Bumpin That

Do you remember your first live show? I’m not ashamed to tell you that mine was They Might Be Giants in Covington, Kentucky when I was 15. I fondly remember being jostled in the crowd and not understanding that the band would come back out for an encore. And before we even got to the dingy little venue, I distinctly remember frantically Googling “what do you wear to a rock concert” on my iPod touch. I’ve found that many people, when asked to recall their first concert, will mention what they wore. My mom wore black and white striped skinny capris to see Adam Ant.

As intimidating as I found dressing to see live music as a young teen, I’ve always wondered how artists approach dressing to perform live music. So I spoke to a few! I also asked Walden Green to give us his sartorial take on the current pop star scene. And don’t forget to check out our STAR⟡MAIL Summer of '24 Reader Playlist!

I asked musicians Sofia D'Angelo, Eliza McLamb, and Greta Bea about how they approach getting dressed to perform live:

Sofia D’Angelo

Sofia D'Angelo is a singer, songwriter, DJ, and producer based in NYC. You can her performing with her band MICHELLE or spinning at Wiggle Room, Kind Regards, Ding-a-Ling, and Bar Valentina. Her latest solo release is Take It Back / Jane Goodall.

How do you approach dressing for live music performance?

My bestie Clara and I work together to figure out what I wear for my performances. We’ll find pieces from her closet and mine to put a really cute outfit together. She’s also made moodboards for me that fit the aesthetic of my artist project, so we’ll reference those when getting me dressed. We’ll take note of the venue (its location, vibe, and typical crowd), and then discuss how I want to feel when I’m playing the set. For the most part, I want to feel like the hot, sexy, pop star I aspired to be when I was younger.

Does the way you dress on-stage differ in any way than how you present yourself off-stage?

I try to dress so that anything I wear off stage is something I’d feel totally confident wearing on stage. I would say the only reason I wouldn’t wear an on-stage fit in the streets is because it’s probably too revealing and might pose a threat to my safety (there are some serious creeps out there!!!).

Where do you take inspiration in your personal style as a performer?

Britney Spears, Madonna, Rihanna, Courtney Love, @tinyjewishgirl

Do you wear any particularly practical or sentimental garments when performing?

In whatever I wear, it’s important that I’m able to breathe in it (so I can sing) and that I’m able to move my body as I’m a very physical performer. I try to keep the shoes comfortable when I’m performing, but I have been wanting to get some experience in heels. I’ve been anxious to practice in heels for fear of falling since I broke my elbow last year, but the irony is that I broke my elbow wearing ballet flats, of all shoes!! LOL

Is there anything you'd never wear to perform in?

Ballet flats! Just kidding. I would probably never wear anything that could be described as pedestrian.

Eliza McLamb

Eliza McLamb is a writer and musician currently living in Brookly, NY. A believer in ghosts, a non-believer in capitalism, a big girl in leather boots, and a child of the North Carolina woodlands, Eliza writes with candor, if not always with brevity. You can find tickets for her fall tour HERE

How do you approach dressing for live music performance?

Comfort is honestly my first priority — I never wear anything on stage that I haven’t worn at least 10 times in my real life. It needs to be second-nature in a way. If I’m thinking about my outfit while I’m up there, I won’t be thinking about the music.

Does the way you dress on-stage differ in any way than how you present yourself off-stage?

I think my day-to-day dress is pretty similar to what I’d wear onstage. But that being said I often leave the house in uncoordinated and frankly bizarre outfits, which I try not to do on stage

Where do you take inspiration in your personal style as a performer?

I love pop stars, so I used to be a little dressier on stage because I thought that was what was expected of all women singers. But I’m not a pop star, and I eventually found that wearing a costume really separated me from the music. I occasionally browse Pinterest for outfit inspiration, but I mostly dress for each show based on how I'm feeling in the moment

Do you wear any particularly practical or sentimental garments when performing?

I wear a stretchy SKIMS bra for every show because it's extremely comfortable and keeps everything respectful as I go jumping around on stage. When I get nervous, I'll wear a piece of my best friend's jewelry on stage. They're my tour manager, so they're always around to steal from

Is there anything you'd never wear to perform in?

I would probably never perform naked. But I'm not opposed to experimenting with anything else

Greta Bea

Greta Bea is a 20 year old singer/songwriter originally from Lebanon, Ohio. In early 2021, Greta released Dirty Mirrors, her debut EP that she wrote and produced from her bedroom. Dirty Mirrors is a barebones, dreamy soundscape that features harmonies and samples collected from natural sounds. Greta’s second EP, Clean Slate, is available now.

How do you approach dressing for live music performance?

My main concerns when I'm getting ready for a show are comfort and cuteness. I like not having to worry about anything except singing and playing the guitar well, so wearing something I know I’ll feel good in is important. For me that usually means a big flowy dress and sneakers.

Does the way you dress on-stage differ in any way than how you present yourself off-stage?

I don’t buy new clothes specifically for shows, so my outfits are definitely representative of my personal style. When I put together an outfit for a performance though, I always have more fun because I allow myself to be a little more done up than I usually would. It doesn’t matter if the gig is in a coffee shop on a Thursday night, I’m gonna wear a dress and not feel weird about it. The gig gives me an excuse to be fancy.

Where do you take inspiration in your personal style as a performer?

