By Nadine Moedt (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: October 30, 2013
Janelle Monae is cool in black and white.
Her style is immaculate, classy, and to the point: crisp high-waisted pants, red lips, tux-style blazers. Everything from her high-necked blouses to the little black bowler perched on her signature hairstyle radiates class.
In an interview with the New York Post, Monae describes her preference for tuxedo-style apparel.
“The tux is appropriate in all different eras and it’s transcendent. It’s a time traveller’s outfit.”
Monae’s look intentionally avoids the traditional emphasis on sex-heavy styles of many female artists in the music industry.
“My thought process when I came into the music industry was to make sure people know there’s no one way to be sexy,” Monae says.
Marie Claire fashion market director Courtney Weinblatt remarks to the Post that the androgynous look is not new to the runway.
“As we’ve recently seen on the men’s Saint Laurent runway and also Givenchy and Prada, many collections featured clothes that could be worn by both genders.”
Monae’s style can be imitated without going for the full-on and hard-to-pull-off black and white. While her skinny ties and smart suspenders have already been on the runway in men’s styles, it can be an interesting and bold addition to women’s fashion.
For those of us who are a little less intrepid in our wardrobes, look for more subtle elements to incorporate into your day-to-day style. Consider pairing high-waisted dress pants with a collared blouse, a hairstyle on high with Monae’s choice of classic red lipstick.
Monae’s music adds a broader dimension to her choice of clothing than style alone; on her new album, The Electric Lady, she writes as an android, a marginalized futuristic being.
It’s not the first time a singer has made his or her choice of clothing more than a mere fashion statement. While Johnny Cash wore all black for the “poor and beaten down,” Monae sports black and white in solidarity with marginalized members of society.
On “Q.U.E.E.N.” she takes on religious exclusion, asking, “Will your God accept me in my black and white? Will he approve the way I’m made?”
Her androgynous black and white look takes inclusiveness to a new level.
Female, male, black, white, gay, straight, or simply an android looking for some funky tunes, Monae’s style will suit.
