Hey, I Like Your Style! Inside the colourful wardrobe of Melbourne musician, Big Wett
IMAGE VIA @BIGWETT_/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT
“I love discovering a new side of myself through what I’m wearing and how it makes me feel.”
Content warning: Abuse.
We know personal style is a journey (I’m looking at you, Tumblr years), so we’ve introduced a new series Hey, I Like Your Style!, diving into the fashion psyche of our favourite creatives. We’re talking the good, the bad and the 2007.
While the internet has made our fashion icons feel closer than ever before, even the most effortless of outfits came from a closet with some (well-dressed) skeletons. Clickable product tags, photo archives and lives chronicled in 30-second clips just don’t tell the full story.
For more fashion news, shoots, articles and features, head to our Fashion section.
These are the stories behind the wardrobes, exploring how we develop our own personal style. There’s a brilliance behind the way we choose to express ourselves and at FJ, we know every outfit has a story. This week, we’re taking a step inside the wardrobe of Melbourne-based musician, Big Wett.
s a self-proclaimed creator of “horny dance music”, her on-stage outfits are about embodying a larger-than-life, playful persona. Away from the spotlight, Big Wett’s personal style journey was influenced by a “life-changing” breakup – one that acted as the catalyst for her finding the truest, most outrageous (in the best way) version of herself. Below, Big Wett looks back on her style journey.
Who are you and what do you like to wear?
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I’m Big Wett, and I’m a musician from Naarm, Australia. I write songs for sluts, aka horny dance music, aka erotic bangers, aka slut-pop. I wouldn’t say I like to wear only one sort of style. Every outfit I wear, I wear for a different reason.
Some days I feel hot and sexy, so I wear something slutty to show it off. [On] other days, I’m not feeling super cute, and I want to feel more confident – so I wear something sexy, do my makeup, smell good and get myself in the mood.
Fake it ’til you make it until you’ve made it, then you won’t have to fake it. [On] other days I wear my PJs to the shops. Life is about duality.
What has your style evolution looked like? Do you feel like you’ve gained confidence in the way you dress?
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I’m definitely going through a glow-up at the moment, which I love (obviously). I’ve had a few in my life and this is by far my favourite. I was always dressing up in costumes as a kid, and I’m trying to capture the freedom and harness the joy of wearing something silly and outrageous… again as an adult.
I love discovering a new side of myself through what I’m wearing and how it makes me feel. I’ve always wanted to be an actress, and fashion for me is a way to wear and embody a character… Don’t feel hot? Wear something sexy and immediately feel better about yourself. As Wiigz wisely said, “Look good, feel good!” And it’s 100 per cent true!
Personal style is a journey. Have you ever felt like you needed to fit into a particular fashion box?
I remember my first time being bullied for something I wore was a ‘free dress’ day in year six. I wore a short black skirt and black knee-high boots. Keep in mind I went to a very Christian school, so granted it was a pretty provocative outfit in 2002 as an 11-year-old (not much has changed).
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Some older kid laughed at me and called me names… I was so confused because I thought I looked fucking awesome and I didn’t understand why that was being used as an insult. That was the first time I really learnt that people will come for you if you look too cool, sexy or different in any way.
I was so embarrassed but I didn’t bring anything else to wear… that was also my first lesson in standing your ground and feigning confidence to get by… [At] the end of the day, people were complimenting me on my outfit.
… The more we express ourselves without shame… the happier people will be. Self-confidence is contagious… and is something I intend to spread far and wide through my music. And as I always say, “If you’re not hot or cool, just wear a better shirt”.
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The other notable example of outward influences in my style was when I was in an abusive relationship in my mid-twenties. I won’t go into details, but my partner at the time had a real problem when I looked ‘hot’ or ‘too outrageous’ – [like] if I dared to wear a bright colour or something cute and fluffy.
So over the years with him, my style slowly fizzled out to dull, dark colours and very plain, oversized shirts. My personality matched my clothes – drab and sad. Towards the end of the relationship, I saw photos of me from years earlier in a cute outfit looking happy, and I had an epiphany of how much I had changed over the course of the relationship.
… I couldn’t keep shackling my true personality – if I did, I would surely lose her forever. My breakup with him was followed by… a life-changing moment for me. I set myself free. I was completely broken but at least I had the task of resurrecting myself as a project.
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Funny how you can’t seem to have a glow-up without a breakup of some kind. So, ladies, this is your sign to dump his ass if he sucks or quit your job if you’re unhappy! As the saying goes, “You have to be lost to be found”. You’ll be better for it, trust me.
