Janis Joplin

Date: 2011.06.12 | Category: Bizarre Icon, Stories of Fall and Decay | Tags: 70's,fur,hippy,kitsch,music,seventies,sunglasses

Summertime

It’s very reductive to talk about Janis Joplin for her style as she was one of the most important singer in the 70’s, but actually she had a great style too along with her throaty and devastatingly voice.

I’m not going to do a biography, we all know her tragic and intense life, here I’m just focusing on her style. I found on her site these precious excerpts, all from ”Love, Janis”. Enjoy.

“I have a new pair of wide-wale corduroy hip-hugger pants which I wear with borrowed boots. Look very in. On stage, I still wear my black & gold spangley blouse with either a black skirt & high boots or with black Levi’s & sandals. I want to get something out of gold lame. Very simple but real show biz looking. I want audiences to look at me as a real performer, whereas now the look is ‘just-one-of-us-who-stepped-on-stage.”

“And a friend of mine gave me a dress & cape to wear for the occasion-a wine-colored velvet, from a Goodwill store, but beautiful Queen Anne kind of sleeves & a very low & broad neckline. Really fantastic.”August 1966

“FASHION NEWS: I went out & bought myself a $35 pair of boots. Oh they are so groovey!! They’re old-fashioned in their style-tight w/buttons up the front. Black. FANTASTIC! When I get back, I’m going to rent a sewing machine & make myself some sort of beautiful/outlandish dress to go w/them.” September 1966

“Yes, folks, it’s me wearing a sequined cape, thousands of strings of beads & topless. But it barely shows because of the beads. Very dramatic photograph & I look really beautiful!! I’m thrilled!!! I can be Haight-Ashbury’s first pin-up.” April 1967

“I have an old lace curtain-very pretty that I want to use for sleeves & make some sort of simple dress to go with them.” March 1967

“One of the merchants on Haight St. has given all of us free clothes (I got a beautiful blue leather skirt) just because 1) she really digs us & 2) she thinks we’re going to make it & it’ll be good publicity.” April 1967

“I’m having a few clothes made for me now-had a beautiful dress made out of a madras bed spread & now she’s working on one of green crepe with a very low V neckline. I’ve been making things out of leather lately. Made a beautiful blue & green Garbo hat & pair of green shoes.” April 1967

“She’s working on something now to end all. Some Indian material, soft silk chiffon, floral blues, greens and purples covered with a gold thread sewn on in intricate floral patterns-cost me $18 a yd., but it’ll be beautiful-pants very full at bottom, see-through belled very full at wrist sleeves all all lined in purple with gold piping. Just gorgeous.” 1968

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