Adelaide Artists on Fashion: "If I'm Dressing A Certain Way, It's For Me"
"One fashion piece can make a tour memorable...or make news for the wrong reasons," says Adelaide-based stylist and musician Jessica Blown.
The Empty Threats (Supplied)
Spaces where music is consumed are freeing, transcendent realms. Music can be a conduit to fast-formed deep connections, to spiritual experiences, to new worlds, to old ones.
And within these musical realms, aesthetics play a major role. Aesthetics and sound can go hand in hand in allowing people the freedom to become who they want to be, or to present a specific vision to onlookers. In the music world, there is a grand emphasis on costume. Outfits can allow musicians to become icons - think of Elvis’s white jumpsuit, ABBA’s disco flares, David Bowie’s ballooning pantaloons. The look is often what gives the artist a mythical status. In the biggest stadiums in the world, or in humble local venues, the look matters.
Jessica Blown, fashion stylist and musician behind the experimental project Avalon Kane, talks about the convergence of both forms of art. “I’m in a unique role where I am an artist and a stylist. The two roles just thread so perfectly together. The industries are so closely related and intertwined, so everything feels very seamless if you want it to be. I understand the lack of budgets, the constraints, the time it takes to organise looks when you are on your own or have a very small team. I strive to help as many local musicians as I can, and I have a sort of fashion library where I encourage bands and artists to borrow things and return them.”
Blown is extremely passionate about musicians being able to find themselves through fashion. “It’s so important that they develop their sense of identity early in their careers so they can make it a part of their routine and music process. You only need to think of some of the greatest acts in history. Elton’s glasses, Taylor’s red lip, The Spice Girls – style marketing genius. One fashion piece can make a tour memorable – Madonna’s Jean Paul Gaultier Cone Bra - or make news for the wrong reasons, like Janet Jackson’s wardrobe fail at the Superbowl.���
Styling is a deeply personal process, according to Blown. “As a stylist I will never style someone without getting to know them. I will always listen to their music, gauge the emotions from that, then connect it to them personally so I can visualise how to move forward with a style. The music is how I connect to the artist or band - as it is them. If [I am styling] a band, then I treat everyone individually and I will get to know them all separately. I’m so conscious of the theme of the music for the song or the shoot or the tour. It needs to be so cohesive, with relevance and meaning.”
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Blown continues, “Styling is an extremely personal thing. It is a vulnerable space that needs to be treated with respect, kindness, flexibility and care. One wrong step and someone could completely turn from the process, so you want it to be as laid back and fun as possible. I have a huge variety of styles/genres in my studio, and I just let the artists wander and look through everything I have. I take note of what they stop at, what they touch, what turns their heads. I generally encourage the artists to take the clothes home and try them in their space. Especially things that are a bit out of their comfort zone. I just feel the best way for someone to find their style is to be comfortable, feel confident and feel supported. I just try to provide that framework for all my clients. We all innately know the types of clothes that make us feel good. Then there are the ones that make us feel alive, and that is when you can find that real star power in an artist.”
Blown cites Glass Beams - the music project of Indian-Australian multi-instrumentalist Rajan Silva - as a perfect modern example of engaging style. “I caught their show last year in Adelaide. It was intoxicating. The music was sublime, but the styling was impeccable. Right down to the beaded curtain behind them. I can picture everything. The gold chains on their neck, the copper tone textured fabrics, the shimmer of the instruments, the glisten of the masks. The rugs on the floor. It invoked absolute artistry.” But Blown hastens to add, “Please don’t go out now and copy Glass Beams whatever you do! But find what your sound looks like and create the visualisers for it. Originality wins everyday.”
Stu Patterson - the frontperson of The Empty Threats - works very closely with Jessica Blown, and cites her work as their designer as a major factor in making the band feel more comfortable onstage.
“When I first started [in music], I was probably a bit scared to wear anything outside my comfort zone,” Patterson says. “And then I’d slowly start adding little bits and pieces that I thought represented me a bit more, which then kind of helped me become that stage character.”
They continue, “Part of me really wanted to express what I was feeling inside that maybe I couldn’t necessarily express everyday with what I was wearing. So I’d test out wearing a little skirt or a tight, pink little crop top, and would get comfortable with that, which then would go into everyday wear.”
It has been a journey, learning not to care, to become comfortable in “wearing whatever the hell you want because you’re the one that’s performing onstage.”
Patterson always feels touched when audience members are inspired by their onstage fashion flare. “I’ve had some guy come up to me and be like, ‘Whoah, I’m going to start painting my nails. I can do that. I can wear a skirt.’ So I think that’s pretty cool when that happens.”
There’s been a growing encouragement of self-expression since the early days of Patterson’s music career. “I think it’s a safe space to be able to wear whatever the heck you want, whatever makes you feel good.”
Venus, the guitarist and vocalist behind indie darling Swapmeet, says when asked about their relationship to their sense of style, “I’ve started caring less what my body looks like. I don’t think about it anymore. I guess I have this mentality of, I don’t give a fuck. Which feels quite powerful. If I’m dressing a certain way, it’s for me.”
Aesthetics onstage, however, still matter deeply to them. “But it comes from a love of clothes and fashion. It’s not out of insecurity. I really love the creative process of dressing.” Cultural perceptions of gender within the industry can of course complicate things. “It’s super fucking hard as a femme person in music because you can get judged so, so quickly on how you’re dressing. And it feels like anything is a statement. If I’m dressing more masculine, it's perceived as if I'm just trying to be one of the boys playing rock music. If I dress more feminine, it’s like I'm trying to stand out as a femme person onstage.” It’s become easier the more experience they gain onstage. “Dressing now feels more self-serving. But it’s a tough thing to navigate.”
Onstage, with the right clothes and the right guidance, anyone can be a Madonna or a David Bowie. With the right colours and the right fabrics, anyone can wow a crowd.
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
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