Leather and lace in London for Chappell Roan.
Briefly interrupting your fashion week coverage with some fan fashion from the streets of Brixton. Although dressing up for concerts has been a regular praxis since the advent of live music — from shaving your head for Sinead O’Connor to wearing your best dress to see The Beatles — after the pandemic, there has been a considerable uptick in elaborate costumes and theming for must-see gigs. Last summer, I was on the tube dressed up to see the Arctic Monkeys, crossing paths with feather boa-d girls set for Harry Styles when the conductor over the speaker made an announcement prefaced by a loud crackling: “HARRY STYLES FANS, LISTEN UP.” Dressing up for concerts has made fan power visible. The inescapable Eras tour has also championed referencing niche jokes and images from a songwriter’s discography as well as, of course, the concept of dressing based on an artist's “era” or album.
Dressing up for a concert is a creative and jubilant way to identify yourself with a musician and its fanbase, expand the excitement for the evening, and start a conversation with other fans. And I knew I would be offered some sartorial delights when seeing rising (more like rocket-launching) star Chappell Roan at the O2 Brixton. The Missouri-born musician has also been implementing themes for her concerts — assigning a moodboard and title based on one of her singles, or Roan’s own personal style, for fans to dress up accordingly. Our theme was Kink is Karma. Think — kink! Red and black, hearts, devil horns, cowboy hats, clown makeup, fringe, and feathers.
Take a look at some of the interpretations of this theme from fans below — and click each photo to expand. 🌀
Credits
Pictures: Olivia Linnea Rogers
Assistant/Scribe: Molly Pickup