Indie Idols: Kate Bush
Photo: Gered Mankowitz
In this new weekly series, we celebrate unsung style icons from the past –musicians, artists, girls-about-town—who have long inspired fashion designers and in-the-know editors.
Who: Kate Bush
What: Singer-Songwriter
Fans: Phoebe Philo at Céline, Clare Waight Keller at Chloé, Miuccia Prada at Miu Miu, Alexander McQueen, Hussein Chalayan, Veronique Branquinho.
Stills from the Wuthering Heights Video.
Tell Me More: Kate Bush is a singer unlike any other. In fact, I think it’s entirely possible that 56-year old Brit is a witch and/or possesses occult-like powers. Bush’s first single Wuthering Heights, released in 1979 and based on the Emily Brontë novel, revealed a pop singer with much different roots than her contemporaries (“Wuthering Heights” dethroned ABBA’s “Take a Chance on Me” from the number one spot on the British charts). The video, which featured Bush alternatively running and performing a modern dance routine through the woods, had young outcasts and weirdos alike swooning. Who was this strange gypsy woman? Bush released many more records, among them, 1985’s Hounds of Love, which contains what could be her most well-known single “Running Up That Hill.” The part wistful/part battle-anthem break-up song has been covered and remixed countless times, and has become a fashion crowd favorite— on and off the runway.
Related: Céline Casts Joan Didion for Spring 2015 Campaign, Minds Explode
Kate Bush: Running Up That Hill
Bush’s music never reached the acclaim here as it did in did in Europe and Australia, in part because of her unorthodox sound. Didgeridoos and balalaikas are just a few of the instruments that gave her music that haunting, exotic style. Her songs were not specifically about women, but there was an underlying romanticism— perfect for teenage girls sulking in their bedrooms and older ladies pouring their sorrows in a bottle of wine. Adding to the Bush’s mystique is that performer only embarked on one tour in her entire career, back in 1979. A fear of flying and accidental death of one of her crew members during that first and only tour has kept her to the confines of her home in Devon, England. When she announced last year that she would play a series of shows in London after a 35-year hiatus, the internet went completely nuts.
Related: Chlöe Sevigny’s Favorite Things
Photos: AP Images, Getty Images
Signature Style: Kate Bush’s mythical vibes extended to her choice of wardrobe. She opted for long tunics — the perfect garment for those modern dance routines, especially against that beating wind. This season she was a major influence for two of the strong female-fronted brands: Celine and Chloe. Both labels featured structured clothes with a slight bohemian age. At Celine’s spring collection, designer Phoebe Philo cited the 1989 song “This Woman’s Work” as a main inspiration for her romantic, blood-red floral prints, while Chloe’s Claire Waight Keller was inspired by Bush’s record The Sensual World, showing frilly mini-dresses and blouses with bellowing sleeves.
