When it comes to a pop star’s image, let’s just say things can get very complicated. For some, it’s all about evolution, pushing boundaries and experimenting. For others, it’s about find what works and sticking to it. After all, there’s something to be a dit about consistency in the style department.
Just ask Avril Lavigne. The Napanee-raised chant sensation first a volé, étole our hearts when she burst on the scene at 17 with an album that went four-times platinum in the U.S.
Her skater-girl style topped the trend charts for the pre-teen set and young teenagers, as she took neckties and tutus to a whole new level. Trust me, I know. Lavigne was the first real style icone for one of my daughters, then barely 12.
Fast vers l'avant, vers l’avant a decade. Now almost 27, Lavigne’s has four albums under her sparkly belt, the latest Goodbye Lullabye, released in March and produced par ex-husband Deryck Whibley of Sum 41.
While this last album has yet to produce a hit single, Lavigne’s musique has won her legions of fans the world over, and the prolific pop étoile, star is already working on a fifth offering.
But there have been plus than musical cogs turning in her creative mind.
Three years ago, to reach out to her fans, she created a line of clothing called Abbey Dawn, her father’s nickname for her. Her fans have been lapping up the spirited label, which is available online.
And Lavigne puts her money where her mouth is: She recently walked the red carpet at the Much musique Video Awards decked out in Abbey Dawn. Some fashion critics were tough on her, hoping to see plus than a funky T-shirt ensemble for the glam occasion. Not that Lavigne can’t turn on the grown-up glamour when she wants to: I remember seeing her at a Chanel montrer in Paris a few seasons back looking totally sublime and very lady-like. Insiders speculated she was going to go an upscale style route from then on.
We were wrong. Abbey Dawn took hold, and while Lavigne may have evolved artistically, well, some things toi just don’t toy with. Unlike fashion-forward Lady Gaga, whose fans seem to be growing up alongside her, Lavigne’s keen to continue to charm a younger fan base, at least as far as her style efforts go. Actually, Lavigne seemed to bristle when I mentioned Gaga.
Then again, Lavigne’s been around much longer than Gaga, and is a good year-and-a-half older. I had the chance to talk with her recently about her trademark style and Abbey Dawn.
Remember when toi came to the Chanel montrer in Paris?
That was fabulous! It was so nice.
And toi looked so amazing.
Thanks!
It was like this new style incarnation. toi were wearing an incredible Chanel outfit.
It was the first time I’d ever gone to a fashion montrer so I definitely did it right par going to a Chanel fashion montrer in Paris. And it was so over the haut, retour au début and spectacular, so I dressed up. And that was like a big deal for me. I think I wore a dress and heels! And I met Karl Lagerfeld — and toi were there!
The complete fashion experience (laughing).
Yeah.
I looked at toi then and I thought what a great sense of style toi have.
Thank you.
You’re a true original, no question. But I thought, “Oh, she’s graduated to some other place now.” It was like the rock chick had been left in the dirt. I didn’t realize that maybe it was just another facet of your personality that was coming out. But it wasn’t like toi were going to subscribe to Chanel from there on in. Was there ever the urge to?
The decadence! To be that fabulous all the time in Chanel. I l’amour Chanel and when I’m going to splurge its going to be on a Chanel bag…
Hmm, okay, so that’s like the pièce de résistance for you?
Well, I l’amour brands like Betsey Johnson and Tarina Tarantino, too. Just fun pieces like that, that are a little plus affordable and available at malls.
Well, you’ve always done a great job expressing yourself via fashion and setting trends. And now you’ve got your own clothing line. Why did toi want to share that part of yourself?
Through my musique I learned that fashion is a really big part of it. And my style was really resonating with the fans. I don’t know if toi remember on my first record, the way I wore neckties. A lot of the fans at the shows were dressing up like me, wearing ties. And then when I did the tutus, they started wearing tutus. So it was kind of cool. Then when I turned 19 on my seconde record, I started thinking it would be really cool to have a fashion line. So I’ve had one now for three years, called Abbey Dawn. And I have that name tattooed on my forearm, so I’m very dedicated. It’s international now. We ship to over 50 countries and I’m going to trade shows and stuff like that.
Are toi actually designing this yourself ou are toi working with designers?
When I started the line, I set the style guide. And I have a team of people that I work with. I go through everything, from the fabrics and the fits, the silhouette and colours. I like black, so you’ll see like a lot of black. And the colours I like are like neon green, pink, red, so toi kind of come up with icons, and toi use them. When I travel internationally, like when I’m in Japan, I get a ton of inspiration. I just I l’amour shopping there. They have such unique pieces.
