, and giant Balenciaga Steroid boots to preview “DIFFERENT DAY” on his alt Instagram, fans were stunned. The fit was simple and the focus of the video, with Carti standing dripped out next to his Lamborghini Urus throughout. The fit embodies the moment Carti officially started the rollout for MUSIC, but it could just as easily stand on its own as one of his best without that distinction.

When: 2025

The spooky instrumental of “EVIL J0RDAN” made it one of the standouts on MUSIC. The video added another important layer to its legacy. This is another quintessential Carti fit from the MUSIC era. The Anonymous Club dunce cap, Hood By Air jersey, and white pants to match are unconventional, to say the least. But they match the vibe of the track and Carti’s energy perfectly. It just work. We can’t forget about the Hello Kitty coffee mug and G-Wagon wheel cover he was wielding like Captain America in the video either. Put it all together and you get an unforgettable visual that represents one of the most popular tracks of Carti’s career thus far.

When: 2016

Not all of Carti’s best looks are the recent ones. One of the greatest outfits he ever put on is actually from the beginning of his career. Carti dashed out onto the VFILES runway to perform “Of Course We Ghetto Flowers" and “What” in a Supreme patchwork anorak from Fall/Winter 2016, a pair of Undercover "85 Jeans" from the brand’s Fall 2005 "Arts & Crafts" collection, and a pair of "Bred" Air Jordan 1s. Carti was in head-to-toe streetwear grails. Sure, he would eventually evolve his style into something much more unique and influential, but you need to respect the comeup. Regardless of the aesthetic, Carti has always had a habit of dressing in the rarest pieces possible.

When: 2020-Present

Yes, we know this isn’t technically one outfit, but it couldn’t be anything else. It’s hard to truly pin down one specific look to define the “Opium” aesthetic. You could swap in a handful of other outfits to represent this spot. But the unmistakable wardrobe that has been adopted by a vast majority of Carti’s diehard fans has no competition. Whether you prefer the tight leather pants and more avant garde looks from its infancy or the baggier, matte black silhouettes that have been added into the fold more recently, this is the definitive Carti look.