Parle interrupted

It is often said that life imitates art. For Luan Parle, this is true: her sense of style mirrors the country rock sound of her music.

“This outfit definitely has that country rock chick feel to it,” she admits. “I like the country western look and vintage clothing. It’s fun to pop into second hand clothes shops and pick up funky vintage bits. You can get great stuff for really cheap.”
Parle’s penchant for skinny jeans with boots is currently all the rage in the fashion world. At the same time, her music is experiencing a similar popularity. Her debut album, Free, has received positive reviews and hugely widened her fan base. Most recently, she won Best New Irish Female for 2007 at the Meteor Awards.
However, Parle is not a newcomer to the music scene. Over the years, she’s toured with Elton John and James Blunt. She made her first appearance on The Late Late Show at the tender age of 12. Those early video recordings, she says, never cease to remind her of previous fashion faux pas. “When I look back at myself when I was a kid in videos, I don’t like those,” she laughs. “You can’t escape when you’re on film and tapes keep popping up everywhere!”
Parle needn’t worry; times have changed and so has her fashion sense. Today, she has much more sophisticated taste. “Bridget Bardot is my fashion icon,” she says, “And I really admire the whole '60s era, especially the fresh-faced look with dramatic eye makeup.” Although styles come and go, Parle knows what she likes. “I’m a big accessory person. I’m really into belts and hair accessories. I think it really dresses up an outfit. I also like to mix my own style with what’s in season as well.”
Unlike artists who like to dress up for performances but kick around in jeans, Parle’s outfit represents her everyday style. Deciding what to wear to a gig isn’t a difficult decision for the songstress; her first priority is comfort. “I like to be comfortable onstage. When I perform, I don’t want to be thinking about what I’m wearing.”
Parle’s personal style is fairly low-key. She can do without her skinny jeans and prized boots but don’t take away her lip gloss; the chanteuse can’t live without it. “At the minute I’m loving Flirt; it’s No. 7 from Boots,” she says. “When you go out, you can just throw on sunglasses and lip gloss and that’s all you need.”
This simplicity of style is appealing in a world where trends changes by the minute. Be it music or fashion, Luan Parle has a good sense of her own tastes and, while what’s en vogue may come and go, Parle is ready to stick around for a bit.
Pics: Dave Cullen