“Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.” – W H Auden
After years of loyal service – hanging off her shoulder through entire sets from Alexandra Palace to Governors Ball, giving the impression she’d simply wandered up from the bathroom and found herself in front of a mic – PinkPantheress has finally retired her shoulder bag. “I can’t perform with a bag anymore, babe,” she says. “I’m doing a bit more dancing and movement now, and for a headline slot, it’s just not happening unless it’s a quick PR event.” This is, for those who’ve followed the musician since her early days, no small change. “I’m maturing,” she adds. “There’s a side of me that wants to pivot into something more elegant. If I want to do a beauty campaign, for example, I have to show that I can wear things that are a bit… classier.”
Morgan Maher
She’s come to the right place for that: Pierpaolo Piccioli – one of the few great haute couturiers of his generation – is debuting his first collection for Balenciaga, and she’s sitting front row in a leather jacket and bubble skirt of his making. “It’s very different from what I usually wear – not a colourful, horrible pattern – which feels quite positive,” she says. “Plus, wearing something simpler means I can do more with the glam.” Her hair, she notes, is being dyed red as we speak. “When you do fashion week, you have to dress up to the nines. In general, I’m not really a ‘dresser-upper’. A lot of pop stars wear amazing pieces even at home, but I don’t know if that’s ever been me.”
While her signature style – a nostalgic ode to Y2K dressing with wrap cardigans, leggings and that familiar going-out formula of ‘jeans and a nice top’ – is distinct and celebrated among her fandom, she’s learning about fashion with a capital F as she goes. “When I got into music, I knew nothing. Once I started doing fashion week, I decided I had to get at least a little bit clued up,” she says. “I’ve never been to a Balenciaga show before and we’ve been told nothing – no location, no concept – so I’m even more gagged to see it.” That excitement, though, comes with nerves. “Everything about these events plays on your ego. It’s either going to build it up or completely shatter it.”
