Why PJ Harvey Is a Muse for Our Times

Why PJ Harvey Is a Muse for Our Times

PJ Harvey is a fashion muse like no other because her influence extends beyond what she wears to what she stands for. The British singer, who moved to London to study sculpture at Central Saint Martins but signed a record contract instead, burst on to the indie scene in the early ’90s. A woman, in a man’s world, she has consciously played with her femininity from the start.

Raised in a bohemian household in Dorset, Harvey was a tomboy until her teens, when her rebellion took the form of “buying Duran Duran records instead of listening to Captain Beefheart.” Her insurgence continued in the city: In April 1992, a month after a sitting in which Harvey pointedly showed her aversion to shaving, she appeared topless, with her back to the camera, on the cover of NME. In the video for “Man-Size,” Harvey wears underwear and a top printed with faces including Marilyn Monroe’s.

“I’ve always enjoyed dressing up,” admitted Harvey, who has penned songs with titles like “Dress” and “That Was My Veil.” Photographer Maria Mochnacz, who has worked closely on imagery with the singer, has described Harvey’s style in the early ’00s as “short and skimpy and brightly colored and a bit punk rock.” In light of Vetements’s elevation of streetwear, Harvey’s upcycled band T-shirt ensembles seem prescient, as does her early adoption of Victoriana, fashion’s current preoccupation. Mochnacz’s twin, Annie, is responsible for the leg-of-mutton looks, made of materials sourced from vintage shops and made along the lines of 18th-century dress patterns. In 2011, Harvey accepted her Mercury Prize in a corseted white dress and feathered headdress designed by Ann Demeulemeester, famous for her “poet warrior” silhouette and her longtime muse, Patti Smith, to whom Harvey has often been compared.

Click Here To See More Photos

You Can Click Here to Watch The Video