Jean-Luc Picard: Fashion Icon?

I happened to be watching a rerun of Star Trek: The Next Generation a few nights ago.  It was the Season 4 episode "Family" which chronicles Captain Picard's return to his childhood home in France for a vacation following his shall-we-say unfortunate experience as a Borg. I was completely caught off guard though when they cut to Picard strolling a tree-lined avenue wearing what appeared to be a version of harem pants with a pair of flat calf-high military boots.

This has been a look on women lately that I've totally been digging. Who knew Picard was so fashionable?  Just take a look at some of these shots from the past few months for great examples of the baggy trouser and boot look!

      

Which begs the question, since the episode aired in the early 90s, was he (a.k.a. the costume crew) ahead of the time and a source of cutting edge fashion?  Or was he terrifyingly behind the times considering the show takes place in approximately the 2360s?  That would be the equivalent of someone today wearing leggings and a curly, powdered wig from the Baroque era, which certainly goes beyond just being "vintage" fashion! You be the judge!

GET THE LOOK: CAPTAIN JEAN-LUC PICARD

The key to Picard's rustic, minamalist look is solid, earthy tones, with trousers cut loose in the hips and boots that lace-up and rise above the ankles.  Partner these with any baggy t-shirt or cotton tunic, and you're all set to stroll through the vineyards of 24th-century France!  

  

Sheer Harem Pants by Arc Square $69

Vintage Mustard Yellow Trousers from sheHEARTSvintage $15

  

Vintage Brown Leather Granny Boots from Granny's Bootery $43

Vintage Black Military Boots from Stellah's Vintage Groove $60

Imagine by John Lennon

This is one of the earliest tracks to which I remember having a visual connection. Generally, once I've heard a song enough times and it begins to gather associations, then my visual memory of it starts to fade and be replaced. But for me, this one has never changed. It is still such a pure, blinding white with touches of grey, almost like seeing figures emerge and then disappear in a bright fog.

This photo by Victoria Bennett Beyer captures the essence of the colors, and there is a gentle flow to it which reminds me of the calm undulations of the piano.  

This dress from the Three Little Ducks boutique is another great expression of this song.  It has a soft gentleness and the grey doesn't overpower the dress or make it feel any heavier. Even the folds seem natural and organic, and the cut of the neckline is rounded so that the flow of the border is uninterrupted.

I like this sweater because the shapes capture the elusive fog-like movement of what I see. It gives a sense of the ever-evolving whispy and ghostly forms which pervade the otherwise pure white background.
Figurative and Literal Easter Lilies No. 6 photograph by Victoria Bennett Beyer $25Evelyn dress by Three Little Ducks $160Vintage cropped sweater from Adrian Company Vintage $24.99


GET THE LOOK: JOHN LENNON
There are so many iconic images of Lennon out there, that it was tough to choose a look to emulate here. I always loved this post-Beatles shot. It seems so natural, peaceful, and understated, much like this song. It is a look that feels safe and warm, making this icon who died three years before I was even born seem less like a mythical legend and more like a down-to-earth, approachable, real-life person.

Vintage round Windsor glasses from fifi22222 $25

Vintage Ralph Lauren military-style shirt from Prance and Swagger $42

Vintage J. Crew sweater vest from Vera & Oslo's Bedroom $25

Vintage 1970s corduroy pants from Fashion Rerun $22

Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons

The banjo is aggressive, the bass drum is like a punch in the face, and the atmospheric effects give this track a chill that pervades even the fuller moments. The song is driven and purposeful and insists on attention. I was struck by rich earth tones, mostly browns, oranges, and rusty reds, which must speak to the organic quality of the all-acoustic line-up. The shapes are like leaves with strong, constantly morphing outlines. What's fascinating is that the lines don't hold the colors, they all mix together without any regard for borders. After a bit, the lines are the most striking part: very dark, with glowing white borders.

This photograph by Kathe LeSage really nails the richness of the tones. They were so fully saturated I felt like they would have the richness and feel of thick hot fudge. And actually the way the feathers appear in this shot almost captures the leaf-like shapes, but generally it is the boldness of the color and the sense of fluid motion that speaks to the song's rich texture and boldness.

