Fashion And Music

Whatever the decade or whatever the style; pop, rock, rap, hip-hop, if these music stars are wearing their own style of fashion, it will soon be seen on the high street and on you.

When you think about famous musicians you straight away picture what they look like before you remember their music. For example if I say the name Elvis Presley I am certain that you straight away picture a good looking man shaking his hips while his black hair shimmered with gel. After you picture him then the music goes into your mind, but the first thing was the fashion the artist wore.

 

In the 1960s the Beatles arrived and with their bowl hair cuts and black ties they shook up the fashion industry. Young men wanted to dress like them and girls wanted to be with them. Also in the late 60sLed Zeppelin changed rock music for ever and with their long hair styles they started the trend of long hair rock stars all the way to the end of the next decade. Long hair and moustache’s were the norm for the young men of the hippie generation and this was thanks to bands like Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Rolling Stones.

The two biggest style icons for men and women for this decade was Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix who in each of their own ways started thousands of men and women dressing in hippie style of clothes. Also in the 1970s punk began to come in, with the skinny jeans and ripped t-shirts and of the colourful Mohicans, the punk trend continued into the next decade for the young rebellious generation.

 

In the 1980s the new romanticism style kicked in this new trend rocketed around England. New romanticism was a youth fashion movement that peaked in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. Originally often associated with the electronic/symphonize music scene that had become popular at that time, it has seen several revivals since then, and continues to influence popular culture. Developing in London nightclubs such as Billy’s and The Blitz, the movement was associated with bands such as, Adam and the Ants, Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet. Other artists, such as Brian Eno and Roxsy Music, also had significant influence on the movement. One other artist of the era who dominated the fashion world was Madonna whose provocative style got many followers.

The 1990’s started with the grunge scene; the king of this was Kurt Cobain and his band Nirvana. In most streets around the world the young depressed generation were dressed in baggy jumpers and had long messy hair covering their faces, also they were often seen with a skateboard under their arms. Also in the mid of the decade Brit pop came in. The music and fashion went wild across the world when the Spice Girls scored their first number one hit. Geri Halliwell’s famous union jack skirt she wore to the 1997 Brit awards show is still talked about today.

 

As for the men it was out of two bands and two fashions, Beatles influenced style of the northern band Oasis or the Ben Sherman wearing band, Blur. Both of these bands rivalled each other not just in the music charts but also in their style. From the clothes they wore to their iconic album covers. Also Jay Kay, the lead singer of the funk-Jazz band Jamiroquai was a wild fashion icon for the indi crowed, he was often seen wearing a huge decorated hat and is still seen today wearing wild hats but not as big as the ones he wore in the 90‘s.

The decade we live in to day is dominated by the fashion from the hip-hop and rap music charts. Baggy jeans, long white t-shirts, baseball caps with loads of graffiti on them, loads of chains and medallions hanging around the necks, iconic printed face on jackets and shirts (like Al Pacino in the film Scarface) and the list goes on. Many of the rap stars were credited for this, from 2 Pac and Snoop Dog to Eminem and Kanye West.

The biggest rap star of them all is Jay Z who along with selling millions of records has also his own fashion label and is one of the riches men in the music industry. His style can be very urban and baggy street fashion but also smart suites and top hats that look like 1930s gangsters such as Al Capone wore.

I think the reason the hip-hop and rap stars sometimes dress similar to that of Italians and Sicilians gangsters and also the way they use their money (buying fancy cars and spending money like its going out of fashion) is because they both started out from very poor beginnings and ended up theoretically sitting on top of the world.

I have only hit the top of the ice-berg with the artists I have named and how they have influenced the general public on how to dress. I think music will continue to dominate the fashion trends in coming years and I wouldn’t bet against that the person who is reading this article right at this very moment is wearing an item of clothing that was first made famous by a musician.

An Article by Luke Rita