Melody Makers and Style Shakers

I’ve been meaning to do a post for a while that looks at the styles of some of my favourite singers but it’s been hard to choose who to focus on.

The three I’ve decided to feature are all very different and in a way, appeal to different parts of my personality. We base our listening choices on our moods and this has been very true when it comes to these singers.

The Past

Imelda May – Vintage Crooner

I love Imelda for many reasons:

1) Awakening my ears and soul to rockabilly

2) Her Irish charm – she comes across so humble and down-to-earth and COOL. Check her out at the 2010 Grammy’s…(love the accent!)

 

Style: Pin-up girl, figure-hugging pencil dresses in stripes, metallics, leopard print and polka dot. Her hair is always worn in the signature quiff with a blonde streak. Oh and let’s not forget the hoop earrings….

The Present

Ellie Goulding – Sweet Songstress

Ellie has such a hauntingly beautiful voice and her lyrics are very real. Her style is simple and she hasn’t had to create an off-the-wall image to sell her music. I absolutely loved her first album and am looking forward to her future offerings.

I absolutely love the lyrics in ‘The Writer’, it’s a very true description of when you like someone and you’re not sure how they feel.

One of the reasons why I really respect Ellie is last year I went to see her at Union Chapel and her PA broke down. Absolute disaster? Not for Ellie, she stayed calm, asked the audience if they could still hear her without the mic and continued on with her set until the power came back.

Love this one too…

 

Style: Ellie’s quite athletic which means her dress is usually quite casual. Another reason why she’s so darn cool is as a big fan of running, she invites fans to join her on her morning runs when she’s on tour around the world. She’s very naturally pretty and her style is casual, classic with a bit of a rock n’ roll edge. To sum it up it’s very normal, most of her outfits could come from your wardrobe. Which means sometimes she does get it wrong but her fans adore her, so no-one really minds!

 

The Future

Janelle Monáe – Fierce and Fantastic

Janelle Monáe is just one of the coolest women on the music scene. Signed by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and produced in part by Big Boi of Outkast, Janelle’s album ‘The ArchAndroid’ is unlike anything you’ve heard before. It’s based in an alternate universe, Metropolis,  where a population of androids are fighting for their freedom. It’s almost like a film soundtrack and will really awaken your imagination.

The Tightrope…

At Body and Soul festival in Ireland…

 

Style: Janelle has championed the female tuxedo and it is hard to find a picture of her where she is not in a two-piece. Her androgynous style is distinct and not easily replicated.

 

I hope you enjoyed my choices. Let me know who are your favourite female singers and who you think has great style.

My dress and bag above are vintage. The dress will be available in the coming months on Miss Patina.  Accessories are borrowed and the shoes are Dorothy Perkins.

Sarah xx

Making Music

I had three gigs last week – pheeeeew! Wednesday night the Big Girls Blues Band were in Dover St., Friday night in Jazz After Dark in Soho and on Saturday we were in the Old Explorer in Oxford Circus.

Here is the outfit I preferred from the three nights…

I love this shirt. I’ve been looking for a sophisticated black shirt for a while and this one is really smart but still sexy because it is sheer. The collars, sleeves and panel down the front are leather look. It’s from New Look.

The necklace is from Topshop and the bag is vintage.

The burgundy shorts are from Awear and came with the belt and the shoes are New Look.

As much as I loved these tights in a previous post – they ripped during the gig 😦 so I had to pull of a Taylor Momsen ‘holes in tights are normal’ look. Big fail. If anyone knows where you can get good quality sheer tights, do leave a comment please 🙂

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On the subject of music…I just want to share some songs with you that I’m repeating on my iPod. I tend to download a lot of music by female singers so going with that theme, here are a few good choices…

Janelle Monáe – ‘Locked Inside’ from The ArchAndroid.  This album is really good and sounds like nothing else I’ve heard in recent years. The album is based around Janelle’s alter-ego, Cindi Mayweather who is an android living in the world, Metropolis. The songs are like a soundtrack to Cindi’s life in Metropolis and is almost theatrical in places as songs are based around the struggles of the androids. Sounds strange but it makes the album really interesting.

Joni Mitchell – ‘Urge for Going’ from Joni Mitchell Hits. This song is so peaceful and relaxing but also a little sad… who makes music like this these days?

Live performance video

Jessie J – ‘Big White Room’ from Who You Are. Jessie’s voice is so amazing and clear. This song is very powerful and you really have to be in the right frame of mind to listen to it, it’s quite emotional.

Feist – ‘My Moon My Man’ from The Reminder. Did you know it is Feist who wrote ‘Limit to Your Love’ released by James Blake this year? Easy listening…

If you’ve been listening to any good music lately – do post a comment and let me know.

That’s all!

Sarah xx