When I saw this vintage dress from General Whimsy, I was struck by its print. The colors aren't quite right (too washed out) and the shapes are square rather than more fluid, I really felt it captured the essence of the morphing lines, right down to the glowing edges around the lines. I can't say for sure what caused these lines to appear and become more vibrant as the song progressed since musically little changes, but perhaps the level of intensity which continues without abating almost causes a sort of sensory overload.

For me, this gorgeous cape from Anita Clarke encapsulates a more subtle atmospheric quality of the song. The effects used are like a strong wind heard from inside a house or a train car.  In that sense, the song has a coldness to it, despite the vitality and richness. This cape carries with it a sense of being protected from that wind while still being in the middle of it, rather than hiding out indoors. In this way, it gives a sense of the coldness but also the power and strength of the song.

Pheasant Back signed photograph by Kathe LeSage $30
Vintage L'Aiglon mod print dress from General Whimsy $30
Vintage tweed cape from Anita Clarke $160

GET THE LOOK: MUMFORD AND SONS

This British group has such a cohesive style, it was impossible to pick just one band member on whom to focus.  They have an endearing vintage look, with country and rockabilly infusions.  It's a folksy, broken-in, down-home look straight out of a 1920s Appalachian town.  It's an easiness which speaks to their folk roots but belies the passion and drive of their music.

Vintage black derby hat from I Find U Buy $24.99

Vintage rockabilly cardigan from Krystyna's Treasures $6

Vintage plaid wool vest from Pineapple Mint $24

Vintage leather ankle boots from Fox and His Friends $65

Take Off Your Sunglasses by Ezra Furman and the Harpoons

Once the song starts, it never lets up with its effortless back beat, contagious harmonic and rollicking vocal style.  There are no highs or lows, though the vocals become an increasingly relentless never-ending string of words.  Because of this consistency in the song's structure, the colors and shapes for this song change very little.  A combination of yellow and green geometric patterns, with more green at the bottom, and extra yellow whenever the harmonica solos. 

Because the shapes I saw were more geometric than usual, I thought this vintage coat from Urban Recycle captured the song perfectly. I was seeing many defined angles, though I couldn't distinguish the shapes, and the yellow and green were very defined, not mixing much if at all.  

I chose this painting by Henry Parsinia not for the shapes but for the colors and sense of motion.  These shades of yellow and green were the most accurate, the yellow in particular being more muted than that of the coat.  I was also struck by the feeling of constant motion created by the lines emanating from the center. The shapes I was seeing were always moving up and out of sight, to be replaced by new shapes which had emerged from the darker green bottom.  

I loved how similar this skirt by Cristina David was to the painting, so I just couldn't pass it up. The more muted colors are just right, the sense of motion is there, and the contrasting zipper that runs the entire length can even be likened to the the song's uninterrupted stream of vocals.

Vintage plaid coat from Urban Recycle $36 

Autumn Breeze original painting by Henry Parsinia sold by New Wave Art Gallery $450

Draped skirt by Cristina David $120

GET THE LOOK: EZRA FURMAN

[Photo by Karp]

Ezra Furman's look is much like this song: completely carefree and fun.  While I certainly don't think he and his band are overly concerned with their "look," he definitely sports some very classic, youthful pieces which really work for the 23-year-old.  Jeans and a t-shirt are fairly standard.  The tees often have a funny message or image, and for a while he was most often photographed in a white one with a Smiths lyric hand-written on it in black marker.  You'll also catch him in dress shirts over the tees and, of course, a pair of retro sunglasses.  All in all, a look that is as fun and unconcerned as their great single.

Vintage Converse low-tops from Wooden Hanger $24

Vintage black sunglasses from 2littleowls $9

Morrissey/Smiths white t-shirt dress by rockontheworld $17

Vintage fitted dress shirt from YeYe $18

Dog Days Are Over by Florence and the Machine

Sometimes calm and ethereal and at other times powerful and rich, this track's acoustic strumming and melodic harp lines, paired with rhythms built mainly on tambourines and hand claps gives the song a lightness even when the vocals become thickly layered and the snare drum more insistent.  To me it has an effervescence, like pale bubbles floating to the surface in a glass of soda, and the song seemed awash in shades of light blues and teals, at times almost blindingly white.

