Glam rock style
Sure, you love Marc Bolan, David Bowie, The New York Dolls and others, and you definitely love their style. But how to dress like that nowadays without looking weird? The lovely miss Kitty Moon shows you how to appropriate glam rock style without looking like a mad otter.
The key is, tone it down. We’re not telling you to wear gigantic platforms that you need a ladder to climb onto – just to wear high enough platforms; or to shower in glitter – just to wear a bit more than enough in order to get it noticed. That said, let’s get down to business…
Glam rock makeup tips
In your make-up, pick glittery over all things. You might have to play around to see what looks good and what looks tacky, but it’s all worth it! Get samples, ask for a friend’s opinion or use Photoshop to find out what suits you, and which areas should get more sparkly stuff. Silver or golden eye shadow and lipstick are great. Other ideas for your eyes include using small sequins or those tiny stars on the corners. As for your nails, use glittery or otherwise shiny polish – you can also use clear polish to apply small sequins on your nails.
Glam rock clothing
When it comes to clothes, go wild! Everything glittery (earrings, bracelets, patches, tees, etc) and feathery (earrings and feather boas, for instance) are safe bets. Tight clothes are also great, just don’t exaggerate and don’t assume that “tight” and “revealing” mean the same thing.
Get creative! If you know how to sew, you can decorate your clothes with sequins (get creative on these – spell messages, band names, random words, anything!) or mix and match different fabrics, playing with their patterns and colours. Any Japanese-looking or Marie Antoinette-esque outfits will also do great, especially with matching dramatic make-up – great to go out at night!! Also, anything androgynous or otherwise genderbending will give you extra points!
Glam rock jewellery and accessories
Plastic jewellery that is sparkly in any way is a plus – extra points if it is somehow unusual. Combine your accessories with your clothes according to your imagination. A one-sleeved shirt in an unusual fabric goes great with a feather boa, for instance (very Bowie). Dangly earrings can be worn in one ear (like Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust era) or both, and everything lightning/unicorn/star shaped (especially if it’s shiny!) is a must-have.
Glam rock feet
On your feet, make sure you wear platforms, which go fantastically as boots or sandals, especially if they’re made with wacky materials. Don’t go over the top on this one, though, because you’re a mooky chick, not Gary Glitter, and you don’t want to sprain your ankles while getting on the bus. If you can’t walk with platforms, opt for flats – anything shiny, sequined or with some sort of crazy pattern works well.
Glam rock inspiration
For inspiration, look for pictures of Marc Bolan, Iggy Pop, Velvet Underground, David Bowie, Lou Reed, The New York Dolls and other glam rock artists, or visit “All You Pretty Things” (a great website! Lots of good info!) and the LJ community Thank_U_Glam. Also, check out Glam-Ou-Rama, which includes pictures, message boards, reviews and more.
PS The lovely photos in this article came from Glam-Ou-Rama so if anyone wants to lay claim to being in them / having taken them we’ll give credit where it’s due. Until then – aren’t they beautiful!
