Songful Style

Welcome to the second edition of Songful Style!  This is a new collaboration with Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge, Suzy of The Grey Brunette, Anne of Spy Girl, Michelle of My Bijou Life Online, and me! We create looks based on a song selected by one of us and sharing them on the last day of the month.  Our ensembles (pun intended) may be inspired by the lyrics of a song, the artwork of the album cover, maybe the MTV video, or even a memory the song evokes.  Plus, we’re throwing a link party!  The next month’s song will also be revealed during our posts so you’ll have an entire month to prepare for the next link up!  Make sure you visit each of the blogs to see how we interpreted the challenge!  I’m guessing each will be completely different!

“Leather and Lace”

Shelbee chose this month’s song as it’s her wedding song! I purely do hope Shelbee shares photos of her wedding in her post! Right now, I am having problems with including link party buttons (aka custom html code) in my blog. Please visit the other ladies linked above to join the link party! I am hoping I can either find a work around, or Bluehost figures out what is going wrong! I keep telling myself Mercury is not in retrograde, but life tells me otherwise!  I think I may have found a fix (thanks, Shelbee).  There just might be a linky button at the bottom of the post!

 

 

A little history…

Stevie Nicks’ album, “Bella Donna”, was released in July, 1981. Her first solo album, it reached platinum status in October, three months after its release. “Leather and Lace” was track eight on the album which also included “Stop Dragging my Heart Around” with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers as well as “Edge of Seventeen” and “The Highwayman”. The “Greatest of All Time Billboard 200 Albums” chart included “Bella Donna” as it should have! Stevie has been a force on the rock scene for many years and hopefully for many more to come!

More history…

Stevie Nicks originally wrote this song for Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter after Waylon gave her the title, “Leather and Lace”. Nicks wrote the chorus, sent it to Jennings and waited for his response. His response: “Finish it!” (source) At the time, Stevie was dating Don Henley after recently breaking up with Lyndsey Buckingham. Stevie struggled to finish the song, but Henley backed her up by critiquing it and ultimately singing with her. At some point during this, Waylon and Jessi were on the verge of a break up so they weren’t going to record it. Stevie insisted only four people could sing the song and do it justice as it was the tale of two people in the music business in love and dealing with all that kind of life entailed. Those four people were Waylon, Jessi, Stevie, and Don. At one point, Waylon was going to record it solo, but Stevie was having none of that! She convinced Henley to sing the duet with her. Although Stevie thinks it’s a song about two people in the music business who just can’t seem to get things together, I think it’s a song for two people in love at any time and in any business.

The Lyrics:

Is love so fragile 
And the heart so hollow
Shatter with words
Impossible to follow
You're saying I'm fragile I try not to be
I search only for something I can't see

I have my own life and I am stronger
Than you know
But I carry this feeling
When you walked into my house
That you won't be walking out the door
Still I carry this feeling
When you walked into my house
That you won't be walking out the door

Lovers forever face to face
My city your mountains
Stay with me stay
I need you to love me
I need you today
Give to me your leather
Take from me my lace
Give to me your leather
Take from me my lace

You in the moonlight
With your sleepy eyes
Could you ever love a man like me
And you were right
When I walked into your house
I knew I'd never want to leave
Sometimes I'm a strong man
Sometimes cold and scared
And sometimes I cry 
But that time I saw you
I knew with you to light my nights
Somehow I'd get by

Lovers forever face to face
My city your mountains
Stay with me stay
I need you to love me
I need you today
Give to me your leather
Take from me my lace

Lovers forever face to face
My city your mountains
Stay with me stay
I need you to love me
I need you today
Give to me your leather
Take from me my lace
But take from me my lace
Take from me my lace

What about the clothes?

Stevie Nicks has an iconic style copied by many, some more successful than others. Known for her scarves, shawls, and velvet, Stevie’s all black look generated lots of rumors of witchcraft and such. Those rumors scared her so much that Stevie eventually gave up the black clothing (which she wore because she thought it was slimming) for about five years. In 1983, she returned to the black clothing even though the rumors continued and because she liked her black clothing! Stevie developed that signature style partly by shopping at the Velvet Underground, a boutique also frequented by Gracie Slick and Janis Joplin. I’d never thought about it before, but I can see the connection between the three of these rock legends. Interestingly, Thorgy Thor was sent home from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” for her rendition of a Stevie Nicks outfit!

