pages, issue 46THE VANGUARD
Pages is a free online subscriber based monthly magazine dedicated to fashion, art and music
Music and fashion have long made cozy bedfellows. Indeed, for some performers, image and sound are inextricably linked. Where would Prince be without his tiny tailor made suits and matching heels? Courtney Love without her lipstick stains Versace, then and now? And Lil' Kim..?! It's easy to forget these megastars of today were once on the absolute vanguard of style and sound. True originals. The same could be said for Feist, Patrick Wolf, and Eugine Hutz, who are identified as much by their distinctive dress sense as by their unique sounds. While these names are not new to pages readers, we decided it was about time to explore what inspires their sometimes inimitable wardrobe choices. Helen Jennings uncovers the stylistic persuasions of three musicians on the vanguard of current trends.
Patrick Wolf
Variously described as a “flamboyant troubadour”, “London’s brightest boy wizard” and a “circus freak”, Patrick Wolf is all of these things and much more…
So. You made your own clothes as a teenager?
“I wanted to communicate visually as well as musically but when I left home at 16 I didn’t have any money so I bought an old sewing machine and patched things together. I took ideas from Comme de Garcon, Alexander McQueen and Kokon to Zai and tried to make them out of bits of old ritzy fabric. It wasn’t about looking good, it was about having a story to tell.”
Describe the visual element of your current album The Magic Position?
“It’s about that feeling in a movie when you fall in love in black and white and the darkness turns to technicolour. A designer called Fred Butler has made me a wearable paper airplane, a silk kite wrap and disco ball hat. I enjoy making a wonderful 3D statement.”
You’re in Burberry’s AW08 ad campaign alongside Agness Deyn. Rad!
“I cut my hair with kitchen scissors the night before and it was a fun day. I wasn’t styled to look like that, I was just asked to be myself.”
Is there any such thing as a fashion faux pas?
“Like Adam Ant said, ridicule is nothing to be scared of. I’m happy to be a clown. We live in such a conservative age that it’s nice to be the underdog.”
Eugene Hutz
Gogol Bordello’s moustached main man Eugene Hutz discusses his unique New York gypsy punk style...
Describe your look.
“It is an entirely spontaneous thing. For me, I just has to match the energy of that particular day. You know, it’s the colours. I’m not going to get all crazy and spiritual here and talk about Kandinsky but there are frequencies of colours that correspond with your mood. The colour of maroon is favoured by gypsies and is closest to my frequencies.”
Any favourite wardrobe items right now?
“It’s all pretty neon I must say, beat up neon. We got purple pants, super skinny style and long Adidas socks that go right over them. It’s how Ukrainian red necks wore it back in the 1980s.”
Who is your style icon?
“I ready about Einstein that he only had two outfits that were completely the same because he didn’t want any of his energy absorbed by what he was going to wear. That doesn’t work for me though.”
Stage clothes?
“I keep them to a minimum. The more you wear, the more laundry your tour manager has to do. Also fans steal a lot of stuff. Hats just go.”
Is that why you often end up naked?
“I try as hard as possible to keep my clothes on. It is always my main intent.”
Feist
Paul Young once sang, ‘Wherever I lay my hat, that’s my home’. For Canadian songstress Feist, it’s not a hat but a carefully packed suitcase…
You’re a vintage girl, right?
“Yeah. When I was 19 I ran a vintage clothing store and took home more than I sold. I had all these gowns and gloves but I had a closet then. I don’t have that luxury any more. I travel so much that whatever’s in my suitcase I end up wearing.
What’s in that suitcase at the moment?
Some J Brand high waisted jeans. In junior high there were always the high waisted girls. I was never one of them so I thought I’d check it out now. I also like clothes by Vanessa Bruno and Talula Babaton.
Describe your style.
I don’t want an item of clothing to define me. That’s my nightmare. Clothes are tools, a way of functioning without being too self-conscious. Given what I do for a living, there is a lot of stress put on clothes but it’s not that way in my real world.
Do you have special stage clothes?
I used to wear all white. It was almost like super heroes in their leotards. It’s clothes as costume, not as fashion.
How has your fashion sense changed over the years?
As your life changes you need a different soundtrack and clothes are the same. When I was 17, wearing jeans and a T-shirt was the ultimate cop out. Now it’s what allows me to get on with the rest of my life.
Words Helen Jennings