Hello lovely readers! It’s that time of the month again where I join my fabulous friends Shelbee from Shelbee on the Edge and Marsha from Marsha in the Middle for our monthly Songful Style challenge. For those of you new to this series, each month one of us picks a song and we style an outfit inspired by it. Last month, I chose the classic Venus by Bananarama, and it was such a blast to get creative with our looks. This time, Shelbee picked the iconic Queen song, “Fat Bottomed Girls.” Now, let me tell you, styling an outfit based on this song was quite the challenge for me!
First off, a bit about the song. “Fat Bottomed Girls” is a fun, cheeky rock anthem by Queen, released in 1978 as part of their album “Jazz.” The song is a playful celebration of fuller-figured women, set to a hard rock beat with bluesy undertones. It’s catchy, it’s bold, and it’s classic Queen.
However, despite the song’s lively spirit, I found myself struggling to draw inspiration from the album cover or the music video. The original album cover is a black and white swirly pattern with a hint of pink. The UK record sleeve for the single features a woman on a bicycle in a red bikini bottom—striking, yes, but not quite my style (maybe if I was twenty years younger lol)! The music video didn’t provide much sartorial spark either, until I spotted something that got the wheels turning: Freddie Mercury wearing braces (or suspenders, for my American friends).
Styling the Look
Inspired by Freddie’s braces, I decided to borrow my husband’s only pair, which are navy blue with red polka dots. Perfect! The red dots tied in nicely with the red bikini bottom from the record sleeve. From there, I built the rest of my outfit around these colours.
Here’s what I ended up with:
- Red Vest Top: A bright, bold red vest top to echo the bikini bottom’s hue and bring a pop of colour to the outfit. Recently purchased from Zara (I have these in a multitude of colours).
- Navy Blue Skinny Jeans: Classic and comfortable, they balanced the vibrant top and matched the braces (a recent purchase from Sfera).
- Braces: The pièce de résistance, borrowed from my husband, adding a quirky, Freddie-inspired touch (I think he bought them from Massimo Dutti a few years ago).
- Red Skechers Trainers: Stylish and comfy, these trainers continued the red theme and were perfect for our photoshoot location.
- Red Desigual Handbag: A fun and functional accessory, adding a bit more flair to the ensemble.
- Big Red Stud Earrings: My favourite pair, which perfectly complemented the rest of the outfit.
- Navy Blue Chain Bracelet: A subtle accessory to tie everything together.
We took the photos across the street on the construction site of our new house, which added an interesting, rugged backdrop to the shoot. The mix of bright red and navy blue against the raw, earthy tones of the construction site made for some striking images. The photo below, I’m pointing to what will be my office!
In the end, I was thrilled with the result. What started as a challenging prompt turned into a fun, fashion-forward look that captured the playful spirit of “Fat Bottomed Girls.” It just goes to show, sometimes the best inspiration comes from the smallest details—like a pair of braces!
Don’t forget to check out how Shelbee and Marsha styled their outfits based on the song. And if you’ve ever styled an outfit inspired by a song, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below! Now please add your links to the link-up below! Next month, I hope you’ll join us for another fabulous song…it’ll be Record Player by Daisy The Great, chosen by Marsha!
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