By Courtney E. Smith
Contrary to popular styling opinion, it doesn’t actually require a whip, meat dress or exploding bra to make a woman a pop star these days. Just ask twin pop duo Tegan and Sara, who talked to Radio.com recently about their love for H&M, androgyny and all things ’90s.
From the Doc Martens, which Sara informs us they’ve added back into their wardrobe, to their love for Kanye West’s drop crotch leather pants that they correctly identify as Hammer pants, the ladies are embracing fashion’s nostalgia for the decade.
Not so surprisingly, the duo weighed in on their love for androgynous fashion. And when we asked which designers they’re loving, Sara quickly named a fashion house who had Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Miguel all sitting in the front row during the most recent New York Fashion Week.
“I love Band of Outsiders. I didn’t even have to see the clothes, I just love the idea of the name,” Sara said. She later continued, “I love that they have their line called Boy for girls. Everything really appeals to the hipper, more androgynous mindset.”
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And while the sisters may dip their toes into the designer lines now, they confessed that when they were growing up their economic standing dictated that their mom hand make their clothes — which they loved.
For the girls who say they would have preferred to be shopping in the boy’s section though, back-to-school shopping was a dreaded event in the Quinn household. But on one of those trips, Tegan found one piece she loved.
“I remember my mom finally breaking down and letting me buy these — it was a pair, a set, a pair of red sweatpants that had these numbers on them or whatever,” she said. “And then the corresponding shirt with it. And I remember negotiating with my mom…to wear it twice a week. She would help me figure out which days I could wear it on so I was never wearing it two days in a row.”
Their tastes have evolved from sweatpants. Now they’re playing with leather, which is a huge trend for the fall. A leather jacket, oversized shirt and skinny pants are the silhouette the two say they’ve been playing with most on their current tour, but Tegan admitted she had tried it in a different form recently to mixed results.
“We splurged this year and bought a pair of leather pants when we were putting together our wardrobe for touring and press in this record cycle,” Tegan said. “We’ve probably worn them three times. They’re comfortable, I feel great. I actually wore them yesterday, funnily enough. And the whole day I was walking around and I was like, ‘I’m wearing leather pants. I’m wearing leather pants.’ But then I took them off last night and I was like, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to keep these.’ Leather is weird.”
“It’s a real statement,” Sara chimed in. “It’s one thing to wear a leather jacket. It’s a whole [other] thing to wear leather pants. I immediately just think Guns ‘N Roses or high heeled boots. It’s a real commitment.”
(Lindsey Byrnes for Warner Bros. Records)
