Dallas' Most Stylish Musicians (and Where They Shop for Stage Clothes)

There is no shortage of talent on the Dallas music scene: Rosegarden Funeral Party, Lorelei K, King Clam, Jacob Metcalf, Poppy Xander and ManifestiV are a few acts that immediately come to mind as some of the best. Just walk along the streets in Deep Ellum on any given day of the week and you'll most likely catch one of these amazing acts in one of many venues.

But beside their immense talent and musicianship, these artists also have a keen sense of fashion that will further draw you into their sets. We talked to them about their fashion inspiration, their favorite shops and the process of choosing what they wear when they hit the stage.

Scarlett McPherson, King Clam

King Clam is made up of Scarlett McPherson and Skyler Chilton, two hard, alt-rocking women who are unapologetically loud about feminism and do it best through their stage ensembles. "Whether they’re rocking elaborate makeup with pasties and glitter or fishnets with leotards and chains, their fashion mixes up the genres just as much as their music," wrote the Observer's Ryann Gordon in January.

"When choosing an outfit for the stage I tend to choose outfits that scream rock 'n' roll," McPherson says. "I usually throw articles together that consist of leather, chains, fishnets and underwear — sometimes bodysuits, pasties and jewelry. Sometimes I wear an old T-shirt and jeans, depending on where we are playing and how I feel that day. I recently have been doing face designs inspired by Kiss and Bowie, just for fun."

The "hard grungy rock" quality of the band's music, McPherson says, inspires her to "dress with some shock value."

"I roll around and jump off stage and become a wild woman, so that makes me want to dress like a superhero wrestler screaming banshee," she says.

McPherson says she orders accessories such as fishnets, chains and pasties online and often borrows clothes from vendors such as Candy From a Stranger and The Treasure Peddler. As for thrift stores: "Of course, Dolly Python and Lula B’s and really all thrift stores in the area are great."

Skyler Clinton says that when choosing a stage outfit, "I usually start by deciding how I’m feeling that day as far as comfort level with my body and where I am on the spectrum of presenting masculine or feminine. Usually it changes each performance.

"Our music influences my style with the history of the rock 'n' roll look as a whole and the punk attitude of allowing myself to wear whatever I want. I often shop at Electrique Boutique, Dolly Python and with our friends Cerena and Audrey that own their own local vintage resale called little Texas Treasures for clothes and jewelry."

Poppy Xander

Poppy Xander is a mullet-rocking (as of now, but Xander's style is ever-changing) pianist and vocalist who is a member of The Polyphonic Spree, also known for the band Helium Queens, a psych-pop, high-theatrics trio dressed in all-neon and one of the most mind-bending acts you'll see probably ever.

"Digging through the clothes and treasures of second hand stores while traveling and touring in hopes of finding something specifically curated to the climate, style, and culture of a different location is an activity that makes my eyes sparkle," Xander says. "The over-the-top ruffles and flamboyant patterns and even pomp I was sporting just didn’t resonate with me after lockdown. I wanted something more classic, all black with a robe or pashmina and a more natural but shaggy look for my hair. Simpler makeup, the current blush trend of rosy cheeks and a natural look… That’s more in line with how I feel."

For Xander, who's in several bands including PriMadonna, keeping it simple makes sense when you're hustling to get the next show.

"I don’t want to be running all over the place hustling every single gig I can find — I’m more focused now, working on projects that have clearly defined goals with people who are on the same page: professional, classy and still making a statement, still adding the flair that makes my playing and style unique," the artist says. "As far as Dallas goes I’m always partial to Dolly Python … their selection is absolutely unparalleled in niche goods. Dallas Vintage’s new location is really starting to come into its own and I really appreciate the Thrift Giants in DFW whether it’s in Casa Linda or Denton."

Dahlia Knowles of Lorelei K

Lorelei K, the gorgeously ethereal electronic act from Denton, is led by the inimitable Dahlia Knowles, a hair stylist responsible for bestowing many Dallasites with a personality through a cool haircut. The singer says she gets many of her clothes secondhand and online.

"I'm no stranger to being sucked in by an Instagram ad. I find my most sustainable pieces and things that I always go back to are either '90s or 2014-era vintage," she says. "I see a direct tie between my style journey and my music journey. It's experimental, but also soft, sometimes dark, sometimes just honest. It's also glaringly obvious that Lorelei K is very distinctly different from Dahlia Knowles. In real life I'm not afraid of denim and a T-shirt. Onstage, it's always going to be drama, walking on stilt-like pumps and doubling up the wigs for extra fierceness. I enjoy this duality and exploring my style in both modes. It's like drag, except it's not."

Right now, Knowles would describe her style as "alternative bohemian."

"I've been a lot of different women, but the one i'm most comfortable with is changing every day, always trying new things," the artist says. "I love Gratitude Vintage, Lula B's, Buffalo Exchange for performance looks, and any Uptown Cheapskate for daytime wear."

Jacob Metcalf

Folk-pop singer-songwriter Jacob Metcalf froze the Dallas scene's attention with the debut of his album Fjord. Besides his orchestral ballads, sharply poetic lyrics and a voice as soothing as honeyed tea brewed into Nyquil, the artist is known for rocking a style that can't be defined.

