Five Front People on the Importance of On Stage Style

Make it stand out

It is not an understatement to say that the view of fashion as frivolous is sexist. The female dominated interest draws mass critique across the board by those who don’t see it as a legitimate art form. For artists, this gets even more complex as an interest in style can be interpreted as a distraction from their own creative outlets. To take a look at the importance of style - specifically for women and non binary people - we interviewed five of our favourite front people on why their stage outfits are integral to their performance as a musician.
In collaboration with Dr. Martens, to celebrate the launch of their latest collaboration with Heaven by Marc Jacobs shoe release, this feature and the accompanying editorial highlights the versatility of the new Audrick silhouette boot and shoe alongside our musicians’ favourite looks for performing. This new collection is a “tribute to the intricate web of subculture” and so too does this feature look to celebrate the vastly diverse stage outfits of musicians and why they are all equally as important and a valid form of self expression.
Our front people line up consists of Nuha Ruby Ra, Gia Ford, Orchid and Thigh High and below you can find their important takes on stage style.

How important is clothing to you for a stage presence?

Orchid: What I wear is definitely an extension of me and my emotions, it’s as much a part of expressing myself as making music is. I use clothes to make myself feel strong and alive and the most of myself every day, so for stage it’s even more important.

Thigh High: Deeply. All our music is about queer icons, incredible characters, and we want to do them justice with our looks. We aren’t necessarily into wild stuff, but we like to look together, connected but also like we can play music. People don’t often take queers in bands seriously, so there’s a line we like to fuck with. A suit jacket and a thong. A little fashion, a little trash.

Do you have a different style on stage compared to off stage?

Nuha: Yes and no, most of my stage outfits started as off stage outfits that I decided to wear on stage at some point. My style off stage can change often though where I might keep a stage outfit going for longer.

Gia: I do, but it’s all cut from the same cloth really. My jackets and suits stay the same, but on a casual day I’m wearing a T-shirt underneath and on stage I’d go for something more exaggerated, like a trench coat over a suit or something. A lot of it’s in the makeup too - I barely wear it in every day life.

Do you think image is important for musicians wanting to be successful?

Thigh High: Depends what you mean by success. I think having a strong identity as performers is important for people to be able to connect with what the actual work is. Like who is making this music. And yes, if you wanna be a major player in the dank, super-capitalist part of the music industry then you probably need to do all the big lewks and be hot.

Nuha: It entirely depends on the kind of person you are. It’s most important to be true to yourself, that includes if image matters to you. Being boldly who you are, if that’s really extra or shy or more simple in appearance, is the best key to being you successfully.

Who are some of your style inspirations as an artist?

Orchid: When I was a kid I watched this one behind the scenes video with the costume designer for Mean Girls and that video has influenced my whole style forever. I remember her talking about styling Regina George and how she always had to wear things that were opposites together e.g. a fluffy pink cardigan with a black leather skirt, to represent her character’s different faces. She always had to have contrast: hard yet soft, feminine yet masculine, comfy yet refined, gothic yet modern etc. and honestly I’ve dressed with that philosophy (not her actual style) in my mind every day since.

Gia: Bowie has always been up there, obviously Talking Heads too. And all the photos of Kate Moss in suits. But I honestly don’t think about it much, I think it’s become so integral to me that I don’t really reference much anymore I just wear stuff I like.

Thigh High: Paris Hilton. Korn. Yves Saint Laurent. Raf Simons. Kraftwerk. The Craft. The mom in Mean Girls.

What is your favourite piece of clothing to wear on stage and why?

Nuha: My red PVC mac. It’s my perfect colour red, it feels like home. I’ve never put anything on that feels more me. I write and draw over a lot of shirts and dresses under my mac too - so I carry my words and thoughts close to me, even if no one else sees them.

Gia: My snakeskin cowboy boots probably - they’re very dramatic and Dallas-y. Reminds me of my grandparents in their hay day. Actually they might be my fashion icons more than anyone else. Very understated glamour, genuine characters. I think Italians have a word for it, Sprezzatura: effortless style.

What makes for a great shoe to wear on stage too?

Thigh High: Big stompy boots that make you feel taller.

Orchid: Something that has a bounce to it so I can move freely on my feet, and a bit elevated, because it helps to feel a little larger than life.

Nuha: It needs to have a bit of height and a good stomp.

Do you think people look down on musicians who like fashion too and if so, why?

Orchid: I’m going to take a wild guess and put it down to the patriarchy, which doesn’t want anyone to have nice things, especially not women and LGBTQ people who a lot of the time use fashion as our own form of power. I think there’s this misconception that ‘good music’ should stand up for itself, when really, music is about all our senses, and how a musician dresses can hit something really deep for us as fans.

Thigh High: If you get to perform wearing a checkered shirt and bad jeans whilst Beyonce sings next to you in a bejewelled leotard, you know there’s some patriarchy a foot. Looking down on people for liking fashion is an activity reserved mainly for cis white men who have no aesthetic standard to live up to. But we’re not complaining coz really who wants to look that bad.

How has your style evolved alongside your journey as an artist?

Gia: It’s becoming slightly more understated as my music changes and becomes less of an idea and more of a truth to me. Still stylized, because I love that stuff, but in a nuanced, movie-like way and not large or bombastic. That effortlessness is what I’ve always loved about fashion. It should be an extension of yourself. Just like music should be, at its purest and truest.

Orchid: It’s become bolder and more chaotic, but on purpose. I’ve become less afraid to dress super masculine sometimes, and hyper feminine others, and to own both. I love playing with them at the extremes, or mixing them.

What advice would you give someone struggling to find their image as an artist?

Nuha: Get comfy! First make sure you’re very comfortable in what you’re wearing, you can move, you feel good in it and it feels like your mood the day you’re performing. I’ve many times played in basically my pyjamas on stage when I’ve been mid tour and really can’t be fucked to get dressed or wear make up, and I’ve had an absolute ball. It’s very freeing to wear exactly what feels good to you not to anyone else. You’ll start to resonate with what your image is as you carry on in your journey and it’ll keep changing, enjoy yourself!

Gia: I would say don’t sweat it too much. And don’t emphasise fashion so much if that’s not who you are - there’s a lot of pressure around being overtly into style, but it’s totally fine to not exaggerate who you are at all and just be the same. No pressure, it should be true to how you feel.

Thigh High: People will remember you first and foremost for the shape of your hair.

In collaboration with Dr. Martens x Heaven by Marc Jacobs, available from Saturday 13th November on the site here. All other collaborations can be found here.