In a recent Los Angeles Times article writer Emilie Vesilind gave a rundown of the state of rock star style. She laments:
Since [the Grammys in February] the blah-ification of style in the music industry has been impossible to ignore. Pink ditched her one-legged pants for cocktail dresses, the crimson-mouthed Christina Aguilera started wearing (gasp!) nude lipstick, and Mariah Carey started covering up.
There certainly is a strange nothingness spreading over the land when Pink looses her edge. Perhaps we can blame it on the stylification of celebrity (celebrity stylists that have every client outfitted in bland, cookie cutter dresses); the hyper-branding of every actress, singer, reality show cast member, or other person who's name has appeared in People; or perhaps it's the fear of the thousands of "style police" who lay in wait for unfortunate photographs to make the rounds.
Vesilind goes on:
For decades, cultivating an individual look was as important as cultivating an individual sound. Patti Smith in her menswear; Kurt Cobain in his grandpa sweaters; Janis Joplin in her hippie-gypsy garb; Cher in her beaded peek-a-boo Bob Mackie gowns. Their style influenced the cultural tides almost as much as the music they made -- and reminded us that mavericks dress the part.
I do seriously miss the days when musicians were rebels, not merely "brands". I can remember the angst and drama when Nike first put a commercial to John Lennon's "Revolution".
In my opinion, you can either chalk it up as a collective sell-out, or just assume that the new crop of singers really aren't able to come up with a personal style. I would say there's so much criticism that the insecurity of trying to make it in a world in which Perez Hilton is popular enough to launch a line of branded clothing is too much to overcome.
