Working with everyone from The Rolling Stones to Lenny Kravitz and Green Day, stylist and costume designer Maryam Malakpour is well-versed in the art of rock ‘n’ roll fashion. So when she was asked to style Brandi Carlile, known for her signature androgynous onstage looks, it was a match made in sartorial heaven.
For the Grammy Awards red carpet on Sunday, Malakpour opted for a look “borrowed from the boys, with our own twist for Brandi,” she explains. Together with Los Angeles-based Libertine designer Johnson Hartig, they put their own spin on a classic smoking suit for the singer-songwriter, who is the most-nominated female at this year’s Grammys.
Malakpour and Hartig based the outfit off a Libertine black wool crepe blazer, featuring a hand-applied crystal chandelier inspired by the Palace of Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors in France.
Hartig customized a pair of embellished trousers to match the jacket, which Carlile wore with a white tuxedo shirt and a black bow. Malakpour rounded out the look with a pair of Victorian-inspired boots by By Far.
“We took a traditional Fred Astaire kind of vibe, and added a modern twist,” says Malakpour.
