My Fashion Icon: Khruangbin’s Laura Lee
High heels, bright colours and a rotation of different stage outfits worn as ‘armour’: a look into the style of bassist Laura Lee.
Style icons. The phrase can mean so many different things to different people. I have a range of people in my mind that I constantly look to for both creative and sartorial inspiration: from Jimi Hendrix to Farrah Fawcett, Solange to Marsha Hunt. So many to pick from, and I could chat about them all for hours - so choosing someone to focus on for this piece was a task in itself. But eventually, I chose Laura Lee Ochoa (often known simply as Laura Lee), bassist for my favourite band in the world: Khruangbin. I've seen them live twice; this first photo was one that I took while at their 2019 concert at the Brixton Academy. And it's because of her that I picked up the bass and have started to (slowly, badly) learn how to play.
In addition to their laid-back grooves and simple-but-powerful melodies, Khruangbin are known for their visual style - which involves black wigs (originally used so that Lee and her bandmate Mark Speer could get around without being recognised), ponchos, cowboy boots, smart suits and more. And at the forefront of all this is Lee, who transforms into 'Leezy' when taking the stage with her SX Jazz bass (she's proud that she's never changed the strings on it and that its creamy colour goes with all of her outfits). Sky-high heels, mini dresses, bright colours, architectural and unusual shapes and LOTS of sequins are usually the order of the day for Leezy - plus, there's often an outfit change towards the end of a gig. At first, her stylist had a tighter budget for finding garments for the stage, but as time went on and the band's reach increased, more and more designers became interested in being a part of the Leezy journey. Lee sees morphing into Leezy like getting into character: both a defence mechanism and a way of finding herself in the zone before playing for thousands of Khruangbin fans. Her heels, she told the Houston Chronicle, "[they] terrify everyone. I've never fallen, but it'll probably happen. And it'll be totally worth it."
I could continue to wax lyrical about Lee's incredible stage presence and killer outfits, which I've been lucky enough to see in person. It's almost like escapism for me to see these incredible combinations of clothes that have been meticulously picked out and put together. What's been more on my mind lately, however, is what's behind her carefully-chosen outfits.
Interestingly, Lee has recently taken a different direction with her stage gear since getting back on the road as the pandemic (hopefully) starts to ease off. Her outfits have started to move away from sequins, tiny shorts and statement boots as a way of acknowledging that things in the world have changed. She said to The Cut, "I didn't want to come back wearing a sequin bodysuit and knee-high boots because it didn't feel right. We needed to honour what we had just been through." She then went on to add, "I also wanted to honour a change within myself, feeling more grounded. So I'll wear more tailored suits with shoulder pads and have more of an elegant push. Not to say that I won't wear hot pants because I'm sure they will come out."
Back in September, Who What Wear published an IGTV video featuring Lee, in which she gave a tour of her closet and shared more about the pieces she wears and some stories of how she came to acquire them and their meanings for her. With the beautiful fabrics and wonderful craftsmanship in much of her collection, her wardrobe is like a treasure trove. The Cut also ran a similar feature on her, and the main theme for both was that Lee never repeats an outfit on stage. Her reasoning? ""If I wore the same outfit for every show, then you really can't tell the difference between shows every time somebody takes a picture of us," she says. "My outfit is the thing that distinguishes every single show from each other." There were a few dissenting voices who took exception to this in Who What Wear's comment section, as sustainability and fast fashion is a pretty hot topic at the moment. It caught my attention too, as I'm currently trying to learn more about slower style, re-wearing our clothes and getting multiple wears out of things.
But then I did some reading. Lee explained in the comments: she currently doesn't repeat an outfit on stage. Keywords here: on stage - which suggests that she does re-wear her clothes when she isn't performing. I can't relate to the performance aspect personally as that isn't my line of work - but if that's part of the Leezy stage persona, then I get it. She then went on to explain that much of her stage-wear is borrowed, and her closet is always available for her friends to pick things out from. Lee has also shared that many of her items are sourced from vintage shops or are thrifted and that she and her stylist try to promote smaller and local designers when she is on tour. Lee's stylist, Megan Boyes, is keen to find young and emerging designers to feature. In following both of their Instagram accounts, I've learned about so many up-and-coming creators and designers who have become an endless source of creative inspiration. This is pretty cool to me, and it's also highlighted that there is more than one way to contribute in a positive way to the fashion - especially when you have a much larger audience, along with a creative vision to adhere to.
It also made me think back to this second photo: another one that I took while seeing Khruangbin play at the Roundhouse back in 2018. It’s one of my favourites that I took that night, not least for Lee's incredible sequinned jumpsuit (which is made by Rosa Bloom, an independent UK designer from Cornwall). But those green Terry de Havilland platform shoes? First of all: they're fabulous, and I could only dream of being able to walk in them. But I also thought that I had seen them before - despite being a statement piece, they have appeared in other photoshoots - even as recently as in the music video for ‘B-Side’, which Khruangbin released at the end of last year from their new EP ‘Texas Moon’, a much-anticipated collaboration with Leon Bridges. It was cool to see them being reused and reworn for another major project. It might be considered funny to remember something like a pair of shoes and dig out a past photo just to check it out against a new video, but hey - Lee is one of my style icons and I'm totally interested in stuff like that, so here we are.
A still from the B-Side music video, courtesy of Dead Oceans' Youtube
Khruangbin are now on tour once again, reconnecting with their fans after so much time away from the road. I'm hoping to get to the gig at Alexandra Palace in April when they come here to London - the excitement is already mounting. For me, it's not just about seeing my favourite band live, the vibe of the crowd and the songs that take us on a journey far away. It's also about seeing someone that I consider an icon in person and being able to learn more about what went into that evening's particular style choice. I can't wait to see what Laura Lee decides to rock on stage in my hometown (whether I'm able to attend or not). What outfit will London get? Though, as we now know, whatever her getup ends up being, it'll likely only ever be seen on stage that one time. And that in itself will be something to remember - so we won't forget.
Written by Ketishia Vaughan
Photography by Ketishia Vaughan
Ketishia (she/her) is a writer, graphic designer and photographer based in London, UK. When she’s not working at her day in marketing for a youth-based charity, she can be found taking photos, hula hooping, pole dancing and exploring new music and good tunes. She’s supposed to be learning the bass guitar as well, but she needs to actually sit down and practice. With a developing interest in slower fashion and less consumption, she’s excited to start flexing her styling and creative muscles in new ways. Her blog on the subject is coming soon at ketishiav.com, but in the meantime, you can visit her at @ketishiav on both Instagram and Twitter.
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