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You may not immediately recognize the woman on the left, but you’ve definitely heard her voice.
So she stopped accepting backup gigs.
Well, not entirely.
She did a few more, thinking no one would notice.
“Making music costs money,” she explained.
And these bright, look-at-me patterns are the perfect way to turn up the volume on her career.
“They reflect who I am: fun and energetic,” she says.
“I feel powerful in them.
I really am ready to stand out.”
Hill describes her personal style as edgy and striking.
(Picture a badass pop star and you’re on the right track.)
To verify she stays true to herself, she keeps six things in mind when pulling an outfit together.
Use them to help you hone your own look.
Above left: Let wild prints take the lead.
More than one accessory is overkill.
Shirt, $725, and pants, $650, Zero + Maria Cornejo;ZeroMariaCornejo.com.
Don’t do that.
Reach for an outfit that gets you compliments and that is nothing like pajamas.
“For me, it’s colorful prints,” Hill says.
Thing is, sometimes you are in a great mood.
But then none of your clothes fit right.
Or your closet is packed, but none of it inspires you.
To ensure that it is, keep your clothes simple.
“I wear one solid color and stick to classic cuts,” she says.
Black shift dresses, pencil skirts and blazers are good bets.
Hill thinks more abstractly.
“I’m biracial, so uniqueness resonates inside me.
I don’t see myself or my music as formulaic or conventional.
“These accessories tell people who I am without me having to say anything.
They’re a powerful part of my identity,” she explains.
Tank, $178;RebeccaMinkoff.com.
Pants, Rebecca Minkoff, $228; 866-838-6991.
Necklace, Ben-Amun by Isaac Manevitz, $373;Ben-Amun.com.
Ring, Freywille, $695; 800-801-4094.
Pick one, and wear clothes that feature it.
“I like my waist and my back.
“I know that they’ll make me feel my sexiest.”
If you have great shoulders, go strapless.
If you have the same print head-to-toe, you don’t have to worry about matching.
But when you want to mix patterns, things can start to feel tricky.
Hill has a secret for that.
“Look for one element they share,” she says.
“Recently, I paired a floral print with a geometric print.
It worked because they were both muted pastels.”
Scale is the one thing they don’t have to share.
you might put a big print with a small one.
(Close behind are her parachute pants and a sickSgt.
Backup singers tend to wear all black so they fade into the background; solo artists do the opposite.
“That’s my goal,” Hill says.
“I went to an event where everybody was in black cocktail dresses and heels.
I wore a long funky dress with combat boots.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t wear an LBD.
If you love it, go for it.
“The point is that you should never feel apologetic about your style.
It’s always cool to go in 100 percent yourself.
You don’t need to fit a certain mold.”
Above right: Work this season’s boldest trend: bright, allover prints.
Jacket, $1,890, and dress, $535, Just Cavalli; 646-741-4434.
Sneakers, DKNY, $115; 800-231-0884
Fashion director, Evyan Metzner.
Photo Credit: Dewey Nicks
