Musicgals: The Inspiring Style of Women in Music

It’s no secret that music inspires our lives every day, not to mention the musicians and their own personal style behind it. Women in music, past and present, are a driving force of inspiration and expression in personal style for us here at Carousel. Whats cooler than an all-girl punk band in mini-skirts singing about how powerful women are? Kathleen Hanna once said ‘I believe in the radical possibilities of pleasure, babe.’ She was talking about buying dresses right? Or did I get that one wrong, I mean, a full wardrobe of new threads seems pretty pleasurable to me.

Or what about a 50’s Jazz beauty, dressed to the nines in a gorgeous midi dress, telling us stories of her long lost love? By emulating these stunning and powerful women, we can be transported to a different era. Style is timeless, and if you wanna pop to the shops on a Sunday morning in an Ella Fitzgerald-esque 1940’s frock, then we are all for it! Style is about having fun! If metaphorical dress-induced time travel doesn’t float your boat, you can always stay right here in 2015, “Shake Off” the bad vibes, and dance to the good ones in your favourite party dress á-lá Taylor Swift. And well, that seems pretty perfect too. Just do you, girl.

That girl thinks she’s the queen of the neighbor hood, well I’ve got news for you.. SHE IS!” (Bikini Kill, Rebel Girl, 1993)

aretha franklin vintage style soul singer

Channel soul sensation Aretha Franklin with 1960’s inspired A-line dresses and sweet floral sundresses. Finish off the look with some accessories that are ‘sweeter than honey’.
(Green Claudette Dress here, Twiggy Dress here, Sunglasses here, Earrings here)

sarah vaughan jazz women in music

Emulate the effortless 1940’s femininity and grace of jazz singer extraordinaire Sarah Vaughan, but stay cool and moody and true to her jazz roots in dark, cool colors and dark cat eye shades.
(Grey Lillian dress here, Blue polka dot Ingrid dress here, Necklace here, Sunglasses here)

solange knowles singer retro style

Get colorful and daring with some bright retro styling like the eternally cool Solange Knowles.(Butterfly Betty dress here, Red Ava 1940’s dress here, 1940’s Sunglasses here, Daisy print scarf here)

Taylor Swift style pop music singer circus

Grab Taylor Swift’s perfectly pretty style in gorgeous separates. Our Olivia skirt (Which just so
happens to be the name of one of Taylor’s cats… Coincidence? I think not.) and Marlene blouse just ooze preppy-cool. Simply add a pair of Taylor’s signature wayfarer sunglasses to finish the look!
(Burgundy Olivia skirt here, Rabbit print Angie shirt here, Blue Marlene blouse here, Floral 1950’s Anita skirt here, Wayfarer sunglasses)

kathleen hanna style riot girl carousel

Steal riot grrrl icon Kathleen Hanna’s unique and rebellious style in super cool mini skirts, shift dresses, and huge glasses!
(Peach Angie blouse here, Spot Skirt here, Black Shift dress here, Sunglasses here)

Summer Style Inspiration: Keira Knightley in Begin Again

Our Carousel film recommendation this month is Begin Again (2013), a charming, music-infused film from the director of Once (2006), John Carney.

Summer style inspiration from Keira Knightley movie

As in Once we follow two broken hearts on a musical journey across a city. Dublin is replaced with New York, a bigger budget is added , with some star power in the forms of Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo. Both give warm and likable performances as a young singer-songwriter, and an aging producer, respectively. They’re both flailing on their own but gain energy and purpose from each other.

Begin again movie vintage style inspiration

The soundtrack doesn’t have anything to match the emotional heights of Falling Slowly, but it’s good enough to have us invest in Keira Knightley’s character as a musician and songwriter worthy of our attention. The songs are simple but have an emotional resonance, as does Keira’s surprisingly accomplished vocal performance, her voice sweet and affecting.

Mark Ruffalo is adorably crumpled, as usual, as a once idealistic producer hoping to find an authentic talent to cultivate.

With a colourful cast of characters to round out the film, Carney succeeds in creating a community we care about.

We loved Keira’s laid back, vintage-inspired style in the film, it’s giving us some real summer style inspiration! Mixing sweet sundresses and fun blouses paired with high waist trousers, she hits the Carousel fashion sweet spot. We can imagine lots of our favourite Circus pieces fitting right in to her wardrobe.

Festival Fashion 2013

Festival Fashion 2013

Festival Fashion season is in full swing and we can’t wait to spend the weekend listening to bands and dancing in the gorgeous sunshine. Of course we’re gonna need some seriously stylish outfits to show off and we’ve got some must haves from Carousel!

1. Sunglasses! A must have for any music festival: http://m2.ilovecarousel.com/accessories/sunglasses.html

2. The flowing boho chic top (channel your inner Vanessa Hudgens) :http://m2.ilovecarousel.com/tops/desire-bird-print-batwing-top-desire-navy-98.html

3. The flirty summer dress: http://m2.ilovecarousel.com/dresses/casual-dresses.html

4. Hippy skirt: http://m2.ilovecarousel.com/bottoms/skirts/desire-floral-layered-skirt-desire-blue-98.html

5. The hipster backpack (a must!): http://m2.ilovecarousel.com/accessories/bags/chaos-canvas-back-pack-by-chaos-brothersrevive-red.html

6. A light scarf to use in your hair or to keep you cosy when the stars come out: http://m2.ilovecarousel.com/accessories/scarves.html

7. Always Aztec: http://m2.ilovecarousel.com/desire-aztec-pattern-dress-desire-white-98.html

8. The strappy simple dress: http://m2.ilovecarousel.com/desire-sphagetti-strap-dress-desire-navy-98.html