Ariana Grande Says She Wore Oversize Hoodies in 2018 Because She Was ‘Processing a Lot’ and Wanted to ‘Hide’

Ariana Grande is reflecting on a past fashion era.

In a new installment of Vogue‘s Life in Looks series, the singer and actress, 32, looked back at some of the most memorable fashion looks of her career.

When shown a 2018 photo of herself wearing an oversize sweatshirt and tall boots, her signature look at the time, Grande said, “This was a very strange time in my life.”

“I was processing a lot, and I always wanted to hide away in something really cozy,” she explained. “But I remember that the boots still made me feel c–t. I genuinely, at the time, did not have the mental energy to consider clothing. So the easiest thing for me was to throw on a sweatshirt and a c—y boot and that was how it happened.”

The Wicked star faced a number of challenges during this era. On May 22, 2017, a bomber killed 22 people and injured more than 500 at her concert in Manchester, England. Since then, Grande has often spoken out about suffering from anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder following the tragedy.

She suspended the tour after the incident, but less than two weeks later, she returned to Manchester for her star-studded benefit concert for the victims of the attack. Performers included Pharrell Williams, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Niall Horan, Robbie Williams, the Black Eyed Peas and Katy Perry, among others.

In a letter to fans shared in November 2018, Grande said that the bombing “will leave me speechless and filled with questions for the rest of my life.”

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Grande also suffered the loss of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller, who died of an accidental overdose on Sept. 7, 2018, at the age of 26

In a 2019 interview for Vogue‘s August cover story, Grande said her grief over Miller’s death was “all-consuming.”

“By no means was what we had perfect, but, like, f—” she told the magazine. “He was the best person ever, and he didn’t deserve the demons he had. I was the glue for such a long time, and I found myself becoming… less and less sticky. The pieces just started to float away.”

During the interview, Grande also defended herself against online trolls who blamed her for Miller’s death.

“People don’t see any of the real stuff that happens, so they are loud about what they think happened,” she shared. “They didn’t see the years of work and fighting and trying, or the love and exhaustion.”

A month after Miller’s death, Grande and her then-fiancé, Pete Davidson, called it quits. The couple was first linked in May 2018, and got engaged less than a month later before splitting in October.