Music has always had a visual identity. You think of the stage outfits of the rock musicians, the very considered images of the contemporary pop stars and so on. Fashion, the way an artist presents themselves, is part of the communication with the audience.
Music videos, live performances and social media all serve to bring those choices into sharp focus. The clothes, hair and make up become part of the artist’s identity and are the visual manifestation of their sound that the audience comes to know and remember.
That influence goes well beyond the celebrities themselves. The listener takes the music culture and interprets it through their own clothes, their own beauty and their own accessories. Their personal style is their way of expressing their interests and their sense of belonging.
How Beauty Trends Shape a Musician’s Identity
Fashion and beauty trends go hand in hand. A particular hairstyle, make up look or piece of kit can be used to establish an artist’s look across the board in terms of performances, photos and releases.
Music videos and gigs provide the opportunity to experiment. You could have quite a flamboyant look on a theatrical stage, or a much more subdued look for an acoustic set. It’s all very much down to what the artist is trying to get across.
Beauty specialists work with musicians, photographers, and stylists to achieve those looks. The practical side of that, of course, is supported by professional beauty supplies (PLA Pro makes a range of products for lash and beauty specialists), and eyelash styling can be a key element in a stage or photoshoot look, as well as part of the lighting, clothing, and creative direction.
Private Milestones Add Meaning to Individual Style
Personal style is also a reflection of your experiences, your beliefs and your relationships. Your music might dictate your clothes in some cases but family traditions and key life events can be just as influential in determining what you end up wearing.
Religious functions, graduations and family get togethers all have their own soundtracks. There’s a particular song that goes with each of those events and you can often pick up the memory of the occasion from the clothes and accessories you were wearing.
For families marking religious milestones, Catholic Confirmation gifts can be things like jewellery, devotional items and all sorts of other meaningful souvenirs. They become part of your person’s style in the sense that you wear them or carry them on a day to day basis as a result of the experiences and the beliefs they represent.
An accessory can therefore have a number of meanings, linking the individual to memories which extend well beyond music and entertainment.
How Social Media Shares Music and Fashion
Instagram, TikTok and the various other social media platforms allow artists to show off their personal style in the run up to and between releases and performances. The backroom stuff, the rehearsal footage, the day to day posts all give the audience a glimpse of what they might only have seen in an interview or a music video.
A hair style, a makeup look or an accessory featured in a popular video will often prompt followers to try it out. They’ll take that influence and adapt it to suit their own individual style rather than simply replicate the whole outfit.
For the musician it’s also about consistency in the visual presentation. Colour schemes, silhouettes, the way you shoot the images all contribute to making your posts more identifiable as belonging to that project.
Different Music Genres Create Fashion Communities
Music genres have long had an influence on clothing and personal style. Rock has very much been associated with leather jackets and the kind of flamboyant stage outfits you’d expect. Hip-hop has done the same for streetwear and high end fashion.
Country music is all about the denim, the boots and the Western bits. The electronic music scene is all over the place from very practical club gear to some very out there colours and festival fashion.
These associations are always in flux as musicians mix and match influences from all over the world and from all the different scenes. For the listener it’s a way of expressing their musical interests and of connecting with people who have similar tastes.
Fashion lets that participation continue beyond the concert and festival, whether through a concert T-shirt or a more subtle reference.
Live Performances Turn Fashion into Visual Tales
Concerts bring the clothing, the lighting and the stage design all into one space. Together these elements can be used to extend the theme of a song or to establish the feel of the performance.
Some artists will change their outfit to denote different sections of the show. Others will stick to a single outfit which in time becomes synonymous with their artistic identity.
Fans do their bit too in the form of outfits inspired by specific albums, music videos or eras. Those choices feed into the ambience of the event and the concert photos taken will of course be the visual manifestation of that on social media.
Authenticity Gives Personal Style Staying Power
Trends can be inspiring but you do need something that works for the artist in question. Some artists will thrive in an elaborate costume, others will be perfectly at home in something simple and consistent.
Independent musicians don’t need a designer’s budget to have a clear visual identity. The right choice of colours, accessories, and photography can link the artist’s look to their music.
That style can evolve with the artist. Each release can develop in its own way while still retaining familiar details and the sense of the individual behind it.
For artists and listeners both the most significant decisions are usually ones that come from that special relationship you have with the music. It’s the stage outfit that works with the song, it’s the T-shirt of a band you love or it’s an item of clothing that has its own memory attached to it.