Jo’s Fashion Column: Music Makes Fashion
Posted on 29th Jun 11 by Jo Linehan | 
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“…I love the link and hope it will always play a role in what makes new and old music exciting. Whatever you can’t say in a song, you can wear on your sleeve…”
Music is the soundtrack to our lives. A song can conjure up a hundred memories in the space of 3 minutes. The really important songs have defined our teenage years, been ‘our’ songs in relationships and have played through the poignant times in our lives so far. Hand in hand with these songs, are the clothes that brought them to life. Everyone is influenced by the dress of their favourite genre and band, singer or DJ. The visual interpretations of our favoured sounds are as much a part of the allure of music as the feeling we get from listening to it is.
It is no wonder that we associate the two; no two senses are more intrinsically linked. Mention the word ‘grunge’ and not only do we immediately play the sound of screeching guitars and buzzed out bass but we also see plaid shirts, ripped baby blue denim and Kurt Cobain’s blond bleach bob. Nobody can sing ‘Hit me Baby One More Time’ without thinking school uniform and pig-tails.
The images we associate with music help us to tangibly express how it makes us feel and translate that feeling into a physical and aesthetic form. No wonder artists spend so much time deciding on their image on stage and in videos – it is a visual expression of what the songs sentiment is. And, equally, it is not surprising that we can tell almost immediately, what kind of music a stranger listens to just by looking at what they are wearing. Looking back to the 60’s , you were a Motown lover ( suits for the men, shift dresses and kitten heels for the women) , a rock fan (think Doors and Velvet Underground’s long hair, beads , leather , jeans and tees) purely by what you decided to don.
Today is no different, even the decision to wear the humble Converse shoe nods toward an ‘alternative’ taste in music, love-slung jeans and DC runners suggest hip-hop.
The most iconic musical moments will be recalled describing what they wore, which is why some artists are becoming more interested in involving designers in their visual definitions; Lady Gaga has been on the catwalk for Thierry Mugler and sports a vintage Versace corset in her new video; Dolce and Gabbana have been busy designing Kylie Minogue’s new tour costumes. Meanwhile, others are more organic; Vampire Weekend are in the American prep wardrobe they grew up and were Ivy League educated in and bands like Adebisi Shank would shudder at the thought of wearing anything other than a tee shirt and jeans …and bag-over-head.
I love the link and hope it will always play a role in what makes new and old music exciting. Whatever you can’t say in a song, you can wear on your sleeve.
Tags: fashion, Music, S-OH-S-SEW!