Take us back to those awkward teenage years. Do you have any fashion regrets?
Following trends that don’t suit your body or personality is always a bad move. That’s something you learn over time, so I’m glad I’m past the age where I’m not trying to fit in. I’m just dressing myself in a way that I think looks good… It’s just a bonus that everyone else also thinks I’m hot.
Having said that, high school is always an awkward time and in the mid-2000s, it was no different. Low-rise jeans were in, as well as being heroin-chic thin and having straight hair. It was pretty common for girls not to eat much, and I dyed my hair black and chemically straightened it for years.
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Looking back, I wish my high school photos were more ‘me’ but society has a funny peculiar way of subliminally shaping young vulnerable girls… in the end, half of the girls in my middle school looked the same.
What are the most expensive and least expensive items in your wardrobe?
I can’t own anything too nice because I’m a hot mess. I can’t be trusted with fancy things. I’m more of a mid-range girlie, even with accessories and sunglasses.
The amount of shit I’ve lost, ruined, spilt something on, sat on and crushed… [there are times I’ve] let someone wear my sunnies at a party, shat myself in a skirt, washed it wrong and ruined it, broken a heel on a night out, lost my top at a guy’s house… the list goes on.
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So basically I’m banned from buying expensive things. Some of my favourite items were two dollars from a country op shop… and that suits me fine.
What is the most meaningful fashion piece you own?
I have a relationship with each item I have. Every time I have a great time in an outfit, I love it more. Outfits are kind of like friends – they each make you feel a certain way, you share a whole night out with them and you get compliments in them. Each item has its own story.
There is one notable item in my cupboard that happens to be controversial… my mum’s gorgeous cream rabbit fur coat she saved for three months to buy when she was 23 (in 1987, back when fur was allowed). It’s a shame because I never wore it because it was fur… so it was sitting in my cupboard unworn for so long, after sitting unworn in her cupboard for the same reason.
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The whole thing made me think – wouldn’t it be better to wear an item like that so at least it’s not wasted? So I did something crazy and I threw red paint all over it, as homage to my activist roots. It looks so good! I wear it all the time now. This way I’m acknowledging that fur is fucked, but I’m also wearing it and not throwing a perfectly good jacket in the bin. Creativity is key.
Who or what influences your style?
I don’t think I have any set influences – I think I have moods that I wear or characters I play. [The] moods include sexy, cool, slutty, hot, rich, mysterious, femme, masc, lazy, smart, dumb, pink, punk, sweet, innocent and ridiculous.
[The] characters include day-three festival Big Wett Barbie (all pink, which I was [wearing] at Splendour), Matrix villain (black leather jacket, straight hair, black wraparound sunnies) and naughty high school diva (my exact outfit I wore in primary school and got paid out for).
What fashion piece are you saving for right now?
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I’m not saving up for any particular piece. I want to start buying more slow fashion and highlighting young designers. The fashion industry is responsible for so much waste… Unfortunately, we live in a capitalist world where it’s cheaper to buy things that are terrible for the environment than it is to buy anything sustainable.
I’m on a limited budget as all the money I earn right now is invested back into the Big Wett project, so I’m really looking forward to the time I can afford to only buy slow, limited-run fashion (which is cooler anyway, because it’s more unique and therefore HOT).
What are the wardrobe items you wear on repeat?
I live in Naarm/Melbourne, and in winter it’s all about jackets. You have to work the jacket game because a lot of the time it covers a hot outfit. I have a hot-pink shag faux fur coat that I wear constantly in winter, gifted from Tibbs and Bones (shoutout to Tibbs and Bones, literally have lived in that jacket!).
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Another winter favourite is my white puffer, white fluffy hat and white fluffy leg warmers combo – I look adorable and it’s super warm! In summer, I like to wear dresses and heels (sweet and innocent), mini skirts, crop tops and thigh-high tights… or something more chill like a bikini and mini denim shorts if I’m on holiday (lazy). You get the drift.
Who are your favourite local designers?
I’ve been designing my costumes for the stage and my mate Oscar Lake has been making them. Currently, I have a three-piece costume – top, skirt and undies. I added some bejewelled sections, ’cause who doesn’t like bling? It has a rip-off skirt, as always… super hot!
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I’ve also got the next three costumes in my head waiting for their moment in the world. My dream is to do a fashion line and to add ‘fashion designer’ to my career hyphens one day. I’ve already started designing bags, shoes and outfit sets – basically, things I want to wear that don’t exist exactly how I want them.
You can follow Big Wett for more here.
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