As I mentioned, my performance wardrobe and my closet are one in the same. It’s fun to mix and match clothes that I have had for years, and find new fun ways to wear them. I don’t write music under a persona or anything, so it just feels right to wear my clothes.

Do you wear any particularly practical or sentimental garments when performing?

One of my first friends at college came to my show, and surprised me by making hand-drawn merch shirts. Now at all of my shows I get to wear my “I Am Greta” shirt with a cat playing guitar on it. It’s super faded now because I wear it like once a week (I don’t play that many shows).

Is there anything you'd never wear to perform in? 

I don’t see myself ever wearing a tight spandex anything. I really truly value a loose garment.

Isn’t it sweet? Baby I know—that’s that me omaggio by Walden Green

Pop music has always been a magpie’s game. Are you someone who bemoans the lack of originality in today’s charting singles? I’ve got some bad news: those early aughts radio hits you love so much are chock full of samples, interpolations, and GarageBand presets. Like this one. And this one. And even this one.

Except we can all agree there’s a fundamental gap between “Toxic” and, like, “I’m Good” by Bebe Rexha. So if it’s not a difference of kind, then it must be one of quality; not the usage of samples themselves, but the thoughtfulness with which they’re chosen and implemented. To put it another way: talent borrows, genius steals. Because when you steal something, it’s yours now, but when you borrow, everybody knows it’s on loan.

Popstar fashion operates the same way. Madonna does Marilyn for “Material Girl.” The Bob Mackie “flame dress” trickles down from Cher to Tina Turner to Beyoncé. Then RuPaul wears it, making for the type of reference-on-a-reference that’s very drag. And speaking of drag, let’s talk about Chappell Roan.

Now, I’m not here to weigh in on whether Chappell Roan is a capital-D Drag capital-Q Queen, but she sure styles herself like one. At her Tiny Desk concert, it was a whiteface sad clown paint; for this year’s Gov Ball, she emerged from an apple as a crunchy lace-lined Lady Liberty. Last month at Kentuckiana Pride, Chappell performed, with an appropriately sharp boob contour, as Divine herself in John Waters’ Pink Flamingos. 

For an up-and-coming popstar, the clothes they wear are about more than turning a look; they exist to establish one’s cultural credentials, to signal to a certain kind of tastemaking fan that you “get it.” With Chappell (and her stylist, Genesis Webb) there’s a clear uniformity of vision to the whole thing: campy, draggy, and unabashedly queer.

I actually think Addison Rae has managed to achieve something like this, too. She’s planted herself-solidly in the “gay-famous” camp with some slam-dunk vintage pulls—that red Mugler suit and backless Jean Louis de Scherrer beaded gown are both iconic fashion moments of the ‘20s, sue me—and of course, her appearance on “The von dutch remix.” I first felt the online tide re: Addison turn around Halloween of 2022, when she posted a flawless recreation of Lady Gaga’s VMAs “Paparazzi” ensemble; then, she actually delivered on that promise by including “Nothing On But The Radio”—a Gaga leak from the Born This Way era—on her debut EP.

So let’s compare and contrast with the other up-and-coming singer du jour: Sabrina Carpenter. Sabrina has a few problems, number one being the internet. When she posted the cover art for her upcoming album, Short n’ Sweet, it took just hours for people to locate an uncannily similar (and better, imo) French Cosmopolitan shoot. As above, I think pop stars and their teams are allowed to steal, but part of the job is doing it well. The issue is that, in the era of digital permaculture, nicheness itself carries very little cachet unless your name is Zendaya and you have the money and connections to pull off some genuinely astounding archive pulls.

Sabrina problem #2—irregardless of the individual reference quality, they should add up to curate a coherent vibe. But what is the Sabrina Carpenter vibe? Between the album cover and “Espresso”...maybe like riviera chic? But the “Espresso” video is on this ‘60s-does-’40s, Beach Blanket Bingo thing. Then there’s whatever was going on here. And what’s with all the Y2K minidresses she keeps wearing at shows? The first two Short n’ Sweet singles are, likewise, symptomatic of this aimless creative direction: the only thing “Please Please Please” and “Espresso” have in common is that the Spotify algorithm thinks they’re what I want to hear after literally any song I play.

Let me be clear: this is not me saying that every major pop release needs to constitute an “era.” In fact, Taylor Swift has single-handedly made it such that if I ever hear that word again it will be too soon. But look at what Chappell did with The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, or Charli XCX with brat, and see what a powerful tool branding can really be. Popstars should be unafraid to reference, but maybe they should all be a bit more afraid to do it badly.

Last week, I asked you all to tell me about your personal songs of the summer. I present to you, the STAR⟡MAIL Summer of '24 Reader Playlist:

Great interview with THE Bob Mackie about dressing musicians and other stars:

Hard to imagine anything more fun than Gal Costa here performing Relance in 1978:

I like how Tina Knowles positions her outfit designs for Destiny’s Child amongst a lineage of artistic live performance costuming in this piece for ESSENCE:

Chappell Roan channeled Miss Lady Kier’s butterfly look from Wigstock 1992, designed by Mr. Pearl, at Coachella this spring:

ABBA dressed like that in order to make their clothing purchases tax deductible:

And, finally, Every Dramatic Outfit Reveal from the Cher Show Season1: