FEATURE:
U Got the Look?
IN THIS PHOTO: Lady Gaga in 2023/PHOTO CREDIT: Inez & Vinoodh via ELLE
Marry Styles: Embracing the Chic, Cool and Unusual Fashions in Music
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I have been thinking about it a while…
IN THIS PHOTO: Jane Birkin on the set of the T.V. drama, Poor Cherry, 1967/PHOTO CREDIT: Popperfoto
but, following the sad passing of Jane Birkin at the weekend, it is back in my mind. Birkin was a definite icon. Someone whose music and art was extraordinary and influential; she was also someone whose fashion sense and looks were legendary. She is part of an older generation who included other fashion visionaries like David Bowie. Today, I was wondering whether style and fashion is as important as it once was. We have artists like Harry Styles who are known for their and individual wardrobe. How about beyond that?! I am not necessarily referring only to photoshoots. Then, artists make an effort anyway and can dress a lot differently to how they would on the stage or regularly. I mean someone who has that dresses in their own way and has that compelling look all of the time. I associated Prince with that too. Back in the day, Madonna was known for her changing looks and distinct eras. She still has that but, at a time when there isn’t necessarily the same demand or allure of a chameleon-like artist or someone who has that chic, it makes me a little sad. I think modern and young artists like Iraina Mancini are exceptions. Bringing 1970s fashion and cool to the music and images, I think fashion and clothing choices say more about an artist than anything. Maybe it is a cultural thing, in the sense that a various decade and how it is shaped by art and the landscape, impacts how people dress.
IN THIS PHOTO: Iraina Mancini
Not to say the music scene is drab when it comes to fashion, but the likes of Harry Styles, Iraina Mancini, Lady Gaga or those artists who have their own style and stamp, and yet can change and bring together various looks and combinations, is far less common than it was. We had a particular Indie look back in the ‘00s. In the 1990s, there were various tribes and looks. I wonder whether the disappearance of genre and its importance means that fashion and style is more homogenise or broader. Broad clothing choice is a great thing, but genres like Glam, Disco and Grunge had distinct looks. In 2023, it might be impossible to go back and redefine genres. Break up what we have in search of some unity and distinct fashion. I guess that tribalism in music is not a great thing, but the fact that various genres and music movements had their uniforms and colour palette is arresting and one reason why they stand out. That also inspires artists within a genre in terms of their own looks and what music they produce. Now, you get a few artists here and there that catch your eye with their fashion choices. Those innovators who adopt new characters and personas between albums. The real visionaries who could mix 1960s and 1970s trends together with something more of their time seems like a relic. As I said, you do get artists dressing up more for shoots and videos. Maybe it is something that is not so absent and rare in other industries.
IN THIS PHOTO: Prince in 1985/PHOTO CREDIT: Liu Heung Shing/AP
Even though Hollywood is closing down because of the writers’ strike and the support actors are giving them, the acting industry almost relies on fashion and an emphasis on style. Not always in a shallow way. Whether it is the interesting costumes you see in films or the way stars bring it to the red carpets, there is always that beauty, cool chic and unusualness that makes it so interesting. Again, we have red carpet music events where our music talent glam up and look great. Fashion and different styles are integral to films in a way you do not see in the music industry. I can’t think of two many artists today that evoke the wonder and aura that we got from the icons of the past. Jane Birkin’s passing has made me reflect on how that aesthetic and style she had was tied and blended into her music. Some might say artists use their sound collages and palette as fashion. That they strike an identity and flavour through their songs. I am talking about those artists who were as known for their clothing and the personality they brought from their threads, as much as the wonder they provoked from their music. I do miss the fact that genres and various clans brought with them this impressively distinct identity and fashion. Maybe it would lead to competition and division…but you had the cool of Disco with the grit of Punk. Couple that with the 1980s fashion and the changing looks of the ‘90s and ‘00s. It sort of stopped at some point. With genre-less music or genres becoming less defined and distinct, with it goes those sartorial chameleons and innovators. Also, the fans that could rep the genre with its distinguished and tailored looks.
IN THIS PHOTO: David Bowie in an iconic striped bodysuit for the legendary Aladdin Sane tour, 1973/PHOTO CREDIT: Masayoshi Sukita/© Sukita and The David Bowie Archive
The appropriately-named Harry Styles is an example of someone other artists should be following. I guess Lana Del Rey also has that incredible look and enviable wardrobe. It all takes my mind back to a recent photo at the Oppenheimer premiere. The stars on the red carpet here in the U.K. had to leave because the actors in Hollywood joined the strike and they showed their solidarity. People highlighted a photo that showed actors Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh and Matt Damon in a line. All very different-looking, people jokingly defined each actor by various areas of London or New York – so that, say, Florence Pugh’s look was more ‘Dalston’ compared with Damon’s ‘Bank’ (credit to Richard Stott for that observation). Each actor almost represented a different genres of film with their awesome looks. Do we really get the same with artists?! I think it is not far-fetched to imagine we’d have a new-day Bowie or Madonna or Prince. Artists people immolated and idolised because they had these incredible tastes and different looks. Now, it seems less important and obvious – and that is something I feel is quite sad and regrettable. Maybe people will correct me by suggesting many artists who are fashion kings and queens (and non-binary regal equivalents). As we lost a style and music icon in Jane Birkin last week, it took away something that is far less common and sought-after in music: those whose wardrobes are as stylish and standout as their music. The fashionable and maverick artist kickstarting trends and creating these heady and colourful fashion blends are not as bright and widespread as years past. I feel that it is something that we really need to…
BRING back to the front of the stage.