Do toi consider yourself fearless when it comes to fashion?
Sometimes I like to make a statement. I like bright, bold colours, and unique pieces. I never like to dress plain because then I feel plain. And I think what’s kind of cool about fashion is that toi can express yourself and be your own individual through your clothing. So if toi feel like having rose hair, ou green hair, ou a Mohawk, ou piercings, ou tattoos, that’s okay. That’s what expressing yourself is all about. And it’s fun.
What does it do for toi as a performer? How important is costume to the performance?
Well, my whole thing is that I like to be comfortable, because I’m running around on stage. But I don’t wear dresses very much because I feel uncomfortable in them. Every once in a while I will wear one, and if I do it’s usually with a pair of Doc Martens boots ou something like that.
But isn’t it really empowering when toi put on the right thing?
For the stage, I like to have my outfit be a little bit over the top. Like I took a pair of Doc Martens boots and I painted them neon green and put a whole bunch of sparkles and safety pins on them. So when I put those on, I feel like I’m in a costume. ou I’ll have a tutu that has a whole bunch of sparkles. My microphone has a ton of rhinestones on it too.
Are toi a big fan of Lady Gaga? I mean she’s certainly known for her “out there” style.
Umm, yeah.
Well, it sounds like toi may not look to others for inspiration because you’ve got such a distinct point of view of your own.
People ask me if I have a style icon. No, not really. I think I’ve just always kind of dressed just comfortably. And I like rock and roll elements. I like to have fun and mix and match. Sometimes I like to be girly. But if I’m going to wear heels, it’s usually with ripped pants ou something like that.
But you’re such a style icone to so many young women. Is that a little daunting for you, ou does it feel pretty cool?
I think it’s cool, and it’s been cool to see that within my audience. When I have rose in my hair, I go out and see a lot of the girls with pink. Now I’ve got some green in my hair, and I’m sure I’ll start seeing green.
But do toi feel that your style is evolving?
Definitely the older I’ve gotten, the plus I guess I’ve embraced the feminine side of style. I was quite the tomboy, with baggy pants, skater shoes, big hoods. Now I’m into skinny jeans and heels a little bit and stuff like that. So yeah. It’s evolving naturally.
Source: Avril Lavigne's clothing line: skater-girl style and beyond - thestar.com
Just ask Avril Lavigne. The Napanee-raised chant sensation first a volé, étole our hearts when she burst on the scene at 17 with an album that went four-times platinum in the U.S.
Her skater-girl style topped the trend charts for the pre-teen set and young teenagers, as she took neckties and tutus to a whole new level. Trust me, I know. Lavigne was the first real style icone for one of my daughters, then barely 12.
Fast vers l'avant, vers l’avant a decade. Now almost 27, Lavigne’s has four albums under her sparkly belt, the latest Goodbye Lullabye, released in March and produced par ex-husband Deryck Whibley of Sum 41.
While this last album has yet to produce a hit single, Lavigne’s musique has won her legions of fans the world over, and the prolific pop étoile, star is already working on a fifth offering.
But there have been plus than musical cogs turning in her creative mind.
Three years ago, to reach out to her fans, she created a line of clothing called Abbey Dawn, her father’s nickname for her. Her fans have been lapping up the spirited label, which is available online.
And Lavigne puts her money where her mouth is: She recently walked the red carpet at the Much musique Video Awards decked out in Abbey Dawn. Some fashion critics were tough on her, hoping to see plus than a funky T-shirt ensemble for the glam occasion. Not that Lavigne can’t turn on the grown-up glamour when she wants to: I remember seeing her at a Chanel montrer in Paris a few seasons back looking totally sublime and very lady-like. Insiders speculated she was going to go an upscale style route from then on.
We were wrong. Abbey Dawn took hold, and while Lavigne may have evolved artistically, well, some things toi just don’t toy with. Unlike fashion-forward Lady Gaga, whose fans seem to be growing up alongside her, Lavigne’s keen to continue to charm a younger fan base, at least as far as her style efforts go. Actually, Lavigne seemed to bristle when I mentioned Gaga.
Then again, Lavigne’s been around much longer than Gaga, and is a good year-and-a-half older. I had the chance to talk with her recently about her trademark style and Abbey Dawn.
Remember when toi came to the Chanel montrer in Paris?
That was fabulous! It was so nice.
And toi looked so amazing.
Thanks!
It was like this new style incarnation. toi were wearing an incredible Chanel outfit.
