In "THE LOOK" OC friends drop by to try on our favorite new arrivals and tell us about their wardrobe preferences past and present.
Caroline Polachek's vocals, writing, and production, perhaps best-known from her band Chairlift, have been featured in myriad works, from Blood Orange, Delorean and Ice Choir to, most recently, Beyoncé's track "No Angel". As if that wasn't enough, she's been busy putting the final touches on her first solo record dropping in 2014, as well as working on Chairlift's third album. We were lucky enough to have Caroline pop by the OC studio to try on her favorite new pieces and answer some Qs about her upcoming projects, the clothing item she can't live without, and more.
Photos by Brayden Olsen
Name: Caroline Polachek
Hometown: Connecticut
What look are you into at the moment? Chef's outfits. Twinsets. Head-to-toe monochrome.
What look were you into in high school? Hair flat-ironed and down to my butt, water-glitter bracelets, perilously low-rise pants with huge vintage belts.
Most regrettable fashion moment? I wore massive, heavy tortoise-shell glasses when I was in college, right when Chairlift began playing a lot in New York. There were a few deeply embarrassing moments on stage where I'd dance too hard and they'd fly off my face somewhere into the dark, and I'd have crawl around under the drum kit, blind as a bat, trying to find them. It was a bad scene.
Your three wardrobe essentials? Acne Studios black jeans, Ariat black zip-up ankle boots, Ann Demeulemeester white asymmetrical blouse.
Most prized piece in your wardrobe? The seafoam green spandex suit from the Chairlift "Amanaemonesia" music video. It was custom made to fit with a beige little patch on the arm, which was an my dear friend Kathryn Typaldos' idea. If there was a fire, I'd run to grab it before anything else... Or at least right after I'd grab my hard drives!
Who are your style icons? Leslie Caron and Françoise Hardy for their elegance, Björk and Kate Bush for expressing their music in costuming without it having anything to do with "fashion".
Do you have specific stage outfits? Yes! More and more so. Not being in my normal clothes actually elevates the experience of playing, plus I really love the preparation process. I used to be afraid to repeat stage outfits so I'd put together crazy combos, some of which worked and most of which didn't! Now I plan them all out way in advance so it feels right and repeat, repeat. My favorite recently is a pair of mint green surgery scrubs that I had made for our summer tour, with clear grey plastic paneling down the sides of the legs.
Do you have clothing items for tour that you can't live without? My camo jacket from a Goodwill in Fargo, North Dakota. It has so many pockets that it's kind of like a backpack and I know it so well, I can find my passport, boarding pass, wallet, water bottle, hotel key, and phone in my sleep.
What was your favorite piece of clothing from the shoot? The texture of the Proenza Schouler shirt is amazing, like some kind of toy from my childhood. I didn't want to take it off!
Any style pet peeves? Things that are cheaply made and over-decorated at the same time.
So with your new album co
Caroline Polachek's vocals, writing, and production, perhaps best-known from her band Chairlift, have been featured in myriad works, from Blood Orange, Delorean and Ice Choir to, most recently, Beyoncé's track "No Angel". As if that wasn't enough, she's been busy putting the final touches on her first solo record dropping in 2014, as well as working on Chairlift's third album. We were lucky enough to have Caroline pop by the OC studio to try on her favorite new pieces and answer some Qs about her upcoming projects, the clothing item she can't live without, and more.
Photos by Brayden Olsen
Name: Caroline Polachek
Hometown: Connecticut
What look are you into at the moment? Chef's outfits. Twinsets. Head-to-toe monochrome.
What look were you into in high school? Hair flat-ironed and down to my butt, water-glitter bracelets, perilously low-rise pants with huge vintage belts.
Most regrettable fashion moment? I wore massive, heavy tortoise-shell glasses when I was in college, right when Chairlift began playing a lot in New York. There were a few deeply embarrassing moments on stage where I'd dance too hard and they'd fly off my face somewhere into the dark, and I'd have crawl around under the drum kit, blind as a bat, trying to find them. It was a bad scene.
Your three wardrobe essentials? Acne Studios black jeans, Ariat black zip-up ankle boots, Ann Demeulemeester white asymmetrical blouse.
Most prized piece in your wardrobe? The seafoam green spandex suit from the Chairlift "Amanaemonesia" music video. It was custom made to fit with a beige little patch on the arm, which was an my dear friend Kathryn Typaldos' idea. If there was a fire, I'd run to grab it before anything else... Or at least right after I'd grab my hard drives!
Who are your style icons? Leslie Caron and Françoise Hardy for their elegance, Björk and Kate Bush for expressing their music in costuming without it having anything to do with "fashion".
Do you have specific stage outfits? Yes! More and more so. Not being in my normal clothes actually elevates the experience of playing, plus I really love the preparation process. I used to be afraid to repeat stage outfits so I'd put together crazy combos, some of which worked and most of which didn't! Now I plan them all out way in advance so it feels right and repeat, repeat. My favorite recently is a pair of mint green surgery scrubs that I had made for our summer tour, with clear grey plastic paneling down the sides of the legs.
Do you have clothing items for tour that you can't live without? My camo jacket from a Goodwill in Fargo, North Dakota. It has so many pockets that it's kind of like a backpack and I know it so well, I can find my passport, boarding pass, wallet, water bottle, hotel key, and phone in my sleep.
What was your favorite piece of clothing from the shoot? The texture of the Proenza Schouler shirt is amazing, like some kind of toy from my childhood. I didn't want to take it off!
Any style pet peeves? Things that are cheaply made and over-decorated at the same time.
So with your new album co