Singer of alternative band Morcheeba, Skye Edwards talks overpriced designer wear and giving Vivienne Westwood a run for her money.
I first meet Skye at a fashion shoot for Pride in the spring of 2006. The petite singer walked into the studio looking effortless in a self-made dress that showed her tribal tattoos, quirky silver jewellery and a natural crop of funky curls with a blond streak. When flicking through the clothes rails, she knew instantly what would work for her size. She later explained in today’s interview, “Before I started singing, that’s what I thought I wanted to do, be a fashion designer. I wasn’t very good at the theory side; I just wanted to get my hands on a mannequin.” While the 36-year-old may not have pursued her first love as a designer, she still knows a thing or two about fashion.
Describe your style.
I like dresses from the 1950s and have a lot in my wardrobe. I also love designer shoes, but I don’t really wear them unless I’m on stage.
What do you wear when performing?
For this Blood Like Lemonade tour, I’ve made four outfits based around the colour red. One of the dresses I’ve made has a really huge skirt made out of ostrich feathers. Another outfit is similar to Alexander McQueen tartan. The last time I wore it was on a TV show, and someone thought it looked like Vivienne Westwood had made it. That really pleased me a lot!
Where do you like to shop?
I like Gap as it’s good for basic separates. Muji, for their underwear and I love Selfridges because it has a bit of everything. It’s been a while since I’ve bought any designer stuff. Going into the Gucci shop, you’re not really getting anything exclusive, just really expensive. I much prefer vintage shop and I buy a lot of stuff on eBay. I bought two 1950’s style dress and they cost me £30.
Who is your style hero?
I really love Shirley Bassey. If you look at her pictures from the 1960s and 1970s, and the
cut of her dresses, she always looked so glamorous. Even in her 70s, she can still wear a really glamorous dress. I think she’s amazing.
Tell me about your hair regime.
I do my own hair, as I’ve had some real nightmares! About three years ago, I saw a really cool hairdo on the cover of a magazine, so I found out who the hairstylist was, and I went to his place in Covent Garden. He just talked down to me and made me feel uncomfortable. He hacked away at my hair; it was all different lengths, and I came out in tears. He’s won awards, and I was just amazed at how bad it was. Since then, I’ve made a conscious decision never to go to a hairstylist again.
What has been your favourite freebie?
I did a shoot for Calvin Klein a good ten years ago. I was being flown over to New York, first class. I happened to be sitting next to a businessman. We got chatting, and I said I’m a singer, and he just happened to have bought the Morcheeba CD. There was a problem with the plane, and we couldn’t take off, so he kicked up a fuss to the airline, and we got put on Concorde! I also got £1,000 to spend in the Calvin Klein shop and took some friends shopping. So I think that was pretty good – flying over on Concorde and then getting £1,000 to spend on clothes. And they didn’t even run the advert!
