Glam-a-go-go
IF YOU think wearing high heels to work is a grind, try tramping around the stage at the Viper Room in stilettos with a guitar strapped to your back. But spiky shoes -- along with skinny jeans and loads of black eyeliner -- are part of what defines the slinky, dark-glam look of new L.A. band Uh Huh Her.
“People are astonished that I can play bass in heels,” says Camila Grey, lead vocalist for the dreamy, electro-pop duo, which she co-founded with singer and keyboard player Leisha Hailey -- the elfin blond actress who costars in the Showtime series “The L Word,” about fashion-savvy lesbians.
Hailey’s day job (she films in Vancouver, Canada, five months a year) means the pair already had a huge following before their first album, “Common Reaction,” was launched late last month; recent L.A. shows have been wall-to-wall with chic female fans.
And the sweet-faced duo is winning new devotees -- even of the male variety -- with their vocal-heavy ‘80s-inspired sound and edgy style. Though both women have done time in low-fi indie-rock bands (Hailey in the Murmaids and Grey in Mellowdrone), their current fashion choices are decidedly more amped up.
They’ve had some help along the way -- local stylist Alicia Lawhon outfitted the pair in colored tights and glam silvery tops for the CD’s first video, “Not a Love Song,” and rock style guru Arianne Phillips (who styles Madonna) decked out the duo in vintage-feeling dresses and bobby socks for the album jacket.
What do you like to wear onstage?
Grey: I like the glam look -- skinny jeans and heels and sparkles. I also like black eyeliner and pencil skirts.
Hailey: Short skirts, definitely high heels and something bright on top.
What musicians do you think have great style?
Grey: I love Bjork and anyone who isn’t afraid to be as weird as they want to be.
Hailey: I think Axl Rose had something. He wore spandex bike shorts and he was hot. How . . . did he do that?
Who are some of your favorite designers?
Grey: Zac Posen. And I want Diane von Furstenberg to make me a cool dress with a cape or something.
Hailey: Rick Owens. Also, I would love to be in head-to-toe Miu Miu. It’s girlie and fantasy -- all the things I love.
What’s been your handbag lately?
Grey: A tiny Marc by Marc Jacobs black shoulder bag -- because Leisha says my bags are too big.
Hailey: Her bags are too big. I’ve been carrying a satin purple YSL bag with a big bow on the front lately.
Where do you like to shop in L.A.?
Hailey: I like thrift stores. I’ll hit Jet Rag because I feel like they always have a pretty good selection. Also, The Way We Wore and Satine.
Grey: I love Some Odd Rubies on 3rd Street -- they do amazing vintage reconstructionist pieces.
Do you get facials and massages?
Hailey: I’m a facial addict. I go to Lida or Elena at Thibiant [Beverly Hills] Day Spa. They’ve done it for so long, they’re just experts. And I like the massages at Brooks Baths on Beverly Boulevard. It’s divey, but it’s less than $100 and there are giant Russian men.
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