It doesn’t matter if you’re in the car, studying in the library, on a dance floor, or in the supermarket, when Goldfrapp’s “Ooh La La” comes on, you are about to dance like your like depends on it.
Before Lady Gaga came into existence, the alien glitter disco goddess in my life was Alison Goldfrapp. With a halo of luminous, buoyant curls and intense, laser-through-you blue eyes, Alison Goldfrapp is always backlit, and art just kind of pours out of her.
Goldfrapp, the band, is actually a dual effort between Alison and a producer named Will Gregory. Goldfrapp, the person, is an English girl that grew up roughing it and fending for herself. She’s had a lot of different lives in her life – she didn’t even start Goldfrapp until she was 33! She says, “In my 20s, I thought ‘When is this going to happen?’ Then I thought, ‘Debbie Harry didn’t start until she was older, so it’s okay.’”
Amazing life advice: when in doubt, always ask What would Debbie Harry do?
To me, Goldfrapp was more than just a band making incredible dance music. Alison Goldfrapp was the first woman I had ever seen that reinvented herself over and over, whenever she felt like it. She wasn’t worried about what people would think when she shaved off her eyebrows and dressed like beatnik Dietrich for a few years in the early 2000s. First and foremost, she was an artist, and as you know, art has no rules – especially when it comes to style.
If Alison Goldfrapp wants to become the sequin-covered, glitter-encrusted Donna Sommers or the black metal version of Little Red Riding Hood, then damnit, she’s gonna do it.
For a more succinct and concise displaysof Alison Goldfrapp’s lack of fucks given, please reference the video for “Ride a White Horse”:
Pretty sure that eating a slice of pizza covered in beer bottle caps and cigarette butts was the meat dress of 2005.
There’s also no way that video cost more than $5,000 to make, and that leads me into another reason that I dig Alison Goldfrapp: she is a DIY icon. Not in the sense that she makes her own clothes, or hangs out on Pinterest all day, but in the sense that she creates her incredibly unique style from regular, ordinary, everyday pieces. It proves once again that perspective is everything when it comes to buying and wearing clothes, and reaffirms the fact that you can’t buy style.
After spending (too many) hours in the black hole of Goldfrapp music, I have become obsessed with Goldfrapp’s ever-changing style. So we came up with two budget-friendly capsule wardrobes inspired by Alison Goldfrapp. The first capsule wardrobe is inspired by her ever-changing image while the second is inspired by her latest album, Silver Eye.
If you need a refresher on capsule wardrobes, hit this up and then come back hungry!
Goldfrapp Capsule Wardrobe #1: Inspired by Alison
Like every good artist, Alison Goldfrapp wears a lot of black, which might be the only consistent element of her wardrobe. Her style phases are starkly different, somewhat irreverent, and impossible to ignore. She might be commanding an aerobics class full of vampires, or saucing into a microphone with toilet paper stuck to her 5″ heel, but she’s doing it while looking you dead in the eye, as if she was ready for a challenge.
Due to her love of black, the accessories she chooses are often bright, bold, and loud. She’s performed on fashion week runways, celebrates indie designers, and seems to have a particular soft spot for the surrealist fashion house, Viktor & Rolf. Plus, she’s got that British rocker sensibility that makes even her most outlandish outfits and accessories seem smart and clever.
If you haven’t noticed by now, the early 2000s Goldfrapp showed a lot of long, glorious leg. I felt it wouldn’t be a proper nod to Alison Goldfrapp without a pair of high-waist tap shorts, as they can be paired with pretty much anything. There is a lot of influence from the early 20th century in here, too, which Alison clearly felt inspired by. The peg pants, hemlines, and tailoring of this little capsule wardrobe are reflective of her anachronistic tendencies, but we also have a pair of transparent, neon yellow pumps because among all of that flapper black garb are electric pops of fantastic color.
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Favorite Outfit Combos:
Goldfrapp Capsule Wardrobe #2: Silver Eye
Honestly, the aesthetic of Silver Eye made putting this capsule wardrobe together a whole lot easier than her personal style because the Silver Eye imagery is all based on color and shape. Here, there’s a clear preference for a finite set of colors, and the silhouettes she’s rocking are polarized between body-hugging basics and and Rei Kawakubo-style architectural draping. Her hair has gone from bright blonde and/or two-toned back to natural-looking ginger red and it adds some sweetness to her ethereal desert alien girl vibe.
Honestly, the desert seems to have embraced her as much as the reciprocal. Translating these looks into budget-friendly capsule wardrobe outfits was more fun than I expected because, well, nearly everything goes together. You probably already have stuff like this in your closet! Use black, white, and silver as “pops of ‘color'” while the bright pastels hold everything together. For these looks, the vivid colors are the canvas and the neutrals are the highlights.
The silhouettes are where the Silver Eye style gets edgy. Volume is a huge player in these looks, and the more poof you can add to a look, the more it will emulate the album art. That being said, Missy Elliot Can’t Stand the Rain level volume isn’t always every-day-wearable, so I put only a couple pieces in so it can be a focus of an outfits instead of an overwhelming look that makes sharing elevators feel weird.
Somehow, this capsule wardrobe ended up with a laid back, almost athleisure vibe, which I’m completely and totally okay with.
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Alo High Waist Leggings |
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H&M Kaftan Dress |
Poof Mesh Hoodie |
Elodie Tie Waist Shorts |
Ziginy Island Open Toe Sandals |
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Nine West Unfrgetabl Heeled Booties |
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H&M Pleated Wrap Skirt |
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ZARA Contrast Lace Dress |
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Favorite Outfit Combos:
If your wardrobe is in need of a shake-up, go throw on Supernature and start playing around in your closet! Or put on your favorite album and put together a capsule wardrobe of your own. It can be incredibly helpful in boosting you out of a style rut and encouraging you to step out of your comfort zone.
Would you wear any of these capsule wardrobe looks? Leave your favorite combos in the comments!