We interviewed 5 up-and-coming female performers during the South by Southwest festival to find out what they take on tour, which icons influence their style and what they won’t hit the stage without.
Charlotte OC
Your favorite item to wear when performing:
"Something with a lot of movement, I like elegant but comfy. I'm going to wear a flamenco dress on stage this week!'
The 3 beauty staples you bring on tour:
"Nivea moisturizer, because nothing else is good enough. Eyeliner and...glitter."
The music icon who inspires your style:
"Freddie Mercury because he stuck out like a sore thumb even during the glam era. His style was so flamboyant and he had the coolest costumes ever."
Most treasured fashion find:
"Vintage sunnies my sister brought back from South Africa. They're just the coolest glasses ever."
Is your on-stage style similar or different to your everyday look?
"I love wearing black, white or red which is typically what I wear on stage."
Alex Winston
Your favorite item to wear when performing:
"A comfortable pair of shoes that I can move around in is key. I really love vagabond, they make a great selection of cute, yet secure shoes that are perfect for the stage."
The 3 beauty staples you bring on tour:
"My favorite quick fix staples are dry shampoo, red lipstick and an eyebrow pencil."
The music icon who inspires your style:
"PJ Harvey because she is just effortlessly cool."
Most treasured fashion find:
"My Aunt's vintage Chanel bag collection from the 80's. She gave them to me when I was 13 and had absolutely no business carrying them around (still don't) but they're sentimental for me."
Is your on-stage style similar or different to your everyday look?
"On stage I look the most together that I ever will and that lasts about an hour! - Other than that, I'm sleeping or in the studio, so two very different styles."
Ivy Levan
Your favorite item to wear when performing:
"My pleasure ankle boots, I wear them at every show and feel insane without them."
The 3 beauty staples you bring on tour:
"Matte lipstick because you can't have the joker happening, and I basically eat the microphone. A good hair serum—I like Pureology—and some hydrating moisturizer."
The music icon who inspires your style:
"Aaliyah. Major girl crush."
Most treasured fashion find:
"I adore this fringed leather skirt from Nasty Gal. They make the best witchy, evil-looking stuff. They're basically the hamburger to my fries."
Is your on-stage style similar or different to your everyday look?
"All black all the time, so yes!"
Zella Day
Your favorite item to wear when performing:
"I have a pair of brown leather knee-high zip-up boots that add an awesome '70s vibe to every outfit."
The 3 beauty staples you bring on tour:
"I'm a soap and water girl so I pretty much just bring a razor, a hair straightener to manage my curls and some soap!"
The music icon who inspires your style:
"Patti Smith. I'm reading her book Just Kids and there is something about her casual, confident style that is really inspiring to me, and for women in general."
Most treasured fashion find:
"The ornate vintage '40s embroidered coat I'm wearing on the cover of my EP. I didn't even know clothes could look like that."
Is your on-stage style similar or different to your everyday look?
"No, I keep my stage style pretty true to my everyday look, it's typically just something I feel at ease in."
Kate Boy
Your favorite item to wear when performing:
"Me and the guys all wear a black baseball hat when we perform, so until I put that on I'm not in Kate Boy character."
The 3 beauty staples you bring on tour:
"I'm flying all the time so moisturizer in every form! Argan oil, Elizabeth Arden 8-Hour cream and a hydrating under-eye concealer are key."
The music icon who inspires your style:
"David Bowie. His constant self-reinvention is unparalleled."
Most treasured fashion find:
"Anything from my Mom's wardrobe. It has a nostalgic quality and is typically something super cool from 30 years ago. Or my Grandma's sunglasses for the same reason!"
Is your on-stage style similar or different to your everyday look?
"My two male bandmates and I all wear the same outfit so we're constantly searching for good unisex brands. Either that or I'm wearing a small mens outfit or they are wearing a large women's item. In real life I stick to clean minimal pieces but less rigidly so."
