Articles Shirley Fashion
From Harper's Bazaar, March 1999
Shirley Manson is in a boy mood, which is no surprise since she's on tour. This masculine feeling is all about function and means that Manson wears "industrial-strength jewelry", pants exclusively and Royal sneakers (deejay Goldie designed her favorite pair). "Then I have a better show because I'm not self-conscious about my body," she explains. Not that she's Miss Girlie when she's not touring. "I hate ruffles and I would never wear high-heeled pumps," she says. Manson is equally opinionated about other fashion faux pas and has quite a laundry list. "I'm against certain designers [who show in Eurpope every season] whom everyone is wearing. I like looking like I dressed myself, not like a stylist dressed me-I avoid that like the plague. I'm sick of women being homogenized, so I wear nasty-looking makeup."

So what does the hard to please singer like? Her army green nylon vest with a major fake fur hood, by the Japanese line, Gomme. "It's my all-time favorite piece of clothing!" she says, wrapping herself in the furry headpiece. Manson also loves Katayone Adeli, especially her pants ("She knows hows to dress women's arses-more people should learn how she cuts!"), Copperwheat Blundell ("I wear them a lot, so you better put them in!"), Daryl K., Martin Margiela, Marc Jacobs, and Costume National. As for adornments, you probably won't catch Manson in any diamond studs. On this particular day, she's flaunting her silver spike earrings and $5 dog collar. " I like street jewelry. I look at the kids' in the audience and what they're wearing. It's cheap and cool," she says. As for designer pieces, shelikes Jade Jagger's long beaded chokers and industrial plastic pieces by Scott Wilson-" He's my 'boy du jour'" she says. Manson's biggest weakness seems to be boots. She's got Ann Demeulemeester's, John Fluevog's, and Martin Margiela's cloven-hoofed ones, to name a few. On rare occasions, Manson will wear high-heeled boots and a mini." For business meetings, when I want to intimidate men," she says. "You always get what you want in high-heeled boots!"

When asked whose style she admires, Kate Moss and Bjork quickly come to mind. "They're rarely off," Manson says. And neither is she.