What to wear to sing with a band?

I mentioned this in my "I'm back" post, but about a year ago I started singing with a band. I LOVE it. It's so much fun and it's great for my confidence. I sang with one classic rock/rock band for a while and now front a new band with my husband on bass.

Anyway - I've never really been comfortable with most of what I've chosen to wear for gigs. They've all been pretty casual, but I just never felt pulled together enough, or too dressed up, or not dressed up enough. We have a few new gigs coming up and I thought if I could find a formula or a few stable outfits, I'd feel better.

About the band: Our guitarist describes us as "alt-country with a shot of rockabilly and a pinch of punk." So mostly newer, rock-style country (not pop country) and some old classic country like Hank Williams, a few rockabilly and country-punk songs. Definitely not a cowboy-hat kind of look. I want to find a look that strikes that same balance.

1: This is what I wore for our first gig: Black pencil skirt, leopard-print button down blouse, Clarks retro pumps. I was trying to go in a more rockabilly direction, and I felt pretty, but I was too dressed up.

2: This is what I wore for an outdoor gig at a festival in the fall. Lightweight black cotton dress, cropped denim jacket, black ballet flats. This one felt pretty appropriate for the venue, but we don't usually perform outside.

With my other band, so not quite the same look, but to give you an idea:

3. Gig at the same bar our upcoming gig is at. Bootcut jeans, black Sweet Pea top, red Fluevogs.

4. Second gig at the same place: Skinny jeans, sequined A-line tank, black ballet flats. I hated the way this looked in the pictures.

5. Gig at an Irish pub in D.C.: Black cropped leggings, black ballet flats, vintage 60s minidress/tunic. I loved this outfit and still do but I don't know if it goes with the "alt-country" thing.

So, help me find just the right rockin' look!

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12 years ago

EmilyC15

Active Member

I think your silhouettes/shapes/fabrics are all good. But...if you're the lead singer...you deserve better than wearing black on stage, even for casual gigs. Unless black is encrusted with beads and sequins on stage, it looks totally lost.

I think a great stage outfit for you is your sequined A-line tank, your red Fluevogs, and...a pair of light-to-medium-toned gray skinny jeans. Yes, gray. Gray is neutral, but it pairs well with black and denim, so your look won't overwhelm your more casual bandmates, or be inappropriate for more casual venues. But the lighter shade will help you be a presence on stage. You're the lead singer - people want to see you and have a sense of occasion.

You may be tempted by gray leopard print, but in my experience small prints also get lost on stage.

I do some burlesque emceeing and I recently wore an outfit on stage that included gray leggings (it was a parody "Middle-Earth" show) and in post-show photos I was really pleased at how the gray leggings looked on stage. I can post a photo if you like, though I was also wearing a stage beard and a helmet, so it's not my usual look!

Ideas for two more stage outfits - one based on a not-black dress, maybe a blue rockabilly/pinup dress with brown or blue cowboy boots or heels, and another using a different top with those gray skinnies. Maybe a flowing red tunic, or a red peplum top - red stands out beautifully, especially with your dark hair.

Amy

(website)

Veteran

I agree with Emily. As a lead singer, you need to stand out. Black does make you fade into the background, which is why members of a symphony usually wear black. They're all supposed to be a unit. Amp up the rockabilly look and wear bright colors

nicoleb

Oooo what a fun topic! I wish I had this dilemma.

I want you to go way more Rockabilly than you are. Being a lead singer in a band gives you permission to be a bit over the top! If you felt too dressed up in a pencil skirt what about some metallic jeans? A large scale polka dot or cherry print something? A cute headscarf worn at headband with a rockabilly hairstyle (YouTube has tons)? A bold lipstick? It doesn't have to be too literal but you could use some essences of the style and modernize it for sure!

RoseandJoan

Looking at the rest of the band wearing their blue jeans and black tee I could see something like this really working
http://www.collectif.co.uk/cow...../-red.html
The denim fabric casualises the wiggle dress but it is undeniably rockabilly countryfide.

Tricia

Great ideas, I will take a closer look! If it gives you an idea, I LOVE Imelda May (and cover a few of her songs) so I usually do my makeup that way (red lips, winged eyes) for gigs.

Janet

Aha, I thought of Imelda May as soon as I read your thread opener (I got to interview her last year, she is such a sweetheart!), and I can see you rocking her look with your hair! But that's also quite rockabilly (as opposed to alt-country, which is more casual to me), so I could see you modifying it with a bit of a twist if you don't want to get too costumey.

My hubs and I are close friends with the members of a popular alt-country band (in fact, just got home from vacation with one of them and his family). They're four guys who always wear jeans and either tees or western-styled button front shirts for their gigs, so I think I need to think more about how I'd style a front woman instead of Rhett Miller!

I really like #5 too, but I think it would be killer in a color other than black. It's a little mod/retro, which doesn't necessarily read country, but it does look really cool on you.

Anonymous

I agree with Nicole, go even more rockabilly! How about something like a Stop Staring! dress?

JANET YOU DID NOT JUST GO ON VACATION WITH RHETT MILLER. Did you??? AND you got to interview Imelda May? Holy cow, woman, I want to be you!

I realized I have a red cotton vintage dress in a bandanna print - not a super tight wiggle shape, but a more straight skirt. I'd put it on and take a picture, but I'm a little bit sick tonight and I don't think you want to see that!

LOL, not Rhett, but the 97's guitarist, Ken. Best friends with my husband since grade school. But we're close with the whole group -- they are awesomely nice guys!

The dress sounds great -- let's see it when you get a chance! I hope you feel better soon. If you play again in the DC area before you move, send me a PM and I'd love to try to come see the band!

We are playing in Fairfax on Jan. 19. But I think you'd find us a pretty poor showing after the Old 97s! I love, love love them. Just saw them at the 9:30 Club in October.

We were there too! If you were facing the stage and looked up at the backstage balcony on the left, you would have seen us.

I was up in the balcony in the back. I think I DID see you! I remember remarking to my husband, "I wonder who gets to stand up there?"

How funny! I ended up talking to a couple of members of the Travoltas in the lobby that same night. I really liked them.

Beth Ann

How fun! The high contrast coloring between your face and hair reads so beautifully from stage. I agree that black, unless it has bling added, will cause you to recede, although it can really highlight the face -- kind of giving it a spotlight.

You've already gotten some great advice. I would encourage you to go for fun looks, but avoid anything too close to a "costume," as I've seen performers get stuck with only one look because the audience comes to expect it.

OK, I sucked it up and took a picture. Cropped my head out because I look like death.

Red bandanna print dress. Short sleeve and lightweight cotton, but it does get pretty hot up there. In the summer I wear sandals - what shoe/leg wear would I do with this?

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sorry to bump - any thoughts on this dress for a gig?

What about skinnies rolled up with big cuffs, rockabilly-style, and a bright plaid shirt (fitted at the waist, or even tied up?) And a ponytail with a Rosie-the-Riveter style bandana?

Love the dress Tricia, I'm not sure about the footwear.

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