Rock N' Roll Style Guide: Stone Temple Pilots

Images courtesy of belowempty.com's incredible STP picture archive.

Stone Temple Pilots, (Scott Weiland, Dean Deleo, Robert Deleo, and Eric Kretz) have evolved together musically and visually. I've been blasting my Twitter this month with the BIG news (at least for a hardcore fan like me) that Stone Temple Pilots are releasing their first single in 9 years on March 31st. You can stream the new single "Between The Lines" here. I'll have to listen to it about 100 times before I can form a solid opinion, but STP can really do no wrong by me.

Rock N' Roll Style Guide: PJ Harvey

The so-called "effortless" look was all the rage this year. It was about trying to look as though you rolled out of bed without actually having rolled out of bed. The look was cool in that it was inspired by 90s grunge, but it quickly became tired and contrived when attempted by socialite party-people. Calculated looks can be as cool as effortless ones depending on how you carry them. The quintessential example of effortless, raw, low maintenance style is PJ Harvey.

When it Rains

Collage inspired by Garbage's "I'm Only Happy When it Rains", Directed by Samuel Bayer

Lately I'm on a Garbage kick..well, a 90's kick in general. It's possible that my nostalgia is due to the fact that we've hit the 20 year mark. The music of the 90's never went stale for me, but the aesthetic sure did. I never imagined turquoise eyeshadow was acceptable on the street, until yesterday. My crushed velvet orange purse is finally getting some use. The 90's aesthetic was all about complimentary colors, contrasting patterns/textures, fish eye, and blur effects. Stay tuned for my take on the 90's look, next post...

Bad Reputation

As much as I love a good film, I rarely go the movies. The truth is, most Hollywood films bore me. Films intended for a female audience (chick flicks) tend to be embarrassing to our sex. That being said, I'm dying to see the "The Runaways", because not only is it one of my favorite genres, a biopic, it's a rock biopic about one of the first all girl rock bands. Of course I'm going in with the expectation that the story will play like a glorified "Behind the Music" episode. For some reason the cliché "sex, drugs and rock n' roll” story entices me again and again. Even if “The Runaways” script is mediocre at best, we can still expect a killer wardrobe and soundtrack.

Chrissie Cool

A thick tie usually brings to mind a wall street shark in an ill fitting, boxy cut suit..or Chrisse Hynde. She is one of the few people who can make a thick tie look cool. Beauty and confidence seems to radiates from her. I think the secret to staying eternally young and beautiful is not necessarily being a vegan (in Chrissie's case) but continually creating, dreaming, chipping away at new ideas and attempting to contribute to society. I had a professor in college who was so vibrant and young in both spirit and appearance..he looked no older than 60..the man was a 77 year old artist (he was one of the first people to experiment with video as an artform and continues to make and show his work.

Scott Weiland's Hybrid Style

Photo Credits: Belowempty.com, GettyImages, Corbis, Google Images

Stone Temple Pilots, challenged the grunge of the 90’s with melodic Beatles-y pop, infused with Zepplinesque riffs, tied together with Weiland’s stream of conscious lyrics which conjured images of black clouds and purple flowers. Scott Weiland's music does not neatly fit into any sub genres of rock, yet is unquestionably rock n' roll. Likewise, his style encapsulates the best aspects of rock n’ roll fashion.

Bad Ass Chicks: Juliette Lewis

I saw Juliette Lewis for the first time playing with Camp Freddy at the Roxy in LA last summer. It was a show full of men until this incredibly talented lady stepped on stage and the energy of the room completely changed. She rocked harder than any male rock star I have ever seen. She is an amazing showwoman. Her voice is loud, powerful, gritty, and upbeat. You can always tell that she is having an amazing time. Her band "Juliette and the Licks" released two hard rocking and insanely catchy albums. "Sticky Honey" was stuck in my head all last summer..and my ring tone happens to be "Hot Kiss". The Licks recently disbanded but Juliette Lewis is releasing a solo album in September, which I am psyched for.