Old Timey Americana

One of my current obsessions is the band First Aid Kit- a name that makes them relatively hard to google. They have a very mature old timey Americana/folk sound, which is surprising considering they are a pair of Swedish teenagers! Their sound is at times woodsy and most definitely folk-inspired. They got their start covering Fleet Foxes' song Tiger Mountain Peasant Song. That was back in 2007 when the girls were about 14 and 16. After this initial attention they released an EP called "Drunken Trees", but it was not until they released their newest album "The Big Black & The Blue" almost a year ago that they really caught the attention of music lovers. The obvious standouts to me from this album are "Hard Believer" and "Ghost Town", which I posted links to at the end of this post.

From a fashion standpoint, it is obvious when you look at their first video compared to their newer ones that someone has already started to mold them into future fashion icons. Their sense of personal style has become more atuned to that of budding music stars, with a mixture of sixties, seventies, and Swedish influences. And between Johanna's adorable round face to Klara's gorgeous eyes, they have a lot to offer a fashion house that has younger cooler clients. Someone is going to snatch these girls up and I will be so jealous.

If I were to dress these girls I would love to see them in white or black lace sleeved dresses with a very 70s feel (think Gunne Sax), maybe making it a little more modern with tights and boots depending on the length of the dress. Or I'd go with a plaid look- it could be a shirt dress, but I think it needs to be more polished vintage than hipster.

Some examples (only the last one is by me):

I love the detailing on this dress


The lace here is the perfect example of vintage mixed with modern


A Luella Bartley look (She would be an ideal designer to dress them)


I would change this design a bit but I like the plaid element and the sixties feel


I see a lot in store for this fabulous pair, but for now I'm just going to listen to their cd on repeat. Check out their videos below!

Why?

So why would a fashion designer start a music blog and what is it all about?

The first part of the answer is so that I can have a hobby that is not totally related to the fashion industry. I live and breathe fashion, but I have always been in love with music as well. Music is actually one of my biggest inspirations when designing a new collection. I will sometimes hear a song and ask myself "how can I use this for a show somehow?" Often times when designing the collection I will have some songs already in mind for the show, but as time goes on, the overall feeling may change and I may realize that while the collection began as one thing, it has ended up a completely different thing and the music must be changed accordingly. I've had to give up some great songs this way.

Let me get this out of the way- I do not claim to be a writer, a critic, or an expert. But this blog is not meant to be used as a claim that I know "so much more than you do", but rather as a way to share. I want to share some of my favorite musicians with you and I hope you will do the same with me. Because I am a fashion designer I will often explore the ways a song could be used for runway, advertisements, and perhaps even how the musicians themselves could be used. It is not a new concept that a musician be used for fashion advertising- a recent example is Leigh Lezark from the Misshapes, who has been seen at countless fashion industry parties, show, and advertisements. Her latest ad is for DKNY Jeans where she is seen strolling New York streets among several professional models.

Most of the music I will be sharing are relatively new artists who have probably never been on the radio and are unknowns to the general public, though people "in the know" will probably have known about them for ages. Along with these musicians I will also mention some people who have been around for a while, but may still not be as popular as they deserve; as well as some "oldys but goodys" that are by now probably household names. I'll also share a few guilty pleasures and some bands that I just don't get.

-Melissa