Rose Gray’s Summer Festival Style Is All Spring Breakers Bikinis and Big, Big Boots
“The good shit in life is always free,” Rose Gray sings on “Free”: An anthemic and euphoric, early Robyn-esque pop song from her debut album Louder, Please. It gets the crowd at London’s Lido Festival, in the sauna-like tent, scream-singing it back at her. Bodies vibrate to a hedonistic set that ricochets from jungle beats to Balearic synths and dance pop ascensions—all underpinned by Gray’s twinkling soprano. We’re in Hackney—just around the corner from where Gray once lived around Victoria Park, so when she plays “Hackney Wick,” there’s a fizz in the air. The pop star struts the stage with sporty style sunglasses, in a sheer white Miista two-piece with a double buckle belt and garter, paired with stomping calf-length boots by Kalda. Hairography works.
This is a Rose Gray special, a maximalist arrival into festival season and her next slew of UK, Europe, and U.S. tour dates. Working with longtime stylist Rebecca O’Dwyer, this summer’s wardrobe orbits around “chaotic glamour.” “It’s a bit undone, but still, with intention,” she tells Vogue. “And boots—a pair of iconic boots are essential.” It hits the sartorial rhythm of the day, too: It’s Charli xcx’s takeover, with a line-up curated by the architect of BRAT. The crowd got the brief too: Fruity Booty bikinis paired with Playboy buckle belts slung over low-rise shorts, sheer and ruffled Of Planet Earth tops in pastel blues and earthy browns, acid green manicures, a legion of Von Dutch hats.
As she’s previously told Vogue, Gray loves independent labels and brands with a vision, looking to the likes of Johanna Parv for sensual, sporty silhouettes and Masha Popova for colorful, clingy sets. For a recent trip and debut at Cannes Film Festival to support her boyfriend Harris Dickinson’s directorial debut, Gray also wore an emerald green silk Prada dress and a severe and nipped-in Agent Provocateur suit. She traversed the croisette on more casual days wearing a red leather Gucci jacket via vintage dealer Studded Petals, and a sweet, lilac Isabella Vrana cardi and tank set.
Gray has only just come back from stateside, where she played Alex Chapman and Zoe Gitter’s queer night GAG and L.A.’s OUTLOUD festival. For the respective stages, she pulled a hot pink buttoned and ruffled vintage jacket from Azura Archive and paired it with fish nets, and leather booty shorts with dollar bills placed accordingly, as well as another set of ruffle-bottomed gold hot pants with black combat boots.
“The show was wild,” she says of L.A. “I was so shocked for the first three songs…that people knew the words! I love New York and L.A., and I am yet to explore the rest of the states. Writing in L.A. brings me a lot of joy mainly because my favorite collaborator lives there, Justin Tranter.” (Tranter is a pop banger heavyweight, having worked with Britney, Lady Gaga, Chappell Roan, and others).
For her forthcoming shows—including opening for Kesha on the “TITS OUT” tour alongside Scissor Sisters and Slayyyter—she’s working on custom pieces and a range of bikinis. “Think Spring Breakers, club kid energy,” Gray says.
While the scenes at Gray’s shows are sweaty and sexy, pre-show is meditative. “I go pretty quiet before shows, which might surprise people,” she says. “I’ll sit with a boiled water, do my vocal warm ups, and have a stretch. Then, me and my DJ play ‘Wordy Rappinghood’ and dance around.”
Later, Gray hosts the official afterparty in her beloved Hackney Wick, at the Colour Factory, where she’s joined by Charli xcx, A.G. Cook., and Shygirl. Music flips from breakbeat to thrashing pop edits, and some unreleased Rose Gray tunes.
“I’m constantly thinking about how to build a world on stage,” she says. “Right now, it s me and a DJ, and if I have them, lights and a screen. I make my own visuals using mostly club footage of friends. There’s so many places my show can go and I’m excited to build on it for the fall shows.”
If this weekend was anything to go by, you can trust in Rose Gray to bring the best dressed party people together this summer.
1/14“Lido x Party Girl show day—I have quite bad jet lag, but it feels so good to be back in London town and I’ve waited a hot minute to play this festival.”
2/14“Breakfast show day—I had cherries and two boiled eggs…I couldn’t capture the boiled eggs.”
