Looking Back At Blondie’s Iconic Grunge-Glamour Style

12th April 2023

42 2 minutes read

vogue.co.uk

By Christian Allaire – 12th April 2023

This Friday, the first weekend of the annual Coachella music festival kicks off at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. As always, this year’s star-studded line-up is packed with some of the biggest names in music: Bad Bunny, Blackpink, and Frank Ocean serve as the 2023 headliners, while Gorillaz, Rosalía, Björk, and more acts will all hit the main stages as well. There are even some iconic rock groups in the mix, too: Blondie, a mainstay of the ’70s and ’80s, will be kicking off the festival weekend with a set on Friday. In honour of their much-anticipated festival appearance, Vogue is looking back at the American band’s signature grunge-glam style over the years – because you can bet they’ll be bringing some of their exceptionally cool looks to Coachella.

Formed in New York in 1974, Blondie originally consisted of co-founders Debbie Harry as lead vocalist and Chris Stein as guitarist, as well as bassist Fred Smith and drummer Billy O’Connor. Over the years, Harry and Stein have remained the central fixtures in the group, though it now includes drummer Clem Burke, guitarist Paul Carbonara, keyboardists Matt Katz-Bohen and Jimmy Destri, and bassist Leigh Foxx. The group first rose to fame in the mid-’70s at a time when new wave music was taking over the airwaves. (Their hits, like “Heart of Glass”, were perfect for the moment.)

While Blondie went on to release other smash hits like “Call Me” and “One Way or Another”, cultivating their unique musical style in the crowded rock space of the ’80s, it’s safe to say that Harry’s elevated rocker look played a part in the band’s allure and mainstream success. At the time, it was still relatively new for women to be fronting rock bands – and Harry did so with one-of-a-kind, trailblazing style. Along with her signature bleach-blonde do, Harry often leaned into the more excessive sartorial spirit of the era. Her looks were equal parts punk and glamour, embracing pieces like spandex jumpsuits, sequin dresses, and fringed jackets. It’s a look that’s been replicated endlessly on the runways since (Junya Watanabe’s autumn/winter 2020 collection, for one, was entirely inspired by her).

Sure, Harry’s bandmates have had slick looks of their own over the years – they’re often in sharp, rock-and-roll suits that complement Harry’s more adventurous style – but it’s the singer’s theatrical approach to stage dressing that’s helped make Blondie what it is today. What’s even more impressive, perhaps, is how Harry’s showy fashion sense has never quieted down. At 77, Harry is still as exuberant as ever. At the 2021 Met Gala, which celebrated “American Independence”, she wore a star-spangled gown by Zac Posen that was both perfectly on-theme and made a bold style statement. This weekend at Coachella, we can only hope that this risk-taking fashion sensibility takes centre stage.

Below, more of Blondie’s best style moments over the years.