Nina Mouritzen
Style Idols: Kazu Makino
Issue #35
The Blonde Redhead singer is selective about her rock-elegance style
By Lisa Murphy
Published: March 1st, 2008 | 2:55pm
If only the world was as tranquil and dreamy as the vocals of Blonde Redhead’s frontwoman Kazu Makino. With the release of the band’s seventh album, 23, in 2007, the band proves its sound continues to evolve and become more distinctive. The prolific New York trio has taken a break from its earlier 1990s noisy, artistic dissonance in recent years, instead favoring a calmer, textured, and airy electronic sound.
Makino’s personal style is as thoughtful as the band’s music. She favors delicate dresses and elegant pieces that could easily pass for vintage and rarely makes impulse buys. “I’m quite selective and don’t really go out shopping — I only go to see the people I like,” she says. “Even if I see couture and something strikes me as pretty, I don’t purchase things compulsively. I have these people that I like that are really excellent, and I just pick out their clothes.”
Her taste is heavily influenced by her best friend, designer Jane Mayle, whose eponymous boutique is right up the block from another of Makino’s favorite shops, Lyell. “I love Jane’s style so much. Before I leave home to tour I usually stop by her shop and also Lylle, but that’s about it for New York,” Makino says. “When I am in London and Paris there are places that I would like to go to, but I don’t always have time.”
Makino’s fashion philosophy seems to reflect some of the core values that have kept Blonde Redhead a musical mainstay. “I know they’re beautiful, but I don’t really want to wear big names. I suppose because my heart doesn’t really reflect that.” she says. “I prefer designers who do things very privately and have a lot of control over their creativity.”
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