Night of a Thousand Stevies!

If you are in New York on May 6, you could attend the Night of a Thousand Stevies! Hundreds of Stevie Nicks fans gather to sing, dance and become Stevie!  It’s a little bit ball culture, a little bit rock and roll, a little bit fantasy.  Tickets are only $50 and think what fun you’d have! Stevie says she’s never attended. But, she did have this to say: “I’ve threatened everybody that one day they won’t know it, but I’ll be there. I’ll be in such fantastic makeup that I’ll be able to float around. Nobody will know its me, until I walk on stage and start singing ‘Edge of 17.’ Everybody will faint and they’ll have to call ambulances. But everybody can dress up like me, because there’s so many different mes. You can be any me you want.” This event began back in 1991 and added New Orleans in 2019. The New Orleans NOTS is this fall. What a riot!!!

Interesting covers!

Apparently, Gwen Stefani and Jeffery Austin performed the song for a finale on “The Voice”. Katie Shorey and Adam Stern do a remarkable job with the song (I have no idea who they are). Not a fan of Sara Evans and Maroon 5…I think it’s the slight vibrato and the higher pitch (is that what I mean) of the male singer’s voice.

My Interpretation…

In my heart, I think I’m a boho/hippie/flower child while I’m probably more a bit of a mutt when it comes to style! As such, I don’t have lots of kimonos (I just bought my first) or shawls. What I do have are lots and lots of scarves. So, scarves it is! But, as I kept thinking about this song, I was drawn to the yin and yang of it. There’s the comparison of cities and mountains, leather and lace, strength and fragility. It just seemed like a natural thing for me to go with a black and white look. I even tried one of those columns of one color looks!! I’m wearing old J Jill leggings with an old lace top from Talbots. The duster is from last summer and also from J Jill (seen here). I added two scarves to mimic Stevie’s look. The polka dot one is from Talbots many years ago. The other is a silk Laura Ashley scarf Nigel bought me on a business trip to London decades ago! It’s yellowed a bit with age, but I think it still goes with the yin/yang approach.

The Lewk!

I don’t really think of lots of jewelry when I think of Stevie Nicks. It’s more about the scarves and shawls. I did find this neat cuff bracelet I’d gotten from eBay years ago. The design of the silver seems a bit yin/yang, right? The earrings are as close to a hippie look as I could find. The narrow ring is old and from Pandora. I’m really not sure where I got the wider ring. The boots are the only thing slightly new in my look. They are from Born and seen here.

Not quite there yet, but…

I do not currently have any types of affiliate links. But, I thought I’d include the disclaimer information should this ever happen! Just a reminder that Marsha in the Middle may use an affiliate link. Those links are usually italicized. If you click or make a purchase from an italicized link I provide, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support. On this post as well as all past posts, italicized links are provided as a convenience to you.

Wrap it up, Marsha!

I’ll be honest. I had an idea of what I wanted to do and even pulled the scarves out weeks ago. But, with the hassle of my website acting up, I’d put off the photo shoot until the last moment. Add to that the fact I really thought the post was due the last day of the month not the last Monday of the month (thanks, Michelle, for the reminder)! But, I got there in the end! What do you think? Would you attend the Night of 1000 Stevies? And, do you remember all of the hoopla surrounding Stevie and her all black wardrobe? Leave me a comment or two, and let’s have a conversation! And, a huge thank you to all of my subscribers! You are the best!

Next month:

Michelle has chosen “Hi-Heel Sneakers” for the month of April! This one is going to be a real challenge for me as I don’t own any high heel sneakers!!

Where you can find me:

Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style, My Bijou LIfe, Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, The Grey Brunette, and Away from the Blue. I also link up with This Blonde’s Shopping Bag, Doused in Pink, Being a Wordsmith, and Mummabstylish. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I’m also a co-host on the Weekend Traffic Jam (here).

And, now the party starts!

Please share your links featuring your version of “Leather and Lace” or any other post! We would love you to join us! While you’re here, please visit a few of the other blogs in the link up!