Do you ever play the same song over and over again, until that song becomes part and parcel of who you are? You know, as if that song described who you are, who you want to be, what your past was like. Florence and the Machine's song 'Shake It Out', from their just released album 'Ceremonials', is that kind of song for me.
I've had this song on repeat for over a week or so. I just can't get it out of my head. I mean, I always had a particular fancy for Florence's music, but this song just gets me inside. I can't explain it well enough probably, but you just have to believe me on this one. Anyway, since my ears haven't been feeding on anything else apart from 'Shake It Out', it was only a matter of time until I opened my Polyvore account and created an outfit inspired from this song.
Many people ask me how I translate music to clothing and I find it so hard to explain because I do it automatically, without even realising. You know, sometimes I listen to the instruments used in the song. Other times, I analyse the lyrics (when there's something worth analysing obviously). With some songs, I'm guided by the feelings that song creates in me. An easy way to do it is to ask yourself, 'What would I wear for this song's music video?' Easy as that, I promise. For 'Shake It Out', it was a mixture of everything really. *plays song again*
Style: The style in general was influenced by the three main instruments within the song, namely organs, bells and tambourines. I associate those instruments with churches, and by implication, clerical wear. My mind darted towards nuns. NUNS! Hence why I covered up, opted for sombre items, layered a great deal and chose black as my main colour.
Colour: There's a lot of black. As I said, black reminds me of clerical wear. I also chose black because one of the themes in the lyrics is 'darkness and mourning'. Florence sings, 'Regrets collect like old friends / Here to relive your darkest moments', 'such a mournful sound / Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground', 'I've been a fool and I've been blind', 'It's a shot in the dark aimed right at my throat' and 'here's to the drinks in the dark at the end of my rope'. Black is the colour of mourning, death, burials, blindness and all that jazz, so it fits well with the feeling of the song I guess.
I added a touch of light colour as well which was influenced by the part in which Florence says, 'It's always darkest before the dawn'. In my my little brain, that light blouse layered beneath the black lace top stands for the early lights of dawn making their way through the dark night sky.
Floppy Hat: The main inspiration behind the hat is a nun's veil. That's the closest I can get to it I think. Oh, and this verse, 'I like to keep some things to myself' played a role too. As I said endlessly already, I wanted to cover up as much as I could so I thought of adding something to cover the face as well.
Lace: In an interview to MTV News, Florence said that when she wrote this song, she was thinking about regrets. 'You know, when you feel like you're stuck in yourself, you keep repeating certain patterns of behaviour' she said. So I knew the outfit needed something with a repeated pattern that conveys a sense of restriction. What better than lace? Black lace obviously, white would have been too pure for a song inspired by regrets.
Horse Necklace: I think this is rather obvious right? At certain points during the song, Florence sings about a horse that she keeps dragging around. A horse she wants to bury deep underground. I couldn't have left such an important symbol out. To be honest with you, I would have preferred to include one of those black bags with a little horse brooch on top. I think it kind of conveys the idea of 'dragging' better. I didn't find anything of the kind on Polyvore so I had to make do with that necklace. It's okay, at least it renders the idea of 'carrying a weight around' quite decently.
Heart Clutch: Quite frankly, this verse is behind the my choice of bag, 'I am done with my graceless heart / So tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart.'
I end my post with Florence and the Machine's video for 'Shake It Out'. I hope I got my point across - I feel like it all looks and sounds confusing! - and PLEASE do yourselves a favour and get your stylish hands on 'Ceremonials'.
-B
