Originally written for Liberty Belle (May 2014), read it here.
When we think of dressing inspired by rock music, most people’s thoughts would drift towards adapting the wardrobes of male musicians to suit women’s style. Leather jackets, ripped black jeans and studded everything – all obviously gender neutral, but definitely inspired by male frontmen. All of this is great, but what if you’re really into frilly dresses and also want to dress like a rockstar?
Enter Courtney Love. The lead singer of the incredible 90s riot grrrl/punk band Hole, and my personal style icon, who oozes cool, rockstar chic without compromising her femininity. Her uniform of pastel baby doll dresses and Peter Pan collars inspired a generation of young girls to kick back against sexism in the music industry whilst looking pretty incredible at the same time.
Courtney’s trademarks were her dishevelled blonde bob, red lipstick and a snarl. She made girly dressing aggressive, accessorising her cutesy dresses with ripped tights, black boots and a tiara. She also arguably invented the trend of underwear as outwear, turning up to awards shows dressed in pink silk nightgowns and covered in glitter.
I saw Courtney on her UK tour a few weeks ago and she is still just as effortlessly cool as ever. As she took to the stage in a floaty, 1970s-inspired floral jacket over a black lace dress with her signature, slightly dishevelled long blonde bob, I was utterly star struck.
Leaning with one foot on the monitor and screaming songs about feminism and broken hearts, Courtney proves that dressing in a typically girly fashion is not a bad thing at all. Femininity has a hard edge and Courtney definitely brings out its dark side. She changed outfits for her encore and came back to the stage in a red satin dress with an armful of red roses to throw at her adoring, tiara-wearing crowd of glitter covered mini Courtneys.
Twenty years after the release of Hole’s iconic album Live Through This, and Courtney’s style is still as inspirational as it has always been.
