Music has to be one of the biggest influences on my style. It's been a big part of my life especially during my teenage years.

So my relationship with music and fashion started to come into its own when I was around 13/14 years old. It's usually the age where you get your own sense of self and want to project your likes and interests through your style, becoming an individual. 
THE GATEWAY BAND

For me it all began with the band Busted, yes Busted they were my gateway band if you will. They were something fresh and different in the charts and introduced people my age to something other than the stereotypical boy or girl groups that were so popular in the late 90s to the early 2000s. After listening to Busted I wanted more and this led me down the rabbit hole where I discovered bands such as Green Day, Good Charlotte, Marilyn Manson and many, many more. 
THE MYSPACE DAYS

Looking through old photos of myself I can really see when music became an important aspect in my life. Sorry, in advance, for the lack of quality images in this post but I've lost a lot of images from my Myspace days and lets face it phone cameras back then were so shit!

I never used to document things like I do nowadays, yeah I had Myspace but it's nothing compared to what social media is today. It has its pros and cons as I would have loved to look back on more outfits and old times, but I'm also grateful that I could live my teenage years without feeling the need to excessively document it. I experienced gigs in the moment rather than behind a camera or phone. Being a millennial (born between 1981 - 1996) we were arguably the last generation, especially the older millennial, to experience childhood without the internet. And if we did want to use the internet it was more hassle than it was worth! From the annoyingly slow dial up and modem noises to your mum nagging at you to get off because she wanted to make a phone call!  



THE FASHION

Back in the early 2000s it was a lot harder to find alternative style clothes to wear unless you brought merch at a gig or took a trip to Camden market. It seems crazy how much effort you had to put into finding band merch and alternative clothing back then as it is so mainstream right now. From H&Ms 'goth' section to Primark and Topshop selling band tees, it's everywhere! I know a lot of people hate it but I personally love how accessible it is nowadays. Also the rise of the internet has given way to a lot more fashion choices from sites like Kill Star, Disturbia and Grindstore.   


MY STYLE EVOLUTION

Since getting into the more 'alternative' aesthetic I can really tell what and who I was listening too at the time when I look back on certain photos. So I'm gonna attempt to list my style / music evolution through three distinctive phases...

Now brace yourself for some questionable fashion choices and low res images!! All I can say is thank god my style is a lot more refined now!


Between fourteen and sixteen years old I was really getting into the fashion so my style changed quite a lot between these years. I started with a baggy skater look probably inspired by Avril Lavigne. My style then evolved from this to a nu metal vibe when I was heavily into Linkin Park, Slipknot, Papa Roach and Korn. Then I discovered Marilyn Manson and Good Charlotte and my style turned a lot darker and a lot more goth. At my prom I couldn't have been more stereotypically goth even if I tried!   


From the ages of sixteen to nineteen is probably where I had the most concise look and you can still see elements of this in my style today. Around this time I was going to gigs a lot, so I was forever in band tees, I pretty much brought one from every gig I went to!


So at sixteen my goth phase quite easily moved into emo in mid 2005, I brought a pair of slip on vans, my first pair of skinny jeans, a triple studded pyramid belt and not forgetting the red eyeshadow (MCR for life!). This was my go to look during these years.


I was heavily into emo, I'd say this was the defining genre of my youth from bands like Funeral For a Friend, From First To Last, Aiden, The Used and not forgetting my all time favourite band My Chemical Romance, all of which I was lucky enough to see live. I must admit it's still my favourite genre of music  even today.


After the emo phase, which lets face it I've never really gotten over, I started listening to punk from Anti-Flag to The Sex Pistols and The Misfits. I became obsessed with tartan trousers and DIYing my clothes with rips and safety pins. I was rarely seen without my Draven Sex Pistol slip ons, I wore them to the point that I needed duct tape to keep the soles on! After this I gradually slipped back into my emo phase.


And finally from my twenties to the present. As I got older I broadened my taste in music listening to a lot more hair metal and classic rock. I also moved out to uni when I was twenty so I played about a lot with my style around this time. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and wore things I never thought I'd wear.    

 
I found that over the years I've become a lot more confident and given less shits about what other people think, not that I cared too much to begin with. My style now is a lot more refined then it used to be but you can still see elements of each 'phase' in what I wear today and I really like that. I'm looking forward to seeing how my style evolves from now on.


And that's it, that's how music influenced my style. I wish a had more images to share but these were all I could find! I really enjoyed creating this post, it's been a long time since I did something other than an OOTD posts. I hope you enjoyed it, let me know if this is something you'd like to see more of.

So has music been a big influence on your life and style? If not what has?
 Let me know!

Thanks for reading!

AMY STARDUST X