Is Stevie Nicks the ultimate rock chick icon? How the star’s style evolution continues to inspire

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Louise Thomas

Editor

Small town Arizona-born star Stevie Nicks, initially found fame as a lead vocalist in the pop-rock band Fleetwood Mac back in 1975. And over the years, The Chain singer’s groovy, witchy style has made as much history as her music.

Her instantly-recognisable hats and handkerchief hems have inspired countless designers, from Saint Laurent to Chloé, who have taken cues from her dazzling performance outfits.

Stevie Nicks often experiments with mesh, velvet and lace in her stage attire (Alamy/PA)

As the now 76-year-old star returns to the stage for a solo appearance tonight at British Summer Time (BST) Festival in Hyde Park, anticipation for her attire is as high as it is for the music.

Stevie Nicks now often sports all-black ensembles adorned with ribbons, frills and trims (Alamy/PA)

Now an emblem for bohemian-come-steam punk fashion, Stevie Nicks’ free-spirited and fiercely non-conformist style has inspired generations of misfits and mavericks – demonstrating that dressing how you feel is always the ultimate fashion statement.

Stevie Nicks combines clashing textures and fabrics in the form of lace, velvet and fur (Alamy/PA)

Just five months before joining Fleetwood Mac, Nicks had been working as a waitress and a cleaner. But upon joining the band, the singer had a clear vision of how she wished to appear: free-flowing, feminine and trailblazing.

Nicks young style was emblematic of the laid-back decade, full of relaxed silhouettes and light fabrics such as silk and satin (Alamy/PA)

In those early days, she employed the help of costume designer, Margi Kent, to help compile her Seventies tour wardrobe.

From sweeping dresses with fluted sleeves, to flared ponchos accessorised with a beribboned tambourine – Nicks’ style fit easily into the glitz-and-glam of the music scene of the time, blending artistic nonchalance and bold rock and roll. Before long, plenty of people were sporting bohemian dresses in velvets, lace or organza mesh.

Nicks had an etherreal approach to fashion, with many of her album covers having a delicate and spiritual quality to them (Alamy/PA)

In the Eighties – when the singer began performing as a solo artist too – she stayed true to her beloved floaty styles, often taking an ethereal approach to the decade’s iconic fashions.

By the Nineties, Nicks had evolved into a more gothic and vampy style, sporting more black in varying fabrics adorned with striking jewels and accessories.

Nicks leant into a more gothic approach in the Nineties upon 10th anniversary of her solo career debut (Alamy/PA)

Around this time, the star was subjected to criticism for gaining weight – which occurred while dealing with an addiction to Klonopin (a drug prescribed to treat certain anxiety and seizure disorders). Nicks had been prescribed it while she was overcoming cocaine addiction, along with many other musicians at the time, later saying in an interview: “I lost those eight years of my life. I didn’t write, and I had gained so much weight.”

During this time, she sported a more sombre wardrobe, incorporating more layering and accessories – and Nicks eventually began using her platform to warn others about the dangers of drugs.

Stevie Nicks began to wear more layers disguising weight gain which she was criticized for by the media (Alamy/PA)

This shift in style didn’t detour her as a fashion muse, however. In 1997, American fashion designer Anna Sui dedicated her whole autumn/winter show to the singer.

And Nicks continues to inspire fashion followers today, from her high-end performance costumes to her day-to-day boho chic.