"I write folk songs with a small theatrical bend. As the music goes, the wardrobe usually follows," he says. "When friends first joined my band I coaxed them into dressing like we were born from another time — anachronisms in a postmodern world. Each show was themed. We performed as revelling sailors, as a band of 40 thieves in ski masks, drumming on old-fashioned television sets and playing bicycles reimagined as musical instruments.

"We appeared as washed-up redcoats singing from the rafters of a hollowed-out barn for university students during rush week. [Bandmate] Hunter Nelson and I played knockoff Starbucks baristas and served our audience drinks in between musical numbers. Paul Grass and I took the stage as campy cult leaders and tried unsuccessfully to raise the dead. Dan Bowman and I donned as decoy field missionaries for the Mormon church. We converted exactly no one."

One New Year’s Eve, Metcalf says, the full band played a set in pajamas, "Lying on our backs with the microphones pointed down toward our faces. We attempted to lull the audience to nod off somewhere before midnight."

As for shopping options, Metcalf says: "I went through a [...] beige phase. Bungled zoo keeper? College dropout? Wily rascal? I shop at Target. I like that it’s close to the house and I can get black stagehand wear for all my prep work done behind the curtain. If I’m looking for a statement piece, something really unique, I dip into Dolly Python, M’Antiques or Boogie Nights in Garland. That’s the real short list for me."

ManifestiV

Some musicians have day jobs; that's not shocking. But ManifestiV has one combo of professions you don't hear of every day: musician/mortician. (Except in Dallas, which also boasts of Valenti, another musician/mortician.) The electronic-industrial musicians by day, morticians by night — or is it the other way around? — are one of Dallas' most stylish bands.

Guitarist Paragraph Taylor says, "Environment's a huge factor, [bandate] Lillith slides from white silks to all black with spikes, depending on temperatures, whereas I will layer or not under my suit. Likewise, when they can join us, Ryan [drummer] chooses sleeves or not due to weather, while Kevin [bassist] wears the spike-hawked plague mask regardless."

Just like their day jobs, members of ManifestiV are exceptionally original.

"Our outfits and music aim to outlast atmospheric unpredictability, [our] style could be best described as 'apocalyptic industrial,'" Taylor says. "Buffalo Exchange on Greenville Avenue is a go-to for us in real life. Most of our garb, Lillith hunts for online to match her visions of what soundtrackers of the Apocalypse should wear."

MattieMystic

Dallas singer MattieMystic is one helluva live performer: innovative, spectacularly visual and downright unmissable. The performer's every outfit is a work of art itself and the result of an avant-garde expression that she brings onstage — and off.

"Usually the styling coincides with the theme of the experience that I'm offering in the live element, lots of feeling it out and choosing based on the feeling of togetherness of the theme, song selection, season and conscious message," the artist says. "The music has presented itself as a world that embraces the bold and free: those bold enough to question and free enough to dance with joy that comes from remembering itself as the answer to said questions. Bold and free and spacious is what I would describe my style. There's room in it to explore all possibilities."

For Mattie, shopping is an important act of building the onstage craft.

"I honestly shop at lots of places for inspiration," she says. "It usually depends on the energy of that retailer and how it makes me feel when I'm there. I love places like Good Cycle, Dolly Python, Vintage Martini, 2nd Street. .. I also love working with designers on building custom wardrobe pieces for shows. Sometimes you just can't find the vibe in a store!"

The singer is also looking for pieces that offer androgyny. "Ultimately, I love a mixture of feminine and masculine pieces — where that places me in the grand scheme of fashion, I'm not sure," she says. "All I know is that my idea of style is about feeling balanced and whole in whatever you decide to wear. That is the philosophy that feels most comfortable for me, and when I apply it I feel sexy AF."

Cameron McCloud

Cure for Paranoia hip-hop artist Cameron McCloud has built a name in music based on his lyrical skill, fast-rap delivery and magnetic stage presence. McCloud's fashion style is perfectly in line with his star quality.


"My clothing changes depends on my mood, but I always dress like I could hop on a stage at any given time," he says. "I usually get my clothes thrifted or gifted to me from my stylist 'Candy From A Stranger Shop.' My style? I'd describe it as minimalistic art exhibit."

Jacks Haupt

Oak Cliff singer Jacks Haupt has long been hailed as a "Latina Amy Winehouse." The retro-loving soulstress has a style that borrows from many eras but is distinctly personal, just like her hypnotic live performance.

"I've been everywhere in making music. I make electronic/alt music with Chicano soul," she says. "I've recently been exploring genres because as an artist I believe in being versatile. I've expressed my culture and my language in my songs, but my style is what I like, what my preferences are. I'm very edgy on a good day, I'm very cool. Thin brows, dark makeup, dark hair, that's me.

"I'm sometimes wearing leather, too much or too little. Sometimes something colorful that pops, my big gold hoops with my gold chain and an oversized hoodie or a shirt."

The singer also likes to go sporty with Adidas and says she's changed her style many times since she started making music in 2018.

"Before my style was more indie, but very Chicana style — recently I feel like I've been getting more comfortable with my own style as a mature adult," she says. "I express more of who I am. I'm a Mexican-American Chicana singer. I'm bringing back the '90s thin brows with dark-hair style. My genre of making music is everywhere but true to style. I'm very dark, alternative and very Mexican. I wanna give a '90s feel."

Jacks Haupt won't give up all her secrets, but her fans can treasure hunt around her neighborhood for vintage wear.

"I'm gatekeeping where I shop!" she says. "I'm joking — I usually thrift shop in Oak Cliff."