From cowboy to cover girl: Five memorable fashions from k.d. lang

Music comes first for k.d. lang, but fashion has frequently played a supporting role in her diverse career.

The Alberta native’s sartorial style, inspired by the thrift shops of her small-town upbringing, took her to the front cover of Vanity Fair. The threads worn over the course of her career not only looked great, they helped define her persona.

lang talked to The Canadian Press about the stories behind several of her most memorable looks.

Style moment: Cowboy punk

When: Early 1980s when she was first coming onto the Canadian music scene.

The look: A fringe-lined shirt and flowing dress with matching boots. Sometimes accentuated by a scarf or horn-rimmed glasses.

Influence: Sequined and rhinestone country and western clothes of the 1930s and 1940s.

The story: “I used to sew plastic cowboys and Indians on my clothes — just having fun with it on a budget. I was broke at the time, so I’d find things at Value Village or get my mom to make me a skirt from the curtains she was about to throw out. I loved playing with the clothes as much as the music.”

Style moment: Juno Awards wedding dress

When: Her acceptance speech at the 1985 awards as she won most promising female vocalist.

The look: Satin wedding dress with cowboy boots

Influence: The “most promising female, in general” — a new bride.

The story: “It just so happened that my roommate at the time — a boy — had a wedding dress that he wore occasionally, and I just said, ‘Can I borrow that?’ It was performance-art based. I had a lot of energy and a lot of time back then to do that sort of thing.”

Style moment: Vanity Fair cover with Cindy Crawford

When: August 1993 issue

The look: Dressed in a black and white suit, her face covered in shaving cream, lang submits to Crawford’s straight-razor shave.

Influence: “I really loved this French movie called ‘The Hairdresser’s Husband (Le mari de la coiffeuse),’ a Patrice Leconte film, and I said, ‘Oh, it would be so good to do something in a barber chair’ and (photogragher Herb Ritts) said, ‘Yeah, let’s get Cindy.’ And I was like. ‘OK!'”

The story: “(The shoot) was on a rooftop in L.A. at golden hour — so around 5 or 6 o’clock. It was awesome. Between Herb and Cindy all I had to do was what they told me. It was pretty easy for me. All I had to do was show up.”

Style moment: “Drag” album cover

When: Summer 1997

The look: Black pinstriped suit jacket and a deep-red ascot.

Influence: Elegant looks of the Victorian era

The story: “I wanted it to be completely different. I was standing in front of a target with the arrow splitting a cigarette in two. The record company didn’t want me to have actual cigarettes on the cover. I’m actually not pretending to be smoking (in the version that was released). They didn’t airbrush a cigarette out of my hand, which I heard people assumed.”

Style moment: “A Wonderful World” album with Tony Bennett

When: late 2002

The look: Minimalist black collared shirt.

Influence: Not upstaging Bennett.

The story: “When you’re sharing the stage with an Italian who wears the epitome of great Italian fashion, straight up, I just felt I needed to respect it. Not that I’m judging, but I wouldn’t do a Lady Gaga. I wouldn’t try to upstage Tony, it’s not my style. My style is to just try and stand a few paces behind him and be his support and his student. So I just tried to fit in and be respectful.”

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