Zing when you're winning

Describing her diverse style as “almost ‘60s, but not”, it’s obvious that Zing frontwoman Michelle Fingleton’s wardrobe is every bit the multi-coloured mish mash as her band’s alt-rock sound.

Formed in 2006 in a friend’s kitchen, the ballsy Portlaoise trio are nothing if not fun, and this certainly comes across in Michelle’s choices of outfit. “I love patterened fabrics and bold, eye-catching colours,” she says. “You’ll never catch me in pastels.”
Despite admitting to a long-time bias towards dresses, the 25-year old DCU Communications graduate has yet to master the art of the stiletto. “I wear wedges a lot, but never high heels – they’re a no-no even on a night out. On stage, I always have to go with flats or runners or something comfortable.”
I have to ask how Zing’s undeniably charged performances dictate how Michelle dresses. “I suppose you want to make yourself more memorable,” she says. “I think it’s a good idea to put more effort into how you dress on stage. It gives your confidence a bit of a boost too.”
Looking at some of the big female-led acts both in Ireland and abroad, it seems to be getting harder and harder to cut it in the style stakes. Is the over-styled front woman cliché something that Michelle feels pressured to conform to? “Not really,” she shrugs, “I think other people have gone so crazy at this point, I wouldn’t try to compete. I think it’s more about concentrating on what you like, not whether it’s in magazines or whether it’s a trend.”
She’s certainly got the right attitude for a style icon, even if her choices are sometimes criticised by her mates. “When I was in New York and I bought these shoes (pictured), my friend told me I wasn’t allowed because I looked like a hooker!” she laughs. “But I went with my gut feeling and got them anyway.”
I joke that the rest of Michelle’s outfit probably doesn’t have quite such an interesting history. Shows what I know. “A guy tried to buy this dress (pictured) off me in a pub!” she boasts. “One night in the Underground in Kennedy’s – he came up to me and was like ‘Please, please, please, can I buy your dress off you? I’m in a band and I’d love our lead singer to wear it’. I just had to say, ‘Hey! I’m in a band!’”.
When she’s not being hustled by dress scouts, Michelle loves a good rummage around the high street.
“I’d definitely say I’m a bargain hunter, I’m not really into brands or labels. I did a huge wardrobe clear-out recently and gave a bag of stuff to charity… but I always keep what I call ‘festival clothes’, things you don’t mind getting wrecked.”
It seems that Michelle has sussed the formula for a bold look by practical means. Or, at least, as practical as a girl can sound while wearing fuschia tights.

Zing’s Like A Monster EP is out now. They play People’s Park, Waterford on August 9.

Michelle wears:
DRESS: Wildchild, about €35
TIGHTS: Topshop, €12
SHOES: purchased in New York for $60