"I´m having a renaissance of childhood. I´m embracing the world, instead of being followed by nightmares all the time.“
Says none other than Florence Welch, who formed a coven of witches when she was 11 (The Florence phenomenon in the British Vogue January 2012 issue).
And even today, she has the magical abilities of a sorceress when it comes to the choice of her outfits. You just can´t deny it: There's something amazingly appealing about her eccentric retro style. Not just her extraordinary siren´s voice, but also her unique looks have bewitched me completely and irrevocably. She´s divinely talented and intriguingly outfitted, so seen at a concert this weekend in Cologne. This flame-haired beauty is unafraid of mixing genres like seventies charm, comic hero costumes and fairy goth queen dresses. Florence's ever-changing array of performance outfits and red carpet looks are always enchanting. Buckle up peeps, cause I´m going to show you some of my beloved retro fashion influences!
For her latest shows in Europe, Florence has debuted a magical black and gold patterned cape that I find utterly captivating. Her spectacular Alex Noble cape formed incredible flowing shapes that were completely on a par with her ethereal music. The whole show referenced an Art Deco theme (cape, dress and background). Believe me, when I say, that for me the whole performance had the intensity of an unforgettable out of body experience.
Time to share some pictures of her stage outfit (and for once my camera didn´t disappoint meJ):
My current obsession with her inimitable style has me trawling my favorite vintage stores for the perfect beat-up skinny jeans, pussy-bow blouses, denim shirts, floating fairylike chiffon dresses and not to forget lacy Victorian dresses.
The fruitful results so far are those two dresses from traffic people, that I bought in London a few months ago:
Most of my recent inspiration for fashion stems from Victorian art.
Florence for example could have stepped right out of this painting by the Pre-raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti. These two redheads have also their strange obsession with birds in commonJ
Veronica Veronese, 1872
Lately, I delved deeper into the Victorian world than ever before. I love old pictures and postcards of the 19th and early 20th century that give us a brief glimpse into a past and forgotten age. They have a considerable influence on my recent drawing style.
I love pictures of Gabrielle Ray (1883-1973). She was considered one of the most beautiful actresses on the London stage in Edwardian musical comedies and became one of the most photographed women in the world.
And last but not least, here a few sketches of my first attempts at fashion drawing, all inspired by Florence and Victorian art of course.
May your muse always be with you,
Your Retro FairyJ