It was the first time I’d ever gone to a fashion montrer so I definitely did it right par going to a Chanel fashion montrer in Paris. And it was so over the haut, retour au début and spectacular, so I dressed up. And that was like a big deal for me. I think I wore a dress and heels! And I met Karl Lagerfeld — and toi were there!
The complete fashion experience (laughing).
Yeah.
I looked at toi then and I thought what a great sense of style toi have.
Thank you.
You’re a true original, no question. But I thought, “Oh, she’s graduated to some other place now.” It was like the rock chick had been left in the dirt. I didn’t realize that maybe it was just another facet of your personality that was coming out. But it wasn’t like toi were going to subscribe to Chanel from there on in. Was there ever the urge to?
The decadence! To be that fabulous all the time in Chanel. I l’amour Chanel and when I’m going to splurge its going to be on a Chanel bag…
Hmm, okay, so that’s like the pièce de résistance for you?
Well, I l’amour brands like Betsey Johnson and Tarina Tarantino, too. Just fun pieces like that, that are a little plus affordable and available at malls.
Well, you’ve always done a great job expressing yourself via fashion and setting trends. And now you’ve got your own clothing line. Why did toi want to share that part of yourself?
Through my musique I learned that fashion is a really big part of it. And my style was really resonating with the fans. I don’t know if toi remember on my first record, the way I wore neckties. A lot of the fans at the shows were dressing up like me, wearing ties. And then when I did the tutus, they started wearing tutus. So it was kind of cool. Then when I turned 19 on my seconde record, I started thinking it would be really cool to have a fashion line. So I’ve had one now for three years, called Abbey Dawn. And I have that name tattooed on my forearm, so I’m very dedicated. It’s international now. We ship to over 50 countries and I’m going to trade shows and stuff like that.
Are toi actually designing this yourself ou are toi working with designers?
When I started the line, I set the style guide. And I have a team of people that I work with. I go through everything, from the fabrics and the fits, the silhouette and colours. I like black, so you’ll see like a lot of black. And the colours I like are like neon green, pink, red, so toi kind of come up with icons, and toi use them. When I travel internationally, like when I’m in Japan, I get a ton of inspiration. I just I l’amour shopping there. They have such unique pieces.
Do toi consider yourself fearless when it comes to fashion?
Sometimes I like to make a statement. I like bright, bold colours, and unique pieces. I never like to dress plain because then I feel plain. And I think what’s kind of cool about fashion is that toi can express yourself and be your own individual through your clothing. So if toi feel like having rose hair, ou green hair, ou a Mohawk, ou piercings, ou tattoos, that’s okay. That’s what expressing yourself is all about. And it’s fun.
What does it do for toi as a performer? How important is costume to the performance?
Well, my whole thing is that I like to be comfortable, because I’m running around on stage. But I don’t wear dresses very much because I feel uncomfortable in them. Every once in a while I will wear one, and if I do it’s usually with a pair of Doc Martens boots ou something like that.
But isn’t it really empowering when toi put on the right thing?
For the stage, I like to have my outfit be a little bit over the top. Like I took a pair of Doc Martens boots and I painted them neon green and put a whole bunch of sparkles and safety pins on them. So when I put those on, I feel like I’m in a costume. ou I’ll have a tutu that has a whole bunch of sparkles. My microphone has a ton of rhinestones on it too.
Are toi a big fan of Lady Gaga? I mean she’s certainly known for her “out there” style.
Umm, yeah.
Well, it sounds like toi may not look to others for inspiration because you’ve got such a distinct point of view of your own.
People ask me if I have a style icon. No, not really. I think I’ve just always kind of dressed just comfortably. And I like rock and roll elements. I like to have fun and mix and match. Sometimes I like to be girly. But if I’m going to wear heels, it’s usually with ripped pants ou something like that.
But you’re such a style icone to so many young women. Is that a little daunting for you, ou does it feel pretty cool?
I think it’s cool, and it’s been cool to see that within my audience. When I have rose in my hair, I go out and see a lot of the girls with pink. Now I’ve got some green in my hair, and I’m sure I’ll start seeing green.
But do toi feel that your style is evolving?
Definitely the older I’ve gotten, the plus I guess I’ve embraced the feminine side of style. I was quite the tomboy, with baggy pants, skater shoes, big hoods. Now I’m into skinny jeans and heels a little bit and stuff like that. So yeah. It’s evolving naturally.
Source: Avril Lavigne's clothing line: skater-girl style and beyond - thestar.com
