Before their set, a D.J. at BBC radio in London complimented Haim on their casual, on-the-fly approach to grooming: “They got washed in the disabled toilet.” Yet, the band of three sisters is deliberate about their look — bringing a welcome consistency in the dress department. It’s a carousel of red lipstick, long hair, badass motorcycle jackets, cut-off denim, button-up blouses, and black ankle boots.
For photo shoots, Telegraph’s Craig McLean reports they sent a list of labels they would and wouldn’t wear (COS, Isabel Marant, Chloé were favored; the blacklist is not reported, thereby an incredibly intriguing mystery). Best of all, Haim included directional suggestions: “Western accents” and “a LOT of short shorts.”
Alana Haim (22, on guitar and keyboards) says they are as vigilant about their look (“we have just learned what we love and what we don’t love”) as they are about the language used to describe them. The epithet “girl band” is unacceptable:
Growing up, there were a lot of girl artists like the Spice Girls, Aaliyah, and Destiny’s Child. But none of them really played instruments and I would always look up to Stevie Nicks and Blondie — they are dope female musicians. So I just see us as a band. When people call us a girl band, I take it as an insult — being a girl in a band shouldn’t be a thing. It seems so medieval.
Este Haim (28, on bass), calls out other complications that come with being a band of women:
I just think all three of us are really open to making new friends and we are not really concerned with meeting a bunch of dudes. I think for dudes that are rock stars, girls approach them and it is a lot easier — the girls just have to be like, “What’s up, want to make out?” But for us [that would be] creepy and awkward.
Just to note, that was said with a “shrug.” Not medieval, just rocking deliberate chillness in short shorts and Western accents.