{"id":38801,"date":"2024-02-08T10:23:19","date_gmt":"2024-02-08T09:23:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/09b72549-d748-4cfe-80b5-860a97da2c66"},"modified":"2024-02-08T11:40:08","modified_gmt":"2024-02-08T10:40:08","slug":"classical-musics-enduring-relationship-with-fashion","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/classical-musics-enduring-relationship-with-fashion\/","title":{"rendered":"Classical music’s enduring relationship with fashion"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Claire Jackson\n <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 08 February 2024 at 09:23 AM<\/p>

\n\n

\u2018Who are you wearing?\u2019 is a question usually reserved for Hollywood red-carpet premieres, but thanks to developing collaborations between musicians and fashion designers, it might soon move to the concert hall. There have always been ties between popstars and fashion labels (Madonna <\/strong>and Jean-Paul Gaultier<\/strong><\/a>; Bj\u00f6rk<\/strong> and Alexander McQueen<\/strong><\/a>; Vivienne Westwood<\/strong><\/a> and the Sex Pistols<\/strong>, among others) and now the classical world is catching up: violinist Charlie Siem<\/strong> has fronted campaigns for Chanel<\/strong><\/a>, Armani<\/strong><\/a> and Hugo Boss<\/strong><\/a>, Westwood has designed the costumes for a Sydney production of Handel\u2019s Semele<\/i> and pianist Lang Lang<\/strong> has teamed up with Hublot<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>

Clothes and accessories help mould an identity. Composer Steve Reich<\/strong> has made wearing a baseball cap part of his signature style, while pianist Yuja Wang<\/strong> favours bodycon mini-dresses, skyscraper stilettos and, as a Rolex<\/strong><\/a> representative, a glittering watch. <\/p>

Steve Reich and saxophonist Sonny Rollins in Stockholm, 2007. (Photo by Bertil Ericson\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Clearly, any assessment of musicianship should be independent of stagewear (reactions to Wang\u2019s sartorial choices have continued since she made headlines for performing in a thigh-skimming orange one-piece at the Hollywood Bowl back in 2011). However, in concert performances and album covers, visual elements are important \u2013 and designers of all stripes are keener than ever to make their mark on the musical world. <\/p>

With the exception of Maurizio Pollini<\/strong>, few pianists wear tails any more. Yet plenty of musicians continue to opt for formal attire for the stage. Anne-Sophie Mutter<\/strong> has worn off-the-shoulder floor-length gowns by Galliano<\/strong> for decades, once telling Violinist<\/i> that she thinks of the outfits as \u2018like a plumber\u2019s uniform\u2019 because \u2018it\u2019s comfortable and it works. I don\u2019t have to think about it; I almost don\u2019t have to try them on.\u2019 <\/p>

\"fileadmin_media_presse_2009pix_Mutter_2008_10_E09\"
Anne-Sophie Mutter, 2009 (Photo by Anja Frers)<\/figcaption><\/figure>

For her performances, soprano Danielle de Niese<\/strong> is regularly loaned (and given) jewellery from Van Cleef & Arpels<\/strong><\/a>, who also provide bodyguards for when the soprano is wearing the pieces in public. <\/p>

\"LONDON,
Soprano Danielle De Niese is dressed in Van Cleef & Arpels jewellery backstage in Hyde Park before she takes to the stage at Proms in the Park in 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>

There is, for better or worse, an association between classical music and luxury labels: Rolex<\/strong><\/a> has a partnership with the Vienna Philharmonic, Lang Lang<\/strong> has worked closely with Montblanc<\/strong><\/a> and Chopard<\/strong><\/a> sponsored Deutsche Grammophon\u2019s 120th-birthday concert held in Beijing\u2019s Forbidden City in 2018.<\/p>

The relationship between music and fashion can be symbiotic. Fashion houses often have the resources to create impactful images and materials that can benefit both art forms. When Siem was approached to star in a film to mark the opening of a new Dior Homme<\/strong><\/a> shop in Miami, he jumped at the chance. \u2018I\u2019ve worked with a few fashion houses but I am a musician more than a model,\u2019 he says. In Can you make the music fly?<\/i>, the black-and-white short directed by Bruce Weber<\/strong>, Siem performs Debussy<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s Clair de lune<\/i> alongside ballet dancer Sergei Polunin<\/strong> and pianist Mason Buccheri<\/strong>. The violinist wears a Dior dinner jacket for most of the piece. He is later pictured running through a park sporting a trench coat (and holding his violin case). The film was shown at the Miami Art Basel in 2013.<\/p>

\"English
Charlie Siem, 2017. (Photo by Tim Roney\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Of course, a three-piece suit or fish-tail dress are not to everyone\u2019s taste. Pianist James Rhodes<\/strong> has developed a concert style where informality is key. Rhodes performs repertoire stalwarts by the likes of Beethoven and Bach, often with explanations between the works, speaking directly to the audience. In Jimmy: James Rhodes Live in Brighton<\/i> (2012), he explains his approach: \u2018Certain words conjure grotty images: \u201cgynaecologist\u201d, \u201csurfer\u201d. \u201cClassical music\u201d is a bit like that for me\u2026 I don\u2019t have programmes normally as I think it\u2019s helpful for me to talk about the pieces from a personal perspective.\u2019 <\/p>

This openness is reflected in his on-stage presentation; Rhodes generally wears jeans, trainers and a t-shirt (often featuring his favourite composers including Beethoven \u2018the rock-star composer\u2019 with a Bowie zig-zag). Having observed Rhodes on his regular walks to London\u2019s Steinway Hall, where he practised before relocating to Madrid, Marylebone-based shoe designer Tracey Neuls<\/strong><\/a> was inspired to make a line of footwear in the pianist\u2019s honour. The \u2018Jimmy Shoes<\/strong><\/a>\u2019, launched in 2014, included the colours \u2018piano white\u2019 and \u2018piano black\u2019.<\/p>

\"James
James Rhodes with the ‘Jimmy Shoes’, created by shoe designer Tracey Neuls.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Shoes are important to organist Cameron Carpenter<\/strong>, who often features a screen at his recitals for audiences to view his pedalling. Such fancy footwork deserves the right footwear and Carpenter is known to make his own, rhinestone-embellished shoes. On the other hand (or foot), less is often more: pianist Alice Sara Ott<\/strong> sometimes plays without shoes to engage more closely with the pedals. <\/p>

\"ASO_Nightfall3_(c)Esther
Alice Sara Ott, 2018 (Photo by Esther Haase)<\/figcaption><\/figure>

For many years, Lang Lang<\/strong> played in trainers, partly for this reason but also because he had an affiliation with Adidas<\/strong><\/a>, who created a golden shoe in his honour. <\/p>

Physical comfort is critical to a strong performance. Instrumentalists and singers need to be able to move and breathe \u2013 and outfits need to allow for the occasionally extreme conditions on stage, be it at a rainy British festival or sweltering historic opera house. \u2018It\u2019s particularly important for me to be able move my shoulders and not get too hot under the stage lights,\u2019 says cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason<\/strong><\/a>, who is \u2018dressed\u2019 by Paul Smith<\/strong><\/a>. \u2018I love playing in Paul Smith suits; the fabric is light and breathable and allows me to move easily.\u2019 There was another reason that Kanneh-Mason was keen to wear Smith\u2019s clothes \u2013 the two creatives hail from Nottingham, where Smith heard the 2016 BBC Young Musician perform, alongside his musical siblings. The royal wedding cellist has worn Smith\u2019s designs ever since. He is currently featured in the label\u2019s series \u2018A Suit To Travel In<\/strong><\/a>\u2019, where an outfit\u2019s durability is tested with a performance of Piatti\u2019s Caprice No. 1. \u2018I love the variety of pattern that Paul Smith<\/strong><\/a> uses,\u2019 says Kanneh-Mason. \u2018If it\u2019s a dark suit it will often have a jewel-coloured lining which I like to coordinate with some bright-coloured socks that you see flashes of when I\u2019m playing.\u2019<\/p>