An Iconic Kate Bush Outfit For You To Enjoy
As "Running Up That Hill" blasts from every corner of your phone.
If you weren’t aware that pop singer Kate Bush recently catapulted out of the 1980s and into the hearts of young people around the world, then I’m not sure where you've been. After season 4 of Stranger Things used her hit song “Running Up That Hill” during some of the most pivotal scenes, it immediately jumped to number one on Apple Music charts. Not only that, it’s become one of the top used songs on TikTok and Instagram Reels, making it nearly impossible to get away from. While I recognize saturation as a death rattle for all things culturally good, personally, I’m thrilled that we’re seeing her everywhere because it's a reminder of just how good her style was.
Of course, Kate Bush has many, many, MANY incredible looks but there are none that hit me so much as something she wore to a signing in 1982. I wasn’t born when the photo below was taken, but my discovery of it hearkens back to the Tumblr days, when film photos of '70s and '80s stars like Bianca Jagger and Debbie Harry reigned supreme on the platform.
In the image, Kate sits at a table at the Virgin Megastore in London during a September 1982 signing for her album 'The Dreaming.' Behind her is a wall filled with collaged promo posters that show her face. Her hair is styled in a classic tousled shag, with perfectly placed yet still messy bangs, and her face is natural with the exception of a muted red lip. The outfit is not all that spectacular, but it captures the essence of the '80s female pop culture phenom (a style that has been regurgitated throughout the last four decades, especially in the early 2000s). Her fitted white tee reads: “I Am A Primadonna And You.” While I’m not sure the origins of the shirt, an anecdote about what it meant did follow. One of the photographers that night, Giudo Hariri, told The Guardian some 30 years later, referencing to top, “I’ve worked with some real prima donnas, not to mention any names. She wasn’t one of them.”
Kate Bush in London via Getty
On the bottom, she wears a pair of white trousers with big red patches at the knee that are framed with a light blue line of fabric. The teal color also lines the top of the pants giving them a quintessential ‘80s exaggerated high waist. We can’t stop there, though, because the shoes are what makes the whole look. She’s wearing green suede lace up booties that look like they have been worn by someone who walks through the streets of a city without caring how much their feet hurt as long as they look good.
What sticks out most to me is not that it’s some groundbreaking outfit (though those pants are really something,) it’s that it feels like her. I loved the styled looks we see today, but wow, you can see her in this. You get a sense of what she’s all about, and while I may not know the story behind each piece, I know there is one. So let’s all just take a second while “And if I only could, I'd make a deal with God,” plays on loop over and over again in our heads to appreciate the whole picture of an '80s icon.
Check this out next:
The Interesting Reason Why Resale Fashion Is Growing
Unpacking My Love-Hate Relationship With Dresses
********************************************************************
Thank you for reading!!
This Stuff is a newsletter by me! fashion journalist, Alyssa Hardy. Three times a week, I unpack the ways our clothes impact the world through news, essays, interviews and more. Subscribe for free here and follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
You can preorder my book "Worn Out: How Our Clothes Cover Up Fashion's Sins" here.
