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The singer Rose Gray is full of surprises. The London-based musician is defined by her boldness—down to the name of her debut album, Louder, Please. But when she hops on Zoom, Gray is bashful—more reminiscent of Princess Diana than a brash aughties pop-star, something you’d never guess based on her wardrobe filled with primary colors, naughties kitsch, and archival gems.
Gray, whose album came out Janaury 17, is now finding herself in a position where she is building up her stage wardrobe. “It’s definitely something I’m figuring out because I am playing so many more shows and being so much more active as a musician,” she says. While she isn’t an artist who creates a huge distinction between her real self and her stage persona, her fashion may beg to differ. “I have a rail that is just performance clothes and then I have a cozy clothes rail.” Her performancewear is filled with leather, vintage Vivienne Westwood, Union Jacks, loud prints, and lots of texture. But in her eyes, nothing can top the basics: “a classic vest and amazing-fitting jeans.”
As her performances ramp up following the release of her album, Gray is learning that it takes a village to dress a pop-star. While she occasionally works with stylist Milena Agbaba (who also dresses PinkPanthress) for bigger events and Rebecca O’Dwyer for shoots, she often relies on her community to help fashion her into a Brit-Girl pop-star. “A few friends who live fairly close to me have archives, so I will get an Uber there and just rage their archive and [borrow] stuff,” she says. “I usually end up buying something.”
In addition to the vintage she pulls from Azura Archive and Phussy Couture, Gray also spotlights smaller labels with strong points of view like the London-based Ukrainian designer Masha Popova, Norwegian brand Holzweiler, and club favorite Heretic Nine.
Since Gray was a child she always dressed “a little bit different.” “I’ve never really followed trends,” she says. Sure, that comes with regrets, namely a particularly obsessive Beatles-inspired Swinging Sixties era. But one influence that has endured is club kid style. While she’s liable to make a Pinterst board for a shoot, she prefers to look to real life for inspiration. “I love being out in clubs. I just think everyone is phenomenally dressed where I party and I get a lot of inspiration from club kids,” she says. “The looks are insane and also effortless.” The best party in London? “There’s a party called Adonis. Most people don’t really wear many clothes, but for the people that are wearing clothes, there’s some serious looks going on.”
Color plays a large role in the singer’s visual narrative. She associates Louder, Please with primary colors and often favors monochromatic looks. “I’ve been using my album to base looks off of. Every song has felt like it had quite a strong color palette.” I ask Gray if she has synesthesia, the neurological condition that causes senses to cross wires (Frank Ocean, Billie Eilish, and Lorde all have it), like associating color and sound. “I think I might!” she says.
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