This photograph by Irene Suchocki captures the essence of the song most completely.  An abstraction of falling snow, the lines of the twigs pointing towards the upper right corner and the brighter tones of the flakes at the top of the image almost make it seem more like those effervescent bubbles rising.  The smattering of unfocused snowflakes gives a sense of the lightness as well as well as an energy of movement.

This dress by Italian label Larime Loom also captures the lightness of the song and the cool colors, but draws more attention to the enrgy and pulse.  The cinched waist creates lines that shoot out in every direction like the bursts of sound created with every return of the more layered sections with the snare.

This dress really captures the moment in the song when the rhythm drops out and Welch's voice soars to those calm heights (approximately 1:40). In her voice, the notes sounds crisp and clear (almost hauntingly so), and I was struck by a pure white, with only the barest echoes of the blues and teals.  When the rhythm returns suddenly, the song to me looks different, with more white and less blue appearing than had before perhaps a testament to the addition of new, higher vocal layers at the end.

Snowblind photograph by Irene Suchocki $30

Aqua satin folded dress by LarimeLoom $135

Vintage cotton floral mini dress from Red Lips Vintage $42

GET THE LOOK: FLORENCE WELCH

Florence Welch works two distinctive looks, both of which are always bold. Her day wear comprises vintage pieces in warm neutrals, both menswear (such as shorts with loafers and a blazer) and feminine looks (knee-length floral print dresses). When performing, she embraces dramatic draped designs, often going bare foot. Though she favors golds and creams, she's just as likely to black leather and lace. Her's is a style that is at once timelessly classic and stunningly modern, with a balance between the grounded and the ethereal. A perfect expression of her music.

Vintage faux leopard fur jacket from Vintage Eclectica $79

Vintage floral dress from jessjamesjake $48

Handmade midnight milonga crochet scarf by KnotChaCha $42

Vintage floral tapestry purse from marmarvintage $18

And of course, don't forget her signature red lipstick!

Lady Danger Lipstick by MAC $14.50

See The Leaves by The Flaming Lips

From the album Embryonic, this track is a powerhouse of driving beats and industrial electronic manipulation which suddenly collapses into a minimalist sound with only sparse vocals and a bare synthesizer. The song was characterized by shades of grey and white facing off against each other, almost pushing and shoving in contrasting lines, with splashes of a deep red, probably a result of the sudden and intense cymbal crashes. 

This coat by JulyS has a certain industrial complex quality, with an asymmetry that speaks to the irregularity of the digital effects. The zipper slashing across the front reflects the aggressiveness of the song's opening and the thick wool reminds me of the coldness of the track's bare and exposed end. 

This photo by Brenda Manthe is almost exactly what I saw when the music began.  The colors are right on and I was struck by the unevenness of the lines and how they alternately emerge from the left and right sides of the image as though facing off across a sort of battlefield. 

This vintage sweater from Decades seems to go against all the rawness and irregularity of the song with its structured and repetitive stripes.  However the song's melodic line is almost literally repeated for the entire duration of the song (there are no sections like a conventional song with an AABA pattern, instead it is AAA... with variations). The alternating stripes speak to this repetition, while the different colors reflect the changes and shifts that occur with each melodic repetition through alterations in the electronic effects.

Winter zipper wrap coat by JulyS $99

Short Cut photography print by Brenda Manthe $25

Vintage striped tunic sweater from decades $34

GET THE LOOK: WAYNE COYNE

For being one of the most imaginative and other-worldly musicians around, Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne's style is surprisingly refined, almost always involving a well-tailored three-piece suit. He even sports this look when performing in temperatures hovering around 100 degrees like when I saw them in Holyoke, Massachusetts, this past summer. The suits often have a subtle plaid print or stripes and are usually paired with contrasting vests, striped dress shirts, and undone plaid bow ties. So while the immediate affect is classic and upscale, the mixture of prints and colors is disarmingly light-hearted, thus speaking both to his music's headiness as well as its pure joy.

Vintage plaid suit jacket from ByTheWay $50

Handmade rusty plaid freestyle bow tie by xoelle $36

Vintage Christian Dior waistcoat from Prance and Swagger $32

Vintage Oxford shirt from Nest Egg